2011 California Forest Challenge Teams
December 2011 – Dan Kruger, President
- We just received a very nice thank-you from the students at Nevada Union High School for our role in sponsoring the 2011 California Forestry Challenge, and I just wanted to say that it’s our pleasure!
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.
High school students participate in hands-on field training with forestry professionals, then participate in a field test where student teams collect and analyze data, then make forest management decisions.
Student teams are then presented with real-life problems to resolve, emphasizing analytical and problem-solving skills with guidance from a registered professional forester.
Finally, each student team makes a 15-minute presentation with their plan in front of a panel judges. Top teams then present their plan to the CA Board of Forestry and the CA Licensed Foresters Association.
Nevada Union High School Students thank Soper-Wheeler
This year, 125 students and 22 teachers from 17 schools learned about responsible forest management at three different four-day events. Soper-Wheeler’s donation to the Forestry Challenge went toward tuition waivers for qualifying students and teachers.
Over the years, Soper-Wheeler has made a commitment to responsible and sustainable forest management, and an important part of that commitment is education.
Programs like the Forestry Challenge have led to a careers in natural resources which have a direct result in a better scientific understanding of forest and land management issues at hand.
I think that the Nevada Union students’ thank-you letter says it all, and from all of us at Soper-Wheeler, a big “You’re welcome!”
For more information, see the California Forestry Challenge website.