Phone: 530-417-1960
Mail: dianedealeyneill@sbcglobal.net
WEEKLY UPDATE
May 15, 2012 - Pinch me, please... no wait, don't! I thought I was dreaming last week when I spent time in Plumas County in the Lake Almanor and Indian Valley area at the Forest Landowners of California Annual Meeting. On Thursday the members boarded a tour bus and visited several sites burned by the Moonlight Fire of 2007. While those sites weren't the most scenic of the day, they did showcase the diligent work going on to rehabilitate once forested areas damaged by the 65,000 acre fire.
The most scenic part of my time there was traveling through Indian Valley, home of Forestry Challenge participants from Greenville High School, a drive to the east side of Lake Almanor to visit (and hopefully recruit) Lake Almanor Christian School, and two brisk walks on the Lake Almanor Recreation Trail on the Lake's west shore.
In addition to hoping to add Lake Almanor Christian School and Chester High School to the 2012 participant list, I would like to recognize the following schools that have pre registered in the last week: Antelope, Cordova, Elk Grove, Grant, Marysville, Mountain Oaks Charter, and Rosemont. If you haven't already, be sure to complete the form by the 31st, so you are eligible for registration and sub pay stipends.
Until Next Week,
Welcome to the California Forestry Challenge website! 2011 was a very successful year, with three full length events in El Dorado, Santa Cruz, and Shasta Counties. Looking ahead to 2012, there will be an event added in Tulare County, making a total of four locations to choose from. Dates for 2012 events are posted under the "Events" pages, along with information about the facilities and current issues for each site.
Pre registering by May 31st will give your school priority status for receiving assistance from the $19,000 available this year! Pre registering does not commit you in any way, but insures you access to these stipends.
Fundraising is now underway for 2012. If you would like to donate to help offset student and program expenses, use the PayPal button below or use the contact information at the top of the page.
What is the Forestry Challenge?
The California Forestry Challenge is a competitive event for high school students in technical forestry and current forestry issues. Using the forest as the classroom, the California Forestry Challenge is project-based learning at its best.
Highlights include:
- Field Training: Forestry professionals spend time with the students familiarizing them with common tree species, forestry tools, and the use of identification keys. This training serves as a review of information and equipment already sent to teachers during the summer.
- Field Test: Working as a 2 to 5 person team, students complete a comprehensive field test, which includes identifying and measuring trees, analyzing stand data, and making forest management decisions. The scores from the four testing stations are combined, and become 60% of the team's final score.
- Problem Solving Fieldtrip: Much of forestry today is issue driven, and the California Forestry Challenge strives to expose students to a variety of issues concerning forest management. Students are presented with a real life problem. Participants then visit the site to ask questions and collect data. Students also do fieldwork such as wildfire mitigation, to give them a “hands-on” forest experience. In 2010, teams investigated a stalled prescribed fire project and made suggestions on how to get it back on track.
- Presentation: After a consultation session with a registered professional forester, students use all available information to put together a 15-minute presentation with their plan. A panel of three judges scores the presentation, which is worth 40% of the final event score. Top teams have presented their plan to the CA Board of Forestry and the CA Licensed Foresters Association.
