Ten years to a forester by Ethan

Ten years to a forester by Ethan - March 2020 Scholarship Essay

Looking back at the last ten years, I see that a lot can happen in a decade. Over the past year alone, much has happened to secure my decisions in my career path. My journey to become educated in the field of forestry, and forest conservation, will be one that will take up much of the decade ahead of me, but by 2030 I plan to be working in this field as a full time career.
My passion for the forest has only steadily grown over the past ten years, so I see it doing the same for the next decade. Working for Legg Creek Farms identifying and growing native trees as well as fruit trees was helpful in securing my decisions, and helped me find where I wanted to focus my love for the forest, which is pathology. Here in Louisiana, I have watched as pests and pathogens wreak havoc on our native plants, hurting a very diverse ecosystem that I call home. I have been part of efforts to curb the spread of invasive species and diseases, but I want to take it much further. This can involve many fields of research in the search for viable methods of controlling that which plagues the environment I call my home, which means there is much potential to what I can do with the degree I am pursuing.
LSU has programs where they study the invasive tree called the Chinese Tallow tree, looking for any fungal pathogen that could prey on its leaves, slowing its unhindered march across the Louisiana terrain, but is a search that has turned up nearly empty-handed. Another possible candidate is a beetle found in China that feeds on the tender young leaves of this tree, which would prevent the tree from growing as quickly. Many more studies need to be conducted before this can be released into the wild.
Other universities have studies on the chestnut blight, a fungal disease that has nearly driven our native chestnut trees to extinction in less than a century. These studies are putting forth an effort to breed disease resistant trees so that hopefully this once prolific tree can rebound and once again take its place as one of America’s top trees, as it used to be one of the most sought after lumber woods.
This is the kind of work and research I see myself being involved in within the next ten years. My passions for trees and fungi pair together perfectly with the plant pathology field, and I am excited beyond reason to be studying such a rewarding and important field. This decade of study and hard work will encompass everything that I have always dreamed of doing with myself.