Hello everyone! I have had a great summer so far interning in the Clatsop County Extension office and I want to share a little bit about what I have been doing so far. Since I don’t just focus on one program, there are always a variety of activities and projects that I get to be a part of on any given week. This may be my favorite part of my summer. Every week is different and there is always something new to experience or learn. That being said, the last few weeks of my internship will have a main focus: trees.  

One event surrounding this topic happens to fall on my last day, so I’m happy I get to participate before I leave; it will be a great way to cap off an already great internship. The event is an urban tree walk around downtown Astoria with an urban forestry specialist. We will stop and learn about some of the historically important and interesting trees in the area as we go along. As someone who studies wood science and has done projects on urban wood and trees in general, I am excited to learn from an urban forester, and maybe even share some of my knowledge with attendees as well. It should be a very fun event, and I am excited that I get to be a part of it.  

In conjunction with the event, I have been working to put together a database, website and information handouts for a list of notable trees in Astoria. One of the Master Gardener volunteers has been compiling the list, and I am making it accessible to the public. There are some very interesting trees around Astoria, and it has been so fun to visit them, write about them, and take their pictures to add to the website. It is a big project, but it has been a fun project, and I am excited to see the end result. I hope it can become a great resource in the future that gives people the chance to explore the trees of Astoria and learn more about the forest in their backyard.