By: Mia Ambroiggio ’26 MEM
In December 2024, Yale forestry students headed west to Olympic Peninsula, Washington for Western Forest Crew, a two-week field experience for The Forest School at Yale School of the Environment students interested in forestry careers in the western United States. Six second-year Master of Forestry students participated in Western Forest Crew this year, led by Yale Forests’ Forest Manager Shaylyn Austin ’23 MF and hosted by alumnus Tom James ‘08 MFS, ‘16 PhD. This trip provided experiential learning in practical forest management, as well as a change in scenery from the Northeast forests the students have been surrounded by during their time at Yale.
It is without hyperbole that I can say I learned more from this experience than I have on any other YSE field trip. The opportunity to receive such a comprehensive overview of forestry in the Pacific Northwest was invaluable academically, professionally, and personally. After having spent the previous year and a half embedded in the silviculture of the Northeast, discovering the practices on the Olympic Peninsula broadened my understanding of forestry.
- Kate Regan-Loomis ‘25 MF
The crew settles into their accommodations in Hama Hama. Photo Credit: Shaylyn Austin
The crew stayed on James’ tree and oyster farm, a slice of the 5,000 acres of timberlands that make up Hama Hama on the Olympic Peninsula. James guided the crew through various harvest sites on Hama Hama property, introducing them to foundational silviculture and forest management principles of Western Washington. On New Year’s Eve, the crew welcomed 2025 with James’ family and neighbors at a beach bonfire where they learned to shuck (and eat!) oysters.
Crew cheers to 2025 with oysters in Hama Hama! Photo Credit: Shaylyn Austin
After a New Year’s Day spent hiking, eating pancakes, polar plunging, and ending their evening with hot chocolate and games, the crew embarked on the field work of their two-week trip.
One of my favorite aspects of being in the forestry program at the Yale School of the Environment has been the opportunity to travel to different places throughout the United States and in Europe to see how forestry adapts to the ecology of its place. Western Forest Crew stood out in this regard because we were able to meet with a diverse group of land managers and see firsthand how their values and resources influence their approaches to management in a unique landscape.
- Owen Klein ‘25 MF
The crew shadowed a range of forestry and natural resource professionals: a local botanist, a community forester for a land trust, silviculturists and engineers at Green Diamond, an industrial timber company, foresters for the Washington Department of Natural Resources, a forester for a regional land management non-profit, and a consulting forester. Through these interactions, the crew gained valuable insights into the complexities of forest management across various ownership types, including state, private, and Tribal lands. Additionally, crew members participated in hands-on work, learning new skills as well as putting academic concepts into practice.
Over the two weeks that we were in Washington, I had the opportunity for hands-on learning about the essential processes of timber harvesting. These included laying out a sale, cruising to evaluate the timber in a sale, planting, learning about the specific machines involved in logging, learning how logs are graded and sold to mills, and exploring many other important aspects of the industry. I reinforced field skills involved in measuring and assessing trees, as well as learned new skills like how to use a Relaskop and how to lay out roads.
- Jackson Cooper ‘25 MF
The crew visits an active Hama Hama harvest operation. Photo Credit: Jackson Cooper
The crew ventures through the conserved Chimacum Ridge Community Forest. Photo credit: Landry Guillen
On their days off, the crew explored the peninsula’s rich ecological and cultural history: visiting landmarks such as Olympic National Park and the Elwha River Dam removal site; exploring the beaches of the West Coast; and being guided through the region’s flora and fauna.
Local botanist Jim Messmer guides the crew on a nature hike. Photo Credit: Leah Snavely
Western Forest Crew members explore the wonders of the Pacific coast on their time off. Photo credit: Owen Klein
Our time at Hama Hama flew. In that short time, we were quick to call Hama Hama home. The easy graciousness with which Tom and his family welcomed us and the familiarity we gained with the Peninsula made us feel as though we did belong in those cathedral forests.
- Nate McMullen ‘25 MF
The final day of Western Crew included a workshop on how to use a Relaskop to collect forest inventory data followed by the hands-on experience of inventorying a potential timber sale. In the afternoon, James joined the crew for a farewell lunch at the Hama Hama Oyster Saloon before they packed up, said their goodbyes, and headed to Seattle. “I returned to New Haven refreshed by the green trees and moss, the hospitality of our hosts, and the friendships formed within the crew,” said Leah Snavely ’25 MF.
The crew enjoys the sunset on the Hood Canal. Photo Credit: Kate Regan-Loomis
