Jillian Greene’s grandparents lived next to the Custer-Gallatin National Forest in Montana. “I lived in Kentucky, but would visit them every summer when I was younger,” she says. In 2022, Jillian took a job on the Custer-Gallatin with the Forest Service. “I worked there intentionally so that I could be close to where my grandparents had lived because the area is special,” she says. Jillian lived at the western base of Beartooth Pass and worked both as trail crew and as a wilderness ranger for the forest’s Beartooth District.
Jillian is now down on the BTNF as a member of Forest Corps because, “I just love trail work so much,” she says. “But I made the decision to leave the Forest Service because I couldn’t deal with the uncertainty—it stressed me out wondering if I’d have a job or not. I have friends who stayed, but, for me, it wasn’t aligning. But I didn’t want to leave trail work behind.” When she heard about FBT’s Forest Corps, Jillian thought it was perfect.
“I have always been interested in the BTNF,” she says. A ranger station on the Custer-Gallatin she worked at had a big photo of the Wind River Mountains in it. “I hadn’t heard of the Winds before, but that photo made me want to go backpacking in them.” She explored the BTNF for the first time last summer while visiting her boyfriend, who works on the BTNF’s Blackrock District.
“I saw the most beautiful meadows of wildflowers, interesting breccia, pieces of petrified wood, and grizzly tracks in the Blackrock District. I had spent time on the other side of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, but seeing this side made me realize how much more there was to explore! When I first heard of the Forest Corps, I knew it would be an incredible place to live and work to get to see another part of the GYE.”
Doing trail work on the BTNF isn’t the only part of Forest Corps that is new to Jillian. “I’ve been on all-male crews before, but I’ve never been on an all-female crew before,” she says. “I understand it was unintentional, but it is so cool. This will be a nice, different dynamic.”
Jillian’s favorite trail tool: “I love using traditional tools, especially the crosscut saw. Traditional tools cause you to slow down. Crosscutting a tree suspended in the air or in a big pile, you can hear the fibers breaking in the tree and lots of other little things that teach you about trees. I’ve learned how much time I have to get out of the way after I hear fibers breaking.”
Favorite piece of personal gear: “I always carry a little backpacking pillow. I know many people stuff clothes in a bag, but I love sleeping on a pillow. No matter how many tools are weighing my pack down, there is always space for a pillow. I am not an ultra-light person. I am pro-comfort and safety.”
On responsible recreation: “The number one thing I do when I go into any backcountry area is look up the rules of the wilderness or that specific national forest. There are basic things that are the same everywhere, but some things vary. I want to make sure I’m abiding by the local rules. I also make sure to let someone know what trailhead I’m starting from, the time I’m starting, and the day and time I expect to be out. If anything changes, I’ll try to get to a higher place that might have cell service to get a text out. I also carry satellite communication of some kind.”