Last week we hosted the annual FFA Forestry Sectional Contest at Fairfield, and were very pleased to have twelve schools attend with sixty FFA students. This year the kids have Tree ID; Timber Measurement; Tree Selection for harvest, leave, or kill; Equipment ID; Map Reading; Compass and Pacing; plus a written test. Here we see one of the Wayne City students measuring diameter with a Biltmore stick.
Many of the kids had no idea how to use a compass, so I gave every group a quick lesson before they navigated the course. The sectional contests are as much about learning as competition, and many of the kids we help come back as good competitors the next year. Olney High School's students placed first, and Wayne City placed second. Both of these schools will be competing Saturday at the State FFA Forestry Contest at SIU- Carbondale. The Wayne City kids came out to the farm after school on Wednesday, and spent a couple hours reviewing tree species in our woods, so maybe they can put some heat on Olney this weekend.
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