Our McKinnon seed orchard in Georgia has hosted a Forestry Field Day for decades with the help of employees from McKinnon and Coastal Piedmont Timberlands, along with volunteers from outside organizations.
For the past 66 years, our Coastal Piedmont Timberlands and McKinnon seed orchard teams in Georgia have hosted a Forestry Field Day with the Georgia Future Farmers of America. The event has long been a great showcase of our company and career opportunities within our industry, and this April more than 300 middle and high school students from 10 Coastal Georgia counties gathered at McKinnon to learn about our operations and compete against one another in events that mirror actual forestry activities.
“Forestry Field Day allows students to participate in many of the technical aspects of forestry for students in a fun and competitive manner,” says David Hornsby, Coastal Piedmont area manager. “The event creates a better understanding of what we do, and hopefully it encourages students to pursue forestry as an occupation.”
26 teams of students in grades 6 through 12 participated in the Forestry Field Day competition at McKinnon.
SPARKING INTEREST
The McKinnon event is one of six Forestry Field Days organized statewide each year by Georgia Future Farmers of America. The FFA’s goal is to spark student interest in the forestry industry, promote forestry instruction and recognize students who demonstrate advanced competencies.
Forestry Field Days are open to FFA-member students in grades 6 through 12 who are studying agricultural education. Over the course of each field day, 12-person teams of either middle or high school students take part in various competitions. The McKinnon event determined the top two teams for each age group to move on to the state competition; a total of 26 teams competed in activities from tree identification to timber volume calculations.
“I’ve been involved in this event for nine years now,” says Daniel Atkins, Coastal Piedmont area marketing manager based in Brunswick, Georgia. “Our local schools have done quite well at the state level, and we’re pretty proud of that.”
Students take a break between events with lawn games and a sno-cone truck.
66 YEARS OF SPONSORSHIP
Our land base has hosted Forestry Field Day since 1957, when then-owners Brunswick Pulp and Paper first hosted it.
All competitions are directly reflective of actual forestry work. Our McKinnon seed orchard, located just south of Jesup, Georgia, is ideally suited for the competitions because it’s part of adjacent working forests.
Student teams competed in activities ranging from visually estimating pulpwood volume to coming up with management plans for a particular stand of trees. They were asked to identify tree species based on limbs, leaves or cones, and to identify disorders from insects or tree diseases. There’s even a competition for accurate ocular estimation, which is similar to cruising timber. After the events, students and volunteers gathered to enjoy food and awards.
Daniel Atkins, far right, and a GFC volunteer, in uniform, announce winners inside McKinnon’s warehouse.
“We begin planning weeks ahead of time, identifying the best locations for each event,” Daniel says. “Then two days prior, we set up the events: Flagging and classifying the trees, taking actual measurements, and building answer keys for the judges. These are all reviewed and double checked by the judges the morning of the event to make sure everything is ready.”
In addition to Daniel and David, this year’s event was run with the help of Luke Burklew, Coastal Piedmont wood flow manager; Joe Manning, silviculture forester; Tyler Pope, land asset manager; Grant Zitting, transportation manager; Lorin Clark, seed orchard manager; Kirk Broughton, seed orchard specialist; and Jacob Sheppard, seed orchard specialist. The organizational team also included external partners, including members of the Georgia FFA and the Georgia Forestry Commission. Forestry students from nearby Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College came to help on the day of the event.
Tyler Pope, land asset manager, and Luke Burklew, Coastal Piedmont wood flow manager, set up a catered lunch for participants.
GROWING AN APPRECIATION FOR THE INDUSTRY
Representatives from Georgia’s Forestry Commission brought bulldozers, fire plows and other equipment for the kids to see, and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources often attends, too. This year our teams invited students from local colleges to set up information booths. Daniel said they plan to do more of these collaborations in the future, giving local organizations the opportunity to talk about their programs.
“We're all trying to share the opportunities available in our industry,” Daniel says. “There are a lot of retirements coming down the pipeline — not just at Weyerhaeuser, but industry-wide. We’re going to be challenged to replace that talent, but events like this give us all the chance to talk about careers in our industry. We see the value in getting these kids plugged in to our industry as a whole. If any one part fails, it has a direct impact on all of us. We certainly want to attract the top-tier talent that these students represent, and it takes all parts of our industry to make it work.”
The event draws hundreds of students to compete, plus dozens of volunteers from Weyerhaueser and other organizations.
David agrees.
“From the McKinnon seed orchard, where the event is hosted, to the nearby timberlands where seedlings are planted and grown, the students got to see the many job opportunities within Weyerhaeuser that allow our employees to follow their individual passions,” he says. “In fact, several of our colleagues in Southern Timberlands, including Joe Manning, participated in this Forestry Field Day when they were in school, and now they work for us. It’s nice to see them help facilitate the event and inspire the next generation.”
Kids walk away knowing that the forest products industry, and Weyerhaeuser, value and support their interest. It’s also an opportunity to show our commitment to local communities and providing educational opportunities.
“Every year we host this event, we get a lot of comments on how well it’s run,” Daniel says. “I think kids walk away with an appreciation for how much work goes into making this event go off as successfully as it does.”
Students competed in activities that mirror real-life forestry work, such as visually estimating pulpwood volume and coming up with management plans for a particular stand of trees.
HATS OFF TO EVERYONE INVOLVED
Students also walk away with a Weyerhaeuser hat — which can become a lasting souvenir.
“The teachers tell us the kids wear them all the time,” Daniel says. “We're proud of that. It's a simple thing, but I enjoy seeing students come back wearing the old, dirty hat from the year before that they've been wearing all year long. As soon as we hand them a new one, it goes on their heads immediately.”
