Monday, August 5, 2024
Photos by Alexandra Butler, photographer/photo editor
The eight newest graduates of the National Hardwood Lumber Association’s Inspector Training School gather for a group photo prior to their graduation ceremony, held at Pennsylvania College of Technology's Schneebeli Earth Science Center, the site of their eight-week training course this summer.
Eight individuals, including a Pennsylvania College of Technology alumnus, are among the latest graduates of the National Hardwood Lumber Association’s Inspector Training School.
The association held its eight-week course at Penn College’s Schneebeli Earth Science Center this summer, culminating in a graduation ceremony on Friday that featured an address by state Secretary of Agriculture Russell E. Redding.
Also speaking at the gathering was student speaker Matthew A. Nyemscek, of Emmaus, a May 2024 graduate of Penn College’s forest technology major.
In addition to Nyemscek, those making up the 206th graduating class of NHLA’s Inspector Training School are: Jordan Fitch, Ian Charles Oakley Greenaway, Mahlon Kuhns, Andrew Massing, Samuel E. Rishel, Kathryn Smith and Jacob Stone.
The class members enrolled in the course independently or as a lumber company employee or tree service operator. While the majority hail from Pennsylvania, one is from New York and another is from Arkansas. The newest Inspector Training School alumni join an impressive group of approximately 7,500 graduates.
Penn College President Michael J. Reed, who also spoke at Friday’s ceremony, noted that NHLA’s goal of producing qualified lumber grader inspectors for the forest products industry “strongly aligns with the instruction we offer here at Penn College.”
State Secretary of Agriculture Russell E. Redding addresses the newest graduates of the NHLA's Inspector Training School. In the background are Dana Spessert (left), NHLA chief inspector, and Geoff Webb, dean of the Inspector Training School.
The college’s forest technology curriculum prepares students for technical and mid-management positions in forestry production and wood processing in state and federal agencies, as well as in the natural gas and manufacturing industries.
“Like so many of our academic programs, (the NHLA training) emphasizes practical, hands-on experience, reinforcing in labs what is learned in the classroom,” Reed said. “For our forestry students, the lab is an experimental forest with 200 acres of timber and a fully equipped sawmill. This time-tested educational approach provides the academic and specialized background training needed for a variety of careers in forestry.”
Penn College’s forest technology program celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2021.
NHLA has been serving the hardwood lumber industry since 1898. Its Pennsylvania program partners are: the Pennsylvania Hardwoods Development Council, National Hardwood Lumber Association, Allegheny Hardwood Utilization Group, Keystone Wood Products Association, Northern Tier Hardwood Association, Pennsylvania Forest Products Association, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and Pennsylvania Forestry Association.
The college president congratulates the 206th graduating class of the NHLA Inspector Training School, saying, "Your skills will be in high demand in the industry."
Nyemscek, the ceremony's student speaker, shares his thoughts with fellow graduates and guests. (He is also a May 2024 Penn College forest technology graduate.)
Roman Matyushchenko, NHLA course instructor, presents certifications to the class members, including Nyemscek.
Accoutrements of completion
Reed and Redding pause for a photo in a hallway at the college's Earth Science Center.
Prior to Friday's graduation ceremony, this image was taken during the eight-week summer training. Lewis Lumber Products, of Picture Rocks, provided a steady supply of lumber to use for grading.
Many companies require their lumber grader inspectors to be trained by NHLA.
After earning his Penn College associate degree in forest technology and his NHLA Inspector Training School certification, Nyemscek plans to continue his education by attaining a bachelor's degree in ecological forest management at Paul Smith's College.
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