EEK! - Get a Job - Tools of the Trade Forestry Quiz

Tools of the Trade Forestry Quiz

What is this paint gun used for?
©Photo courtesy of Ben Meadows Company, Janesville, WI

This tool is used by foresters to:

a) mark buried power lines
b) spray our motto “trees rule!” on railroad cars
c) stun wild animals that may attack us in the forest
d) mark trees designated for harvest

The correct answer is “d.” Foresters understand that a forest needs to be managed in order to stay healthy and productive. You wouldn’t let weeds take over your vegetable garden, so why would we let undesirable trees crowd out the oaks and walnuts? This paint gun (the blue part with the trigger) screws onto a quart sized can of tree marking paint.

Mary Ann has marked an undesirable
black locust tree to be removed
from an oak forest.

The forester squeezes the trigger to squirt out paint. A forester might mark the trees that need to be cut, or they might mark the trees not to be cut. They also use certain colors of paint to mark property lines or timber sale boundaries. In this photo, Mary Ann has marked an undesirable black locust tree to be removed from an oak forest.

So, how did you do on the quiz? Do you see being a forester in your future?