Skip to Main Content

FNR Field Report: Lauren Laux

 

Students from Purdue Forestry and Natural Resources took their classroom knowledge to the field for summer internships and paid positions across the country, gaining valuable experience, hands-on training and career guidance. The FNR Field Reports series will offer updates from those individuals as summer positions and experiences draw to a close.

Lauren Laux with a Biltmore stickSenior forestry and wildlife double major Lauren Laux was a forestry intern for the Purdue Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, working at various Purdue research properties with farm manager Brian Beheler and forester Don Carlson.

“The duties of my internship varied depending on what needed to be done at different locations,” Laux explained. “For example, one week we planted tree seedlings in a clearcut and another week, we worked with herbicide and brush saws against invasive species. I learned many different things including how to drive a small tractor and use a bush hog, how to seed drill a field, how to crop tree release an area, how to use a chainsaw, how to plant tree seedlings with a planting bar, etc.

“I was able to apply some of my studies on getting data for an inventory plot, such as a tree’s DBH (diameter at breast height) and species, while using a Biltmore stick and identifying the tree species, and also selecting trees to thin for TSI (tree stand improvement) and identifying invasive species in the field.”

Laux shared her knowledge about using a Biltmore stick at the Wednesdays in the Wild event at Stephens Forest.

In spite of the heat and humidity and fight to stay hydrated each day, Laux said the internship taught her about many different aspects of natural resources. 

“My favorite parts of the job were cutting down trees with a chainsaw for thinning or crop tree release, doing a few inventory plots in some forested areas, and also planting tree seedlings with a tree planter machine for a day and seeing a veneer sawmill.” Laux shared. “Even though it was a bit intimidating at first, it got better later. The use of goats as a management tool also was really interesting and it was amazing to see the results of their work."

Some of the sights from Lauren Laux's summer internship with FNR: an owl, logging machinery, a moth, a tree canopy, the pond and dock at Purdue Wildlife Area and goats used to remove invasive species. Some of the sights from Lauren Laux's summer internship with FNR: an owl, logging machinery, a moth, a tree canopy, the pond and dock at Purdue Wildlife Area and goats used to remove invasive species.

A map of the FNR research properties in IndianaLaux traveled across the state to various FNR properties for work, including Cunningham Forest, Darlington Woods, Davis Purdue Ag Center, the Doak property, Herrmann Reserve, Miller Woodlands, Nelson-Stokes-Lewman Woodland, Pinney Purdue Ag Center, the Southeastern Indiana Purdue Ag Center (SEPAC), the Southern Indiana Purdue Ag Center (SIPAC) and Stephens Forest. FNR also worked on local properties such as Lugar Farm, Martell Forest, McCormick Woods, the Purdue Wildlife Area and Stewart Woods.

Overall, the West Lafayette, Ind., native’s takeaways from her summer working in FNR were positive and have her looking forward to a career working in natural resources.

“I was never bored, and each day was a new experience,” Laux said. “It was interesting and rewarding to learn from the people in the field. It solidified my career goals because I plan to work with forest/habitat management in the near future.”

Featured Stories

Logos for the American Fisheries Society, Society of American Forestry and The Wildlife Society conventions/conferences
FNR Research Was Well-Represented at Fall Organizational Conferences

Purdue Forestry and Natural Resources and the cutting-edge research being performed by its...

Read More
Dr. Pat Zollner, Garrison Sickbert, Lucas Wilson, captain Alex Dudley, Anne Talbot and Dr. Elizabeth Flaherty posed with The Wildlife Society Quiz Bowl Champions plaque and their first place prize, a painting of a viceroy, Kentucky's state butterfly.
Purdue TWS Wins 2023 Quiz Bowl Title

The Purdue Student Chapter of The Wildlife Society won the 2023 Quiz Bowl title at The Wildlife...

Read More
Pacific walrus group hauled-out on sea ice in the Chukchi Sea.
FNR Field Report: Alumni Amanda Herbert, Bill Beatty Research Pacific Walruses in Alaska

Bill Beatty, a 2012 PhD alumnus and current research wildlife biologist for the U.S. Geological...

Read More
Rachel Kraus on a boat electrofishing
FNR Field Report: Rachel Kraus

Senior wildlife major Rachel Kraus worked as a summer intern in the Research Experience for...

Read More
said Tomas Höök, professor of forestry and natural resources at Purdue
Experiment shows biological interactions of microplastics in watery environment

Scientists have learned over the years that when aquatic organisms such as zooplankton become...

Read More
The Galápagos study abroad group
Students Learn Culture, Environment of Ecuador, Galápagos On Study Abroad Trip

Students learned about the history of Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands and explored diverse...

Read More
To Top