DANVILLE, Pa. — On most days, Van Wagner has pine needles in his pockets and sawdust in his salt-and-pepper beard. He teaches his high school students about agriculture and trees, trims tree branches on the side and, if he can carve out a few extra hours, Wagner even sings folk songs about the forest.
"Trees and education are my thing," he said
On a blustery Friday afternoon, earlier this month, Wagner was 40 feet up a pitch pine, high atop the Montour Ridge in Montour County. Wagner, 46, was on a practice climb, preparing for his ambitious and unusual plan to raise awareness about Pennsylvania's vast forests. He plans to climb the tallest tree at the highest elevation, in all 67 of Pennsylvania's counties over the course of the next year or two.
