Two Southern University Students Selected for the Urban Forestry Summer Internship
Baton Rouge, La. – Two Southern University Urban Forestry students were selected for the Urban Forestry Summer Internship. The internship entailed an eight-week experience from June 6 - July 29 working as licensed tree expert employees with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR). This marked the beginning of a new collaborative program between the department, the USDA Forest Service and Southern University and A&M College.
The 2022 interns were Odell Kimble and Kolin Bilbrew, both juniors majoring in Urban Forestry. They collaborated with DNR staff at the Milwaukee office on projects with urban forestry inventory work and helped plan an urban heat map.
Support for the two summer interns was provided by the USDA Forest Service through their partnership program “Educating the Next Generation of Leaders in Forestry, Environment, and Natural Resources” with Southern University, under the direction of Dr. Zhu Ning, Chair for the Department of Urban Forestry and Natural Resources and Urban Forestry Doctoral Degree Program Director.
“As the urban forestry department chair and their academic advisor, I am very proud of their achievement and am looking forward to send more students to the internship,” said Dr. Zhu Ning.
Through the DNR and SU Ag Center, students from underrepresented backgrounds are able to broaden their knowledge and experience working as Urban Forestry Assessment Technicians.
For additional information on the SU College of Agricultural, Family and Consumer Sciences’ Urban Forestry Program, contact Dr. Zhu Ning at 225-771-6292 or at Zhu_ning@subr.edu.