Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Conservation students recently had the chance to put their tree-cutting skills to use to improve safety while working alongside the Herkimer County Highway Department.
Under the guidance of Conservation program instructor William Carpenter and with the Herkimer County Highway Department blocking traffic, Conservation students cut down and cleared trees on the BOCES campus that were dangerously leaning over Gros Boulevard in East Herkimer past the entrance to BOCES.
“It’s a great learning experience for them,” Carpenter said. “They’ve been practicing this in the woods, but being able to do it in a real-world setting is beneficial to them. And obviously getting to work with the Highway Department is cool.”
The work took place on Wednesday, Feb. 11, outside the Herkimer BOCES William E. Busacker Complex. Herkimer County Highway Department foremen Mike Ferguson and Rich Reinhardt blocked traffic and worked closely with the Conservation program.
The project arose after Herkimer BOCES School Safety Advisor James Garcia noticed trees leaning over Gros Boulevard while doing normal safety checks of the campus. Garcia notified Carpenter about the trees, and Carpenter determined that the trees would fall on their own at some point, so it was determined they should be cut down for safety purposes.
Because the work would be done on a public road, Garcia reached out to the Herkimer County Highway Department for traffic control during the work.
“It’s a great educational opportunity for the students and for the program to work with an outside agency,” Garcia said.
Ferguson said he was happy to see the students take down the trees.
“I think it’s great for them to learn stuff like this on the job,” Ferguson said. “It gets them out in the elements. It’s a great experience.”
Ferguson said he has seen the benefits of Herkimer BOCES Career and Technical Education programs because his son, Mike Ferguson II, from Frankfort-Schuyler Central School District, graduated from the Herkimer BOCES Automotive Technology program last year.
“All kids should come and do something,” Ferguson said. “That’s what we need – everybody should come and do the trades now.”
Even if the skills aren’t used for a career, they’re also helpful for everyday life – such as being able to cut down a tree in your yard, Ferguson said.
Reinhardt also has a connection to Herkimer BOCES because he studied small engines and agricultural mechanics in a Herkimer BOCES CTE program in the early 1980s.
“I just wish I was 18, so I could still be attending it,” he said.
Reinhardt said it was nice to see the Conservation program students get the opportunity to cut down the trees.
“They need hands-on,” he said. “I think it’s a great thing.”
Conservation student Cody Cool, a senior from West Canada Valley Central School District, cut down the trees using a chainsaw with Carpenter standing nearby for guidance. Other students helped cut up the trees after they fell and remove them from the road.
Despite the cold temperatures, Cool felt warm after doing the work.
“I’m sweating pretty good,” he said. “Brand new saw. It was pretty easy to cut.”
Cool has been cutting trees on the BOCES campus during Conservation class, but it was different doing the work with more people watching.
“It’s definitely way more pressure being in front of everyone,” he said.
Cool plans to do related work for his career after joining the state Department of Transportation. He enjoyed the opportunity to cut down trees to improve safety on the road.
“It feels great,” he said. “I’m going to do this when I graduate – working for the DOT.”
Conservation student Landon Pickett, a senior from Herkimer Central School District, operated a chainsaw to cut the trees into smaller pieces after they fell.
“I was excited for this,” he said. “I love felling trees.”
Pickett said it was good for the students to get a chance to apply what they’ve been practicing in class to a project that improves safety on the road.
“It shows that we can come out into the real world and make a difference,” he said.
Pickett plans to attend SUNY Cobleskill after graduating from Herkimer BOCES and then become a state Department of Conservation officer, so he appreciated the chance to do some real-world work.
“It gives me some experience,” Pickett said. “I’ve got a future in forestry, so any bit of experience I can get is good.”
Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Conservation student Cody Cool, a senior from West Canada Valley Central School District, cuts down a tree on Wednesday, Feb. 11, on the Herkimer BOCES campus.
Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Conservation student Cody Cool, a senior from West Canada Valley Central School District, cuts up a tree on Wednesday, Feb. 11, on Gros Boulevard in Herkimer after cutting it down.
Herkimer County Highway Department foremen Mike Ferguson and Rich Reinhardt block traffic on Wednesday, Feb. 11, on Gros Boulevard in Herkimer, so Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Conservation students can cut down trees.
Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Conservation student Landon Pickett, a senior from Herkimer Central School District, operates a chainsaw to cut a tree into smaller pieces on Wednesday, Feb. 11, after trees were cut down.
Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Conservation instructor William Carpenter and two students check out some trees leaning from the Herkimer BOCES campus over Gros Boulevard in Herkimer before cutting the trees down on Wednesday, Feb. 11.
Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Conservation student Cody Cool, a senior from West Canada Valley Central School District, cuts down a tree on Wednesday, Feb. 11, on the Herkimer BOCES campus with Conservation instructor William Carpenter looking on and providing guidance.
Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Conservation student Cody Cool, a senior from West Canada Valley Central School District, cuts down a tree on Wednesday, Feb. 11, on the Herkimer BOCES campus with Conservation instructor William Carpenter looking on and providing guidance.