Forester Waylon Mobley and Jim Hallstrom, owner of Zip-O-Logs Mill, share career information at the Lane County Youth Fair.

Are you looking for an outdoor, hands-on forest education opportunity for your high school students?

Forests Today & Forever has created a forestry tour to meet this need. . .

The program takes one class at a time out to the BLM McGowan Old Growth Education Trail and Weyerhaeuser Company forestland to provide students with a “big picture” look at Oregon’s forest resources and their management.

Students will look for clues as to the natural history of forests, use forestry tools to collect data and evaluate forest stands, and learn about the components of an old growth forest.

FT&F understands that with limited school budgets it is difficult — if not impossible — for teachers to take students out into the field. That is why we offer this program to area schools free of charge and including transportation.

The class tours a fine example of an old growth forest located near Eugene and Springfield. The BLM has constructed an educational trail through this forest that offers wonderful opportunities to investigate an old growth ecosystem. In addition, Weyerhaeuser Company has given us access to its nearby lands upon which students can examine forest management for timber resources. Classes will learn how evolving forest science and technology have changed the way in which forestry is practiced today. Students will be able to compare forest stands planted 30 years ago, 10 years ago and newly planted stands.

Also examined will be the social aspects of forest management, including the effects of consumer demand, public opinion, legislation and competing resource uses.

Career Tours

Created to give students an inside look at the multi-faceted field of forestry as a career, FT&F offers a Forestry Career Tour that takes students to Oregon State University’s College of Forestry for an day of exploration.

On campus, students will learn about the many career paths available in the field and what is required for entry to OSU programs. They will tour the facility — including its wood innovation center — and conclude with a hike through one of the school’s many educational forests. These forests are living laboratories, providing teaching, research and demonstration opportunities for students, forest managers and Oregonians. The next Forestry Career Tour and Woods Products Industry Tours will be offered in Spring 2009.

FT&F also offers a wood products industry tour in which students visit a local sawmill and learn about the skills and requirements needed for employment in the industry, as well as about the benefits and chances for advancement. The next Forestry Career Tour and Woods Products Industry Tours will be offered in Spring 2009.

For more information, please contact Program Coordinator LaRae Ash at (541)998-6438 or by email.

Future

Forests Today & Forever is working toward expanding its high school programs. We believe that — by utilizing our membership and our volunteer base — we can develop ways to help area schools meet the expanded Career Related Learning Standards graduation requirements, as well as assist with meeting the community service component of graduation. We are seeking input from teachers and counselors in the Southern Willamette Valley area to build partnerships with watershed councils, the business community and organizations such as the Oregon Small Woodlands Association.

We are also working toward the development of a half-day “menu” of field classes for high school science teachers on topics such as:

If you are interested in providing input for, or taking part in, these explorations, please contact Program Coordinator LaRae Ash at (541)998-6438 or by email.