GEORGIA—As part of a 2022 initiative to address less well-known deferred maintenance and aging infrastructure, the Southern Region hosted its first Public Land Corps boundary maintenance crew through a partnership with Conservation Legacy’s Southeast Conservation Corps, an AmeriCorps-affiliated nonprofit dedicated to supporting local conservation programs.

This four-person crew has played a crucial role in mapping and maintaining forest boundaries, from surveying boundary lines to collecting forest property data. The crew traveled to six states from Alabama to Virginia in the first half of the year, volunteering 2,532 hours and marking 73 Forest Service boundary miles. The crew also blazed a 7,844 trees and 131 monuments, georeferenced 288 monuments, reclaimed 49 posts from old signs and replaced 28 timber fence posts.

At the Conecuh National Forest in southern Alabama, they braved thick woods, swampy vegetation, and pouring rain to paint approximately six miles of boundary lines.

Randy Barefoot, a civil engineering technician with Conecuh National Forest, was grateful for the crew’s assistance and pleased with results. “They did an outstanding job—better than some contractors.”

Mitch Kerr, land surveyor and boundary manager for the George Washington & Jefferson National Forests in Virginia, was similarly enthusiastic and glowing when he saw the crew’s accomplishments. “The crew was awesome—they were able to accomplish the desired work, learn a few new things on the fly, and helped me crash test an experimental field app for boundary management.”

All six national forests the crew engaged with were pleased with all the crew accomplished and the merits of this new partnership. Glen Dalton, a land surveyor with the Francis Marion & Sumter National Forests, highly recommends that other national forests engage similar crews. Not only were much-needed boundary maintenance assessments performed, this partnership has the added benefit of helping young people pursue conservation careers. “The people that make up this crew make up the next generation of the Forest Service,” Dalton stated.

All four crew members also received numerous educational and career opportunities. Carson Lyne, a recent graduate with a bachelor’s in forest management, has accepted a summer position with the Forest Service.

He said that working with the crew has “allowed me to dip my toes into blazing trees before working on my career path.” His fellow crew members are also eager to use this experience to bolster their resumes and serve as a stepping stone on their professional journey.

It’s positive experiences like this crew opportunity that spur young people to embark on a career in natural resource management and to choose the Forest Service as an employer of choice. Not only does the SECC Boundary Maintenance Crew help national forests get essential work done—it also fosters the next generation of natural resource stewards.