Brouse Forestry promotes healthy trees – and healthy competition
By George Berkheimer
More than 71% of Bedford County’s land area is categorized as forested or woodland, and more than 67,000 woodland acres are in active farm use. It’s no surprise that those statistics create a demand for someone with a specialized knowledge of tree care and forestry. As the county’s only International Society of Arboriculture certified arborist, Zach Brouse has not only provided those services since 2011 through Brouse Forestry & Tree Care, but has also established a local lumberjack competition that draws international attention. “About 20% of my business is in land management and logging, and 80% is in urban forestry arboriculture,” Brouse said. “I do all the tree work for Bedford Borough and Everett Borough, in addition to some other corporations and municipalities in the county.” Born and raised in Bedford, he spent a few years away from the area developing a unique skillset. “I was able to travel the country and the world to learn different forestry and timbering techniques,” he said. “When I returned, I found a need and a niche market that nobody else was filling properly, so my education has helped out a lot with that.”
International sporting event
Brouse started competing in timber and lumberjack sports in 2009 after joining the Allegany College of Maryland’s Woodsmen Team. “I perfected my skills in that sport and earned a spot in the professional ranks,” he said, allowing him to tour the country competitively, which he still does. “I wanted to bring a piece of that back to our area because it’s a very blue collar sport and there’s a long history of agriculture and logging and timbering here.” Brouse started the annual Pennsylvania Lumberjack Championships and Outdoor Show in 2016 to showcase his company’s capabilities. The 2024 event at Camp Living Waters in Schellsburg was the largest event of its kind in the state, drawing about 60 athletes from around the world and the largest crowd of spectators in the local event’s history. Its three days of competition featured crosscut, woodchopping and sawing events. “I plan to add more events in the future that aren’t traditionally seen on the East Coast, such as log burling or speed climbing,” Brouse said. The event is free to the public and provided nearly $22,000 in prize money sponsored by community businesses and individuals.
Health management
Brouse Forestry & Tree Care’s services help homeowners keep their trees healthy and helps larger woodlot owners prevent damage from infestations and manage their properties to ensure healthy growth. “Spotted lanternflies have just started to show up, but we haven’t seen issues with defoliation or killing trees yet,” he said. “I hope it won’t be as bad as people think it might be.” The emerald ash borer had already done its damage before Brouse started his business, but the woody adelgid is one of the active pests that he’s dealing with. “Some hemlock areas are heavily infested, but others aren’t infested at all,” he said. “When I do see infestations, I advise people to have their trees treated to avoid losing them. It’s costly, but it’s definitely effective.” Although most people think timbering only occurs in the warmer months, Brouse said the seasonal aspects of his services are limited. “Certain tree species can only be pruned for disease management between November and April, but I work year round,” he said. “We get busy from May through October and there are a lot of things we can’t do in warmer months.” When he’s not working with trees, Brouse said he still prefers to spend free time outdoors, hunting or fishing, hiking with his children, and enjoying the county’s scenery. “My family and my wife’s family are from the area, and I can’t think of a better place to live,” he said. It’s also proven to be an advantageous location for his business, which employs four. “Bedford County has some of the best hardwood quality in the world,” he said. “We also have great sawmills and wood product manufacturing companies. With access to all the highways nearby, it’s the perfect place for the forest products industry, and for a company with the expertise to support them.”