Pierce County’s Forestry Field Day was held in the City of Patterson for the first time in over 20 years last Thursday (March 30).
Sponsored by Pierce Timber, the event welcomed students from Pierce, Ware, Charlton, Brantley, Grady, Clinch, Atkinson, Bacon and Treutlen counties. Organizers estimated approximately 400 students were in attendance.
According to the Georgia Agricultural Education website, the purpose of the Forestry Field Day is to encourage student interest in forestry, promote forestry instruction in agricultural education curriculum, and give recognition to students who demonstrate skills and competencies as a result of forestry instruction.
The field day event is open to students in grades 6-12 who are agricultural education students and are paid members of a chartered FFA chapter.
Teams competed in 10 events built around forestry career skills: forest management, insect and disease identification, tree identification, timber cruising for cord volume, timber cruising for board foot volume, ocular estimation, land measuring, compass and pacing practicum, reforestation and timber stand improvement.
Pierce County had a strong showing, with both the high school (PCHS) and middle school (PCMS) placing first in their respective categories (PCHS first place senior, PCMS first place junior).
Notable PCHS competitors include Madison McSwain and Isa Kanazawa, who earned first place Forest Management as a team.
Buck Aldridge and Syler Jacobs also earned a joint win (second place junior forest management).
Regan Clements (first place tree identification), Abigail Norman (second place junior compass and pacing), Jackson Courson (second place junior ocular estimation), Rahli Turner (second place insects and diseases), Jamey Crawford (first place land measurement), Emma Knowlton (second place tree identification) and Levi Yarbrough (first place timber crusing for board foot volume) also placed high.
PCMS standouts include Matthew Panning and Jackson Brown (first place forest managment), Sam Chesser (first place tree id), Mattie Bowen (first place land measurement), Ansley Hutcheson (first place compass), Parker Sinclair (first place-reforestation), Dathan Thornton (second place timber cruising for cord volume), Lili Thornton (first place tree stand improvement), Riggs Mock (second place tree stand improvement) and Coleman Lee (second place forest disorders).
FFA Chapters are limited to 11 participants per team. The top two teams from each of the six Area Field Day events will qualify for the State Forestry Field Day.
Special thanks was given to the Georgia Forestry Commission, Pierce Timber, the City of Patterson, Diamond G Forest Products and the Pierce County Board of Education.
