2015 Annual Report

CALIFORNIA
FORESTRY CHALLENGE

2015 Annual Report

Presented by

Forestry Educators Incorporated

a Non-Profit 501(c)3 Corporation

Message from the Executive Director

There is no “I” in team, the popular cliché goes. From its creation in 2003,
to forming an independent organization in 2010, and up until 2014, the Forestry
Challenge internal machine had been more of an “I” thing than a “team” thing.
The year 2015 marks the transition to a multi-person internal machine, a
natural and necessary progression, considering the continued growth of the
California Forestry Challenge program.

The roots of the team are the Forestry Educators Incorporated board,
made up of three diverse and skilled professionals. President Tim Cary, an
attorney specializing in representing school districts, and secretary Jill
Engelmann, a human resources specialist, are the newest members of the
board. Treasurer Rich Wade, a district manager for Sierra Pacific Industries, is
the remaining original board member. Each board member brings a wealth of
knowledge to the team. I truly appreciate each member’s input and guidance,
and their positive collaboration at our biannual board meetings.

Our staff has expanded as well, and each staff person plays an important
role, whether behind the scenes in the office or out front at events. Key to the
daily operations of the program is Lori Parlin, office assistant and creative
genius, who makes printed materials look good and takes care of most of the
tedious office work. Rika Piercy, a highly-trained outdoor medic, joined the
staff in the fall, serving the medical needs of students and teachers during
events. Grants coordinator Annika Duden, a business major at University of
Colorado, helped secure several donations key to meeting FEI’s financial needs.

With the help of staff and board, as well as my dedicated family and the
130 talented individuals who volunteered in 2015, we can continue to deliver a
high quality program to an increasingly larger audience in the coming years.

Diane Dealey Neill
Executive Director
Forestry Educators Incorporated

What is the Forestry Challenge?

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

2015 Totals:
 390 Students (58% female)
 75 Teachers
 46 Schools
 130 Volunteers (1,300 hours)

2015 Budget

ITEM DOLLARS
Income
38,167
Federal Grants 76,250
Sponsor Contributions 29,212
Registration Income 39,376
Carryover from 2014 183,005
Income Total
54,795
Expenses 4,182
Facility Fees 5,840
Food (Non Facility Provided Meals) 386
T-Shirts 794
Awards 7,204
Event Printing 4,275
Transportation During Events
Sub Teacher and Transportation Support 77,476
Events Subtotal
62,098
Employee Salaries and Expenses 1,302
Volunteer Mileage
Personnel Subtotal 63,400

Insurance 1,956
Supplies 3,545
Legal/Website/Bank Fees 1,144
Printing 1,109
Postage
Equipment 954
Overhead Subtotal 1,933
10,641
Travel (Mileage/Parking/Airfare/Rental Car)
Conference /Hotel Fees 5,402
Outreach Subtotal 861

Expense Total 6,263

Carryover for Future Growth 157,780

25,225

2015 Sponsors

Amador-El Dorado Forest Forum Mendocino Redwood Company
Amador Resource Conservation District Pacific Forest Foundation
American AgCredit PG&E Corporation Foundation
Anderson Logging Placer County RCD
Associated California Loggers Red River Forests
Big Creek Lumber Company Redwood Empire Sawmill
Bordges Timber Rich Wade
C.T.L. Forest Management Robert Dalton Incorporated
California Licensed Foresters Association Robinson Enterprises
Campbell Global Roseburg Resources Company
Clif Bar Family Foundation Santa Cruz County Office of Education
Collins Pine Company Shasta Forests Timberlands
Don and Judith Beaty Sierra Cascade Logging Conference
Emerson Logging Sierra Forest Products
Fresno Oil Company Sierra Nevada Conservancy
Fruit Growers Supply Company Sierra Pacific Foundation
Hancock Forest Management Sierra Resource Management
Hardie Tatum Tree Management Soper Wheeler Company
Harris Tree Farm Stan Leach Timber
Hawthorne Timber Company The Home Depot
Headrick Logging Timothy M. Cary & Associates
Humboldt Redwood Company Timber Products Company
J&R Logging Trinity River Lumber Company
Joe Thornton Logging United Wholesale Lumber Company
Knox Garden Box USFS – Forest Stewardship Program
March Conservation Fund W.M. Beaty & Associates
Mark Crawford Logging Waratah Forestry Attachments
Mendo-Boldt Industries Woolery Timber Management

Thank you!

Event Winners & Special Awards

The Tom Eustis The George
Memorial Little Memorial
Award for
Teaching Award for
Excellence Volunteer
Excellence

Angela Metcalfe Mike Garcia
Anaheim High School Fruit Growers Supply Co.

Shasta Retired

Sequoia

Enterprise High School El Dorado Oxford Academy

Santa Cruz Bella Vista High School San Bernardino

Franklin High School Los Osos High School

Pacing Contest

The ever-popular Pacing Contest is a sidelight of every Forestry Challenge event. The goal of
this contest is to pace a 66 foot distance without the use of any measuring device. This skill
is taught during field training as one step of using a Biltmore Stick, a device that measures
tree height and diameter. Each school gets one entry, and students must strategize whether
to let the best pacer do it alone, or take an average distance of many. The school with the
distance closest to 66 feet (either over or under) wins the contest, and takes possession of
the highly coveted “board foot” traveling trophy. This year, there were an unprecedented
number of schools with distances very close to the target, and one with a perfect entry, the
first time since the contest began in 2004 that this has happened.

Joseph Silva Jaylynn Anderson
Littlerock High School Marysville High School
San Bernardino Forestry Challenge El Dorado Forestry Challenge,
66 feet 1 inch 66 feet 0 inches

Jennifer Young Pacing Contest Winners
Health Professions High School at Other Events
Santa Cruz Forestry Challenge
66 feet 1 ¼ inches Nevada Union High School
Shasta Forestry Challenge

Pacing Contest Winner
66 feet 10 inches

Oxford Academy
Sequoia Forestry Challenge

Pacing Contest Winner
65 feet 5.5 inches

2015

Shasta S
Mountain Meadows Camp near Shingletown SCICON ne
9 schools with 72 students and 14 teachers Mountain Home De
9 schools with 84 s
Anderson New Tech Enterprise Etna Acalanes Anaheim
Mountain Oaks Charter Nevada Union Northern Summit Academy Grant Independen

Shasta Charter Academy Weed Westwood Oxfor

Santa Cruz
Redwood Christian Park in Boulder Creek
11 schools with 85 students and 15 teachers
Benicia Elk Grove Franklin Health Professions Ponderosa
Porterville Sac New Tech San Lorenzo Valley Soquel SOS Woodside

Events

Sequoia El Dorado
ear Springville and Leoni Meadows Camp near Grizzly Flats
emonstration State Forest 11 schools with 88 students and 19 teachers
students and 15 teachers Amador Argonaut Bella Vista Cordova
Foresthill Marysville Mountain Oaks Charter
CAMS Eleanor Roosevelt Ponderosa APES Rosemont Santa Rosa Jr College
ce Miramonte Monache
rd Academy Vista Del Lago

San Bernardino
Calvary Christian Camp near Green Valley Lake

6 schools with 61 students and 12 teachers
Arlington Arroyo Valley Charter Oak Hawthorne

Littlerock Los Osos

SHASTA - Students examined existing and planned fuelbreaks on forest managed by

W.M. Beaty & Associates around the community of Shingletown, in eastern Shasta County.
Each team collected data from a randomized plot. Comparing the pooled data with
specifications for an effective fuelbreak, students made recommendations about how to
improve existing fuelbreaks and also prioritized efforts to create new ones.

After collecting data in Shingletown,
participants toured the Sierra Pacific Industries

(SPI) lumber mill and cogeneration facility in
Anderson, illustrating what happens to trees
and biomass removed to create a fuelbreak.

As part of assessing tree growth and forest Lars Thompson of Mountain Oaks
health, Dr. Ryan DeSantis of the University of Charter received special recognition for

California Cooperative Extension Service being 2015’s only 4-year participant.
demonstrates the use of an increment borer.

SEQUOIA - Mountain Home Demonstration State Forest (MHDSF) was the field study

site. There, students collected data on woody debris in an area that was recently logged.
Then, they entered the data into a fire behavior computer modeling program to
determine optimum conditions under which to conduct a prescribed burn on the Forest.

MHDSF staff demonstrates the data collection
process, called a “Brown’s Transect.”

The California Chapter of the Society of Using a diameter tape is one of the
American Foresters generously loans their many skills trained and tested

cruiser vests for use at all events. Sam during field testing. This team from
Mun (right side of photo), from Oxford Anaheim High School is part of the
Academy (in Orange County), said, “I don’t school’s highly-active Forestry Club.

want to give back the forester’s vest.
It makes me feel important.”

EL DORADO - Students assessed the condition of an even-aged unit (at top of photo)

owned by Sierra Pacific Industries in the Grizzly Flats area. After conducting an inventory
cruise, students weighed in on how to manage the 25-year-old plantation over the next 5
years. The challenge was to take into account the stand’s recent growth rate, barely
merchantable timber, and potential fire hazard to the surrounding community, and
balance it with the costs and potential income of various treatment options.

Leoni Meadows has their own small-scale RPF Mike DeLasaux shares information
sawmill, using salvaged trees to make on bark beetles, an increasingly severe
lumber for use on site. Leoni’s forest problem in California, as trees weakened
manager Chris Papas gave a sawmill by the drought are unable to fight off
demonstration. attacks. New research suggests that the
beetles can actually “hear” sap flowing,
and target trees that have low flow rates.

Bella Vista High School senior Summer Von Aesch
collects forest density data using an angle gauge.
Her team presented their action plan to the
California Board of Forestry at the December
2015 general session.

SANTA CRUZ - A downloadable app for visitors to Soquel Demonstration State

Forest (SDSF) is currently under development, and students helped create content and
signage for a self-guided tour that will be a part of that app. After spending a day at
SDSF learning about its ecology, history, and management, students developed
portions of a script that will be integrated into the Android-based application.

Newly-licensed RPF Julie Dufresne High tech is everywhere at the Challenge, as
of Big Creek Lumber teaches students record an interview with forester
Harlan Tranmer during the Thursday evening
student Alex Davis how to use a
clinometer to measure tree height. “Ask a Forester” session, one of two
20-minute appointments that help teams

hash out their thoughts and ideas.

A team from Sacramento New Technology
High School takes a breather during the field

testing. The big trees and beautiful forest
setting, as well as delicious food, may be the

reason that the Santa Cruz event is
consistently a popular event.

SAN BERNARDINO - Students conducted a forest inventory of our new host facility,

Calvary Christian Camp (CCC). After collecting field data, including tree populations,
species composition, and forest density, students compared their data to pre-settlement
conditions in the area. The data showed that, in spite of past bark beetle attacks and forest
fires, the CCC’s forest is currently in good health.

RPF Tim Morin led a walk to the property Los Angeles County Forestry
line of CCC and the San Bernardino National Technician Samantha Conn teaches
Forest, which clearly showed how different Littlerock High School student Pedro

management strategies result in different Carreno how to use a compass.
forest health outcomes.

On Wednesday evenings, after the
welcome assembly, students mix and
mingle during social time, which often
includes games, bingo, and a campfire.

RPFs - Registered Professional Foresters

One of the goals of the Forestry Challenge is to “Give students the opportunity to explore
careers by interacting with natural resource professionals .” Many of those professionals
are RPFs, or Registered Professional Foresters. RPFs are people knowledgeable in a wide
range of studies who use their well-rounded education and experience to maintain the
sustainability of forest resources. Seven years of college and/or professional forestry work
are required in order to sit for the comprehensive exam. Once the exam is passed, each
RPF receives a number. RPFs are held to the highest level of integrity throughout their
careers. We are fortunate that so many have been and continue to be involved with the
Forestry Challenge program:

11—Jim Nile 2108—Rob Allen 2591—David Van Lennep
75—Dave Dealey 2156—Tad Mason 2602—Angela Bernheissel
624—Len Lindstrand 2162—Brian Rueger 2617—Kim Tiesen
898—Bill Draper 2178—Mike Goodner 2651—Robert Little
915—Jim Chapin 2188—Jeanne Tomasckeski 2654—Ellen Waverly
926—Bill Dennison 2200—Ed Struffenegger 2674—Joe Culver
1036—Jerry Jensen 2247—Doug Forrest 2685—Billy Vaughan
1143—Steve Fitch 2260—David Funk 2707—Dan Stapleton
1164—Gene Murphy 2262—George ‘YG’ Gentry 2734—Steve Auten
1236—Warren Carleton 2292—Ed Orre 2737—Dave Shy
1517—Gary Gould 2305—Lois Kaufman 2753—Chantz Joyce
1657—John Nicoles 2308—Mark Stewart 2765—Dennis Garrison
1667—Dave McNamara 2316—Steve Cannon 2770—Mike Duffy
1740—Dan Fisher 2321—Mike DeLasaux 2773—Matt Dias
1741—Bill Saffell 2360—Jan Bray 2788—Nadia Hamey
1742—Herb Bunt 2384—Pete Johnson 2816—Jack Harvey
1762—Steve Wiard 2422—Rich Sampson 2828—Matt Waverly
1765—Roy Webster 2482—Bob Broderick 2850—Harlan Tranmer
1825—Bill Dann 2496—David Thompson 2874—Susie Kocher
1859—Mike Garcia 2505—Tim Morin 2888—Kevin Conway
1891—Gary Brittner 2515—Dennis Thibeault 2931—Rob Fecko
1971—Jeff Gletne 2531—Phyllis Banducci 2950—David Haas
2007—Frank Barron 2540—Scott Carnegie 2954—Bruce Barr
2016—Rich Wade 2544—Eric Huff 2957—Jeff Oldson
2040—Jane LaBoa 2556—Chris Waters 2960—Colin Noyes
2066—Ed Murphy 2560—Russ Henly 2968—Nick Knipe
2077—Larry Duysen 2581—Arne Hultgren 2993—Julie Dufresne
2106—Frank Losekoot 2588—Jim Kral 2997—Sarah Oldson
3012—Chris Dow

Forestry Challenge works closely with
CLFA. As a result, Forestry Challenge has
earned a CLFA lifetime membership.

Forestry Challenge - Opening Doors to the Future

“CFC gives students a
rare opportunity to see
a wide variety of
challenging and
rewarding careers that
they might not be able
to hear about in a
traditional classroom
environment.”
— Teacher, Shasta
Forestry Challenge

“Meeting foresters
made me seriously
consider studying
forestry in college.”
-- Student, Sequoia
Forestry Challenge

“The foresters are great –
it is a good career
awareness event.”
-- Teacher, Santa Cruz
Forestry Challenge

3140 Sierrama Drive 530-417-1960

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