07/30/2026
We're excited to share another update from one of the Practicing Foresters Institute's (PFI) 2026 CooperTen National Scholarship Recipients, Skylar Deaton! 🌳
From Skylar:
🗨️ Since my last update I have worked for two more amazing forestry firms. I worked with Tugwell Consulting Forestry in Asheboro North Carolina. Here I worked closely with Jerry Tugwell where we visited many of his clients' properties, where we discussed forest management, landowner relationships, and the day-to-day operations of running a consulting forestry business. I also assisted with boundary line flagging, inspecting current logging jobs, met several of Jerry's former forestry school classmates, toured Edwards Wood Products, and visited Stewart's Wood Products, a large producer of firewood and fence posts.
Then after attending the annual ACF conference in Baton Rouge Louisiana I traveled to Bennington, New Hampshire, to begin working with England Forestry Consultants. Here I worked with Dennis D. McKenney where spent much of our time working on survey projects, which was a skill I was especially excited to learn more about. I learned how to blaze property lines, locate property corners, install property monuments, and even gained experience using a Total Station surveying instrument. In addition to fieldwork, I toured two sawmills owned by Cersosimo Industries Inc, visited a maple syrup operation, and met with several local forestry businesses and organizations.
I am now working an hour north in Bristol, New Hampshire, where I am currently working with Shaun Lagueux of New England Forestry Consultants. This summer has been an amazing experience thus far and I am excited to see what the final few weeks have in store! 💬
We look forward to sharing the next update from Skylar soon! 🌳