2017 Annual Report

2017 Annual Report
Presented by

Forestry Educators Incorporated

a Non-Profit 501(c)3 Corporation

Message from the Executive Director

Developing an annual report is a time-consuming but
valuable undertaking. It is an opportunity to put on a
wide-angle lens and look back on the year as a whole.
It reminds me of the dedication of all of you who make
the Forestry Challenge a success, from the teachers and
students who take time out of their lives to attend, to
the sponsors who send their hard-earned dollars to
support program expenses, to the volunteers who drive
long distances and sacrifice their time to share their
knowledge and passion for forestry. The notion that
nearly everyone who is a part of this program
participates because they choose to keeps me motivated to work hard every day.

We set records again in 2017, in terms of student
numbers, sponsor dollars, and volunteer hours. As the
program reaches its build-out in California, I am
making a few changes to innovate and streamline in
2018. First, there will be a Championship event in April
2018 in Tuolumne County that will bring together the
top teams from the 2017 fall events. I’ve always
wondered how these teams would compete head-to-
head. We’re about to find out. Second, to balance out
adding an event, I have decided to put the Sequoia
event on hiatus in 2018. Schools that attended the Sequoia event have the option to
participate in other Forestry Challenges to the north, south, and west.

Focus topics that are different each year at each event keep
students coming back year after year. In 2017, 31% of student
participants were there for the second, third, or fourth time,
with 11 of them attending all four years of high school. I have
chosen to highlight the fourth-year seniors on each of the
event pages, and I thank them. For those who return, each
year brings a deepened understanding of the science of
forestry and those who practice it daily.

I hope you enjoy this report and continue with me on this
journey into 2018 and beyond.

Diane Dealey Neill
Executive Director, Forestry Educators Incorporated

Thank you to our Sponsors

2017 Totals: 422 Students and 88 Teachers from 56 Schools

143 Volunteers donated 1,804 hours for a total value of $106,189

Amador-El Dorado Forest Forum Matt Waverly
Amador Resource Conservation District Mendo-Boldt Industries
American AgCredit Mendocino Redwood Company
Anderson Logging Pacific Forest Foundation
Associated California Loggers Papé Group
Big Creek Lumber Company PG&E Corporation Foundation
Bordges Timber Placer County RCD
C.T.L. Forest Management Red River Forests
California Licensed Foresters Association Redwood Empire Sawmill
Collins Company Rich Wade
Crane Mills Robert Dalton
El Dorado County RCD Robinson Enterprises
Emerson Logging Roseburg Resources Company
Frank Losekoot Santa Cruz County Office of Education
Fruit Growers Supply Company Shasta County Resource Advisory Committee
Georgetown Divide RCD Shasta Forests Timberlands
Hancock Forest Management Sierra Cascade Logging Conference
Hardie Tatum Tree Management Sierra Forest Products
Harris Tree Farm Sierra Nevada Conservancy
Humboldt Redwood Company Sierra Pacific Foundation
Inland Empire RCD Sierra Resource Management
J & R Logging Tim Treichelt Giving Fund
Jefferson Resource Company Timber Products Company
Joe Thornton Logging Trinity River Lumber Company
Knox Garden Box USFS – Forest Stewardship Program
March Conservation Fund Waratah Forestry Attachments
Mark Crawford Logging Woolery Timber Management

Forestry Educators Incorporated is the non-profit corporation that administers the Forestry Challenge.
Meeting twice annually, the Board consists of a President, Secretary, and Treasurer. President Tim Cary is an
attorney specializing in representing school districts, Secretary Jill Engelmann is a human resources specialist,

and Treasurer Rich Wade is a Registered Professional Forester and a member of the CA Board of Forestry.

SHASTA

Mountain Meadows Camp, Sept 27 - 30
14 schools with 97 students and 19 teachers
Anderson Anderson New Tech Enterprise Etna Golden Eagle Charter
Greenville Mt. Shasta Nevada Union Northern Summit Academy
Red Bluff Shasta Charter Academy Weed Westwood Yreka
The Shasta Forestry Challenge was classic forestry at its best, with 97 students and 19
teachers from 14 schools in attendance. Forester Dean Lofthus of Fruit Growers Supply
Company led the focus topic, asking the students to write a silvicultural prescription for a 63
acre unit in the Lost Creek Tract. After collecting data on plots set up in the unit, students
used the information, which included trees per acre, species composition, and basal area, to
decide which prescription was most economical, logical, legal, and will create a forest
resilient to fire and insects.

First Place Team

Shasta Charter Academy

Four year participants
Cameron Cox, Tanner LaCroix, Zach Hender, Cole Jarvis

SEQUOIA

Quaker Meadow Camp, October 11 - 14
8 schools with 50 students and 13 teachers
Dinuba Eleanor Roosevelt Golden Valley Hanford
Minarets Monache Porterville Sequoia

First Place Team
Hanford High School
Cold, crisp, and classic fall weather set the stage for the Sequoia Forestry Challenge at
Quaker Meadow Camp. Students worked hard to complete a forest inventory on the 23
acre site, collecting data from 36 tenth acre plots. They compared their data to a forest
wide inventory done in 2005, and could easily see evidence of mortality due to the recent 5
year drought. The Camp is working diligently to remove dead and dying trees that threaten
the safety of the facility and the people in it. Once past the tree removal stage, the Camp
will have some accurate data about the remaining stand.

The Tom Eustis
Memorial Award for
Teaching Excellence

Arron White

The George Little
Memorial Award for
Volunteer Excellence

Ernie Lory

EL DORADO

Leoni Meadows Camp, October 25 - 28
11 schools with 92 students and 18 teachers

Argonaut Cordova Don Pedro Eleanor Roosevelt Foresthill Golden Sierra Grant

Mountain Oaks Charter Sac New Tech Santa Rosa Junior College Vista Del Lago

Sunny skies and warm weather helped make the fieldwork and outdoor activities fun and
comfortable for the 110 students and teachers who participated in the El Dorado Forestry
Challenge. With guidance from the staff of the Eldorado National Forest and many other
professional foresters, students studied the Trestle Forest Health Project, collecting stand
data that told them what the stand parameters would be after the project is complete.
Careful study of the Project’s EIS and Record of Decision, as well as a recently published
research paper on the California Spotted Owl, helped students form an opinion of which
treatment would create fire resilient stand conditions that are also favorable for the owl.
Congressman Tom McClintock attended on Saturday to listen to presentations and speak
about federal forest policy.

First Place Team Four year participants
Sac New Tech Hannah Upton and Kasey Whitney

SAN BERNARDINO

Green Valley Lake Camp, November 8 - 11
10 schools with 75 students and 16 teachers
CAMS Charter Oak Citrus Hill Hawthorne J W North
Littlerock Oxford Academy Ridgeview Sonora Vista
The importance of local partnerships was a highlight of the San Bernardino Forestry
Challenge. First and foremost, a new partnership with SkyPark at Santa’s Village will
provide opportunities to conduct fieldwork for years to come, while providing data to the
landowners that will help guide management activities on the 235 acre property. The goal
of our first visit to SkyPark was to assess the reforestation efforts in the wake of the Old
Fire. The data revealed a seedling count of 200 trees per acre, with many teams concluding
that the area was adequately stocked, and just needs maintenance to allow the seedlings to
grow and thrive. A second new partner is Rim of the World High School, whose leadership
class sent volunteers to be timekeepers for the final presentations.

First Place Team

Oxford Academy

Four year participants
Ariana Santiago and Nicole Gomez

SANTA CRUZ

Redwood Christian Park, November 15 - 18
14 schools with 106 students and 22 teachers
Acalanes Benicia Coalinga Delta El Dorado Elk Grove Franklin Marysville
Ponderosa Ponderosa GC Reedley San Lorenzo Valley Trinity Woodside
Wet weather during training and data collection did not dampen the enthusiasm of the 106
students and 22 teachers from 14 schools participating in the Santa Cruz Forestry
Challenge. Participants traveled to a 100 acre Soper Wheeler tract in Bonny Doon to assess
the growth of the unit, which is due for harvest. The data revealed a stunning 27%
increase in volume over the last 12 years, information vital for the students, who
recommended a target volume that can be sustainably removed in the upcoming harvest.

First Place Team
El Dorado High School

Four year participants
Macy Holoubek, Alexis Draffan, Jason Lam

2017 BUDGET

Funding Source $ 50,023.00 Jim Kral

USFS Forest Stewardship Grant $ 10,000.00

SRS Title II Grant (Shasta RAC) $ 75,979.76
$ 48,069.65
Sponsor Contributions
Registration Income

Total Funding $ 184,072.41

Expenses $ 66,234.00 Dana Walsh
Contractual $ 2,014.56
$ 671.83 Foresters
Total Facility Fees $ 975.71 in
Insurance
Legal / Professional $ 44,000.04 Paul Violett Action
Web Page $ 14,885.40
Personnel $ 2,580.00 Dean Lofthus
Executive Director $ 5,644.00
Office Assistant Ricky Satomi
Emergency Care Coordinator $ 5,743.95
Additional Staff
Employee Benefits $ 6,380.77
Unemployment, Workers Comp $ 3,552.45
Supplies $ 3,999.62
T-Shirts $ 2,212.07
Food $ 1,088.80
Office Supplies $ 587.55
Printing
Postage $ 44.00
Awards
Equipment $ 7,564.20 John Nicoles
Electronics $ 2,102.24
Travel $ 754.70
Employee Mileage $ 506.42
Volunteer Mileage $ 184.61
Hotels $ 1,065.00
Airfare
Rental Car $ 7,830.86
Conference Registrations
Other
Substitutes and Transportation

Total Expenses $ 180,622.78

What is the Forestry Challenge?

The Forestry Challenge is an academic competition for high school
students in technical forestry and current forestry topics. The four-day

events are held in five locations throughout California.

Goal #1: Teach students the basic principles of
forestry, connecting classroom math and science to
hands-on experiences with real-world applications,

enabling them to make recommendations about
natural resource management.

Goal #2: Give students the opportunity to
explore careers by interacting with natural
resource professionals including foresters,
hydrologists, soil scientists, wildlife biologists,
and fire scientists.

Goal #3: Provide an opportunity for a diverse
student population to experience outdoor
recreation and develop an appreciation for
the forest and its benefits to us all.

3140 Sierrama Drive 530-417-1960

Shingle Springs, CA 95682 Forestry Educators Incorporated www.forestrychallenge.org

In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race,
color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.)
To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue,
SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD).
USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.