By Ronica Stromberg
Andrew Zahn's work environment can be a place of tranquility and rejuvenation for him and others. The 2016 alum of the School of Natural Resources manages Horning State Farm, a tree farm just south of Plattsmouth, and the nearby Timmas ecological preserve.
He spends much of his workday maintaining the farm's 240 acres, cutting down diseased and dead trees and clearing invasive species. He also runs tours of the forested properties and demonstration sites, leads work crews of university students in the summer and organizes the Forest Festival held every September.
Having grown up on a farm near Syracuse, he said the work suits him well because he loves the country life and working outside.
"I've always been, I guess, a country mouse," he said.
His career differs a bit from what he first envisioned as a fisheries and wildlife major at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln but restoring native forest stands and not being constrained to an office is what he enjoys, he said.
"It's been really rewarding to go through the restoration efforts and get to see the native species begin to flush back in once the invasive species problem has been removed in some areas," he said. "And I've always just enjoyed working with my hands and manual labor, so it scratches that itch."
He has been tackling the Emerald Ash Borer, an insect which kills ash trees, and recently he and coworkers have cut down oak trees killed by another disease. Horning State Farm sold the wood as firewood to make the best use of it rather than just burning it in a pile.
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