by Chris Firestone
Lin with former service forester coordinator, Jim Stiehler
Many say the best part about working for the Bureau of Forestry is the people you work with. It is tough to know everyone due to the Bureau covering the entire state with 20 forest districts, a nursery, and central office in Harrisburg. In honor of Women’s History Month, I would like to highlight someone I know very well and a friend/colleague from Sproul State Forest- Lin Greenaway.
I caught up with Lin a few days ago on a Teams meeting; she was in her work vehicle in the forest, poised to check some timber sales. I knew Lin before she joined the Bureau of Forestry when she was working as an ecologist for Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. Her career in the Bureau began almost 30 years ago in Sproul State Forest as the second female service forester in the district.
At a time when women were beginning to feel more comfortable in traditionally male-dominated roles, Lin started graduate school in forestry at the University of Massachusetts, earning an MS in Forest Ecology. Additionally, Lin worked as a logger, becoming very skilled in using a chain saw. She told me a story about later in her career during a training course when she astonished others in the course by felling a large red pine in the exact spot she predicted it would fall.
Undergraduate school, Lin recalls, was a time with little motivation to complete classes. As it turns out, it was due to not having a direction or goal in mind that felt worthwhile, which changed when she decided to pursue her passion for forestry.
Lin and friend at an Earth Day event.
Lin’s broad experience prepared her for the diverse responsibilities she ably fulfills in the district. As someone rather intimidated by new technology and programs, I admired Lin for her knowledge and ease in using technology when I first met her. During our conversation, I learned that she acquired that knowledge at a job prior to joining the Bureau, at a time when many did not possess those skills. Throughout her career, she has shown the ability to adapt to new processes and learn the latest technology. Here at the Bureau, Lin has administered timber sales, served as GIS and computer coordinator, service forester, invasive species coordinator, and carried out many other duties. In following her passion, she inspires the next generation of young women to follow their hearts to a fulfilling career.
Her advice to women entering an unconventional field for females? “There is no reason we can’t do this; speak up for yourself and go for it!”
Lin representing the Bureau of Forestry at a public event.
