Forestry Booth Questions

Working at an information booth at a public event is not something I shy away from. The folks who stop by have something that has been bothering them, an itch that needs scratching. At the 2026 Pennsylvania Farm Show, our Forestry and Wildlife Extension booth was once again located amid the Forestry/ Natural Resources area. The Pennsylvania Forestry Association was to our immediate left. The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture's Hardwood Development Council and Wood Mobile, directly across the aisle, and the American Chestnut Foundation, PA-NJ chapter, on our right. The Pennsylvania Game Commission, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and the  Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission were all within eyesight as well.

When an individual or family stops to ask a question, we have no idea what it might be. Our goal should be to provide closure for them or to address their question/issue. This can be difficult because we do not know where they live, so we must engage and ask questions to orient ourselves with where they are from. Individuals from other states or countries can certainly be challenging. Quite common and my favorites are "what is wrong with….; what type of blank am I seeing in my backyard; how do I get rid of…."

Then there are the questions of: "how do I get back to the main entrance; where is the bathroom; where is this particular vendor located?" While these types of questions can be frustrating, we are professionals and need to provide positive information to the individual who is asking. If I do not know the answer to these types of questions, I at least try to direct my audience to the event information booth.

As educators, we are all well-versed in basic forestry and wildlife issues. Each of us has our specialties, so if the need arises, we can pass along our colleague's information, refer to one of our fact sheets, or direct individuals to call their local county extension office and use our referral system.

On occasions, I feel like the individual asking their question was supposed to only ask me because their question is one of my specialties,' like it was especially for me. This does not mean that someone else could not have answered it, but that I have had actual experience dealing with that issue. Whatever the question, when we provide an answer that the individual understands and appreciates, we can see their gratitude when they depart the booth.

Sometimes the individual begins with "this might be a dumb question," I always assure them there is no such thing, and we will do our best to get an answer. During the second day of the Farm Show, I was asked the following: "I understand we have cut down almost all of Penn's woods. Where is Penn's Woods located?" I could see this was a serious question from a concerned citizen. My first question back to the individual was "Where do you live?" They responded, "Philadelphia." My next question was "How long have you lived in Pennsylvania?" Their response was their entire life. This made me think to myself that someone in their past really let them down during their years as an elementary and secondary student, but I digress.

Knowing that this individual has lived in Pennsylvania their entire life and had never heard of Penn's woods (which is the combination of our state founder William Penn's father's last name, also Penn, with the Latin word silva, which means forest or woods), I needed to gently ease into this conversation, so that  I did not embarrass this person.

Hopefully, many of you reading this already know this answer, but some may not. I explained that William Penn's father lent money to the King of England, and in payment, the younger William Penn received land in the new colonies, which today is Pennsylvania. When Penn arrived, the entire state was covered in a dense forest, except for areas used by indigenous people for farming and waterways.

I did not respond to this individual with my history lesson as stated previously, but I proceeded to explain that everywhere they could see outside the building where we were, was Penn's woods. I spoke with them about how we grow more trees in Pennsylvania annually than we harvest. A little basic biology needed to be covered on how trees take years to mature, so when one is harvested, it will not grow back to the same size it was preharvest in one year.

There is an opportunity to educate, help the individual understand the answer given, and hopefully, see things differently outside their home, work location, and certainly, the Farm Show complex. This individual thanked me and said they felt ashamed for not knowing more about Pennsylvania. I assured them it was my pleasure to discuss forest management and ecology with them, and there was no reason to feel ashamed. I could see a sense of relief in their expression.

When someone asks us a question, they are making themselves vulnerable and showing their uncertainty. No matter if we are working at an event or pumping gas, we should strive to be helpful, polite, and professional. Remember, someday you might be asking someone else a question and hoping for the same treatment!