Forest, Rangeland and Fire Sciences

Young Alumna Helps Students Get Work Experience

AFTER LANDING A FORESTER JOB, MIKAILA TERABERRY IS NOW HIRING CNR INTERNS

Shortly after graduating in 2016, forestry alumna Mikaila Teraberry had her pick of jobs. The forestry graduate turned down one offer on the rainy coast of Oregon in favor of an internship that led to her current position as a forester with Hancock Natural Resource Group, a company of Manulife Investment Management, in Colville, Washington. She loves her work. A Sandpoint native, Teraberry grew up hunting and fishing with her dad and knew she wanted to work outside. Now, she has so much opportunity to be outdoors, she sometimes welcomes a day in the office. As an added benefit, her work also reconnects her to the College of Natural Resources. “I really like going back and getting in touch with my professors. I want to get more University of Idaho students to participate in our internships, and we also have a scholarship that they can apply for,” she said. “It’s really nice to still be involved.” Teraberry recently hired her first intern, Michael Mackelwich, a forestry senior. Last summer, he shadowed a different forester almost every day, seeing many aspects of the work including active logging, laying out harvesting units, stream buffering and tree typing. “It was a really great summer,” said Mackelwich. “I had the chance to do so many different things each day. I really got a feel for what I might do in the future after I graduate.” Teraberry knows how important an internship can be. As a student herself, the search for summer jobs caused her to change her major to forestry when she saw how many opportunities were available in the field. As a junior, she dove into her new major becoming involved with the Society of American Foresters, working at the Pitkin Nursery and taking on a forestry operations minor. “The opportunities are endless at CNR,” she said. “Every single one of the professors really looks out for your best interests.” CNR faculty Andrew Nelson and Rob Keefe were great mentors, she said. Nelson challenged students on their research papers, and Keefe worked hard to get employers in to talk to students, whether it was for a summer internship or full-time employment after graduation. Teraberry feels fortunate to have a position with Hancock Natural Resource Group where she undertakes a wide variety of activities including silviculture, building roads, laying out harvest units and administering harvest jobs. In addition, she is the Sustainable Forestry Initiative coordinator for her office. There are also a number of growth opportunities at the international company. She hopes other students can find a position like hers and urged students to take advantage of all the college has to offer. “Don’t be afraid to get involved and get involved as soon as you can – live in the CNR House, study with your peers, join clubs and just meet people,” she said. “It’s so beneficial to your career. The relationships that I built through clubs and classes were amazing.”

Mikaila Teraberry, a forester with Hancock Natural Resouce Group.

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3-D Printing Wood Innovation Earns Nearly $900,000 Grant

A cross-disciplinary team including CNR Professor Armando McDonald and graduate student Berlinda Orji are working to develop a new 3-D printing process that can create panels using larger wood particles than currently possible. The project would mean more waste wood from mills and processing plants would be repurposed for use in 3-D printing, providing both economic and sustainability benefits. The team, which also includes Ken Baker, director of the U of I’s Integrated Design Lab, as well as engineering faculty, was awarded a $895,900 grant by the Higher Education Research Council and Idaho Global Entrepreneurial Mission.

Interns Dig into Work at Rinker Rock Creek Ranch

This summer, three interns lived and worked outside on the range at the university’s more than 10,000 acre working ranch. Jarin Ebbers, who is minoring in rangeland ecology and management, found a great community at Rinker Rock Creek Ranch. “The ranch brings people together for just a summer, but we got to know each other really well,” he said. “We worked and cooked and ate alongside each other on this massive landscape that is just an incredible place.”

Online MNR-Fire Student First to Pilot Fire-Deploying Drone to Combat Wildfire

Nathan Wierwille used a drone to drop exploding ping pong balls of fire to help contain a federally managed blaze near Flagstaff, Arizona. Wierwille works as an engine captain with the Bureau of Land Management while at the same time studying online for his Master of Natural Resources in Fire Ecology and Management. His work with “unmanned aerial system plastic sphere dispensers” is part of his degree. View video of the drone and read more about the college’s online degree at uidaho.edu/cnr/mnrfire.