Farmers and foresters have a lot in common. Though the crop may be different, they share a strong place-based identity and a sense of responsibility to balance human needs with ecosystem health.
As a third generation farmer and owner of a business providing services to land managers throughout our region, Ellery Troyer embodies a strong land ethic and inspires others to intentionally invest in the long-term health of their natural lands through active stewardship.
In the late 1930s, Ellery's grandfather, Glenn Troyer, moved from Nebraska back to the Troyer Family's native Pennsylvania to escape the dust bowl and continue farming.
Glenn went into business with his brothers and acquired farmland throughout LeBeuf and Waterford Townships in Erie County.
If you live in the region, you probably associate the Troyer name with potatoes and potato chips.
"Chipping" potatoes were a large portion of the Glenn Troyer Farms crop - along with wheat, soybeans, and pick-your-own strawberries - though the famous Troyer potato chip plant was a different branch on the family tree.
Ellery grew up on the family farm, but moved to Indiana and Michigan to attend school, where he studied biology and botany.
He then remained in Michigan, where he worked as a botanist for an environmental consulting firm, married his wife, Kelly, and started their family.
In 2009, they moved back to Pennsylvania to be closer to family and raise their kids on the farm.
Reflecting on their four children - Nathan, Mara, Audra, and Hayley - Ellery says "It was important to raise our kids close to the land, learning how to work the land, and to know that the work they do is valued with people counting on them."
While operating Glenn Troyer Farms, Ellery continued to do botanical consulting work on the side and was encouraged by his dad to pursue his passion of helping others manage their land.
He did so by establishing a business, Ecological Field Services (EFS), which has expanded over the last 15 years to provide invasive species control, timber stand improvement, planting and restoration, and many other consulting services with a crew of eight fulltime and twenty seasonal staff.
As the business grew, Ellery made the difficult decision to scale back his agriculture operation, though he still grows asparagus and leases the remaining fields to local farmers.
Our region's forests face a variety of health threats, from development and fragmentation, to climate change, to abundant hungry deer, and invasive species.
Invasive species control is the largest component of EFS' work and how the Foundation for Sustainable Forests has come to know Ellery.
Invasive plants such as multiflora rose, Japanese barberry, hay-scented fern, and Japanese stiltgrass, all spread prolifically over the forest floor, blocking sunlight from native tree and shrub seedlings that would otherwise grow to make up the future forest.
For the past five years, FSF has worked with EFS to mitigate invasive species with chemical treatments on many of our conserved lands, primarily to ensure that the next generation of trees can begin to grow.
Ellery finds that FSF's perspective on forest management aligns well with his outlook.
"Both [FSF and EFS] are about getting things done. I appreciate that FSF is on the ground, not just acquiring land, but doing active management to better the property for long term benefit."
When asked what advice he might give private forest owners regarding invasive species on their lands, Ellery says "There is value in landowners getting out and doing active management. Herbicide application is hard work, but beneficial. You need a long-term view to be willing to make the investment."
The investment in mitigating invasives, he explained, is one of physical effort, time, and money. Landowners should be prepared for a multi-stage process; effective mitigation often requires more than one year of treatment, and "touch-ups" in subsequent years.
Acknowledging the financial investments required to take this approach, Ellery highlighted federal programs, such as USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service's Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), that can provide financial assistance and creative solutions to a variety of land management challenges.
More recently, Ellery is continuing to make long-term investments in the region's efforts to mitigate invasives and build resilience in our forests through his latest project, French Creek Nursery.
The nursery grows and sells native bare-root tree and shrub seedlings, all of which are raised from locally collected seed.
Ellery explains that sourcing seed from local seed collection zones, determined by a combination of plant hardiness zones and ecoregion, ensures that the seedlings are genetically appropriate and adapted for the region's climate and other factors that affect plant growth and survival.
Locally sourced trees, for example, are better synchronized with important seasonal events such as bud opening, flowering, and the production of seed.
Andrew Harris, who manages the nursery, has been growing inventory for the past two years, largely focusing on hard mast species for wildlife such as black walnut, oaks, and hickories, in addition to cherry, maples, and sycamore.
Ellery Troyer's persistence to "get things done" draws on his balanced vision for the forests and lands of northwestern Pennsylvania.
A steady commitment to this vision has allowed him to innovate and fill much needed gaps in regional land management services.
Thank you, Ellery, for all you do to support landowners and managers in fostering regional forest health and resilience.
For more information on programs, initiatives and upcoming events, visit the Foundation For Sustainable Forests website. Click Here to sign up for updates (top of page). Click Here to support their work.
Prepared by Bennett Gould in collaboration with Ellery Troyer. Would you like to share your story? If so, we would love to listen! Please contact the Foundation at info@forestsandpeople.org or (814) 694-5830.
Related Articles This Week- Leadership:
-- Discover NEPA: Bernie McGurl Of The Lackawanna River Conservation Association - Why NE PA? [PaEN]
-- Foundation For Sustainable Forests - Loving The Land: Ellery Troyer & His Family Manages A 3rd Generation Farm And The French Creek Nursery In Erie County [PaEN]
-- Trout Unlimited - Every River Needs A Champion: Russ Collins, Doc Fritchey TU Chapter Working In Dauphin, Lebanon Counties [PaEN]
[Posted: September 23, 2025] PA Environment Digest
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