Thursday, October 7, 2010

HCC GRADUATES IN THE NYTIMES


Recent HCC Forest Management Technology graduate Dawn Salley is a news maker! Following her graduation from HCC Dawn took a job with the Cherokee Hotshots. While cleaning up recent storm damage in NYC the New York Times caught her and Matt Gilbert (HCC FMT Class of 2000) in action. GO HAYWOOD! To read the story click on the following:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/28/nyregion/28trees.html

Urban Turn for Workers Accustomed to the ForestBy REBECCA WHITE
An unusual scene unfolded in the rain in Prospect Park on Monday morning, as a crew from Tennessee confronted the aftermath of a particularly turbulent storm.

It was certainly a different sort of emergency for the 21 men and 1 woman in the Cherokee Hotshots, an elite interagency forestry crew that travels the nation, primarily to put out wildfires.

Two tornadoes last week left parks in Queens and Brooklyn with toppled trees, dangling branches and piles of debris crossing pathways. In Prospect Park, 40 trees went down, and almost 130 others were badly damaged.

At a meeting Friday among officials of the United States Forest Service and the city parks department, it was suggested to Adrian Benepe, the parks commissioner, that a specialized — or hotshot — crew come in to help with damage recovery.

“I’d read about how they respond to forest fires,” Mr. Benepe said. “To me, that was something that happens in Yellowstone or the Great Smokies, not New York City.”

Yet the Cherokee Hotshots, based in the Cherokee National Forest in Unicoi, Tenn., made their way to New York City, the first among the 106 interagency hotshot crews to do so since they were formed in the 1940s, said Phil Sammon, a spokesman for the Forest Service.

Members of the crew arrived Sunday in Queens, where they are staying at the Fire Department center in Fort Totten. They drove up from Alabama, where they had spent a week battling a fire over 75 acres of farmland. Their mission here includes Prospect Park in Brooklyn and Kissena Park in Queens.

“We were pretty excited when we heard we were coming to New York,” said Matthew Gilbert, 30, the crew’s superintendent. “This is pretty much a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” It was the first time the crew had been assigned a job in a city setting.

Workers started about 9:30 Monday morning, clearing brush and downed trees from pedestrian pathways. Men wielded chain saws with 32-inch bars to dismember trees as old as 75 years, as long as 80 feet and as wide as 40 inches. Some fed smaller tree trunks into a wood chipper; others used axes to drive wedges into trunks before using the chain saws to complete the separation of the trunks into rounds.

They wore protective chaps lined with Kevlar, fire-retardant long-sleeved shirts, leather gloves, white hard hats with full brims — “bigger than construction hats,” one crew member noted — and were equipped with earplugs, radios, “bug eye” protective gear and boots with Vibram soles to provide traction.

In fact, the presence of people in ordinary clothes seemed somewhat disquieting to them.

“We’re used to seeing 10 extra people in a day,” said Brent Foltz, 25, a senior firefighter. “Here, we are seeing 10 extra people in a minute.”

Graham Collins, 29, an artist from Sunset Park, Brooklyn, and his mother, Diana Collins, 61, were just two of the human distractions.

“I like Prospect Park because it’s really a little bit wild anyway,” Mr. Collins said. “It looks like it’s been cleared up really well.” ”

The Prospect Park Alliance intends to replant trees where old ones were destroyed, in accordance with the original design by Frederick Law Olmsted. Since many of the trees that were damaged or killed were large, as many as 10 smaller, younger trees can fill the same area.

“Storms are a natural part of the forest dynamic,” said John Jordan, 41, supervisor of natural resources for the Prospect Park Alliance. “Now dormant seedlings can start growing.”

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

HCC LUMBERJACKS TAKE THE CRADLE!

On October 2nd, the HCC Lumberjacks met four other schools on the field of competition and left with a solid win. The team, mostly freshmen this year, showed unmatched focus and resolve in the face of teams that were perhaps more seasoned, but not unbeatable. Though the competition was fierce, a good time was had by all, as camaraderie and mutual respect are hallmarks of the forestry programs that participate in this event yearly. Students are tested not only on their skill with an axe and chainsaw, but also on their abilities to navigate in the woods, their knowledge of native trees and shrubs, and the knowledge that they have acquired during their tenure in the various programs that they attend. The competition, commonly referred to as "The Cradle," is known formally as The John G. Palmer Annual Intercollegiate Woodsmen's Meet. The event is named for Dr. Palmer, a former forestry instructor at HCC respected for his dedication to The Cradle, as well as to the students. The Cradle of Forestry, located in the Pisgah National Forest, generously lends HCC its corral annually to use as the timbersports playing field. It is no accident that this annual competition is held in this iconic location, as The Cradle of Forestry is the location of America's first school of forestry, then known as The Biltmore Forest School. As many of the events in the competition are reminiscent of the games and skills taught to budding foresters by Dr. Carl Alwin Schenck, back when the Cradle was The Biltmore Forest School, this woodsmen's meet serves as a supplemental attraction for visitors to the Cradle's Forest Festival Day. This competition is definitely something to mark on your calendars, as it is always good fun for all. The HCC Forestry Club is, as always, grateful to the The Cradle of Forestry and the event's sponsor, STIHL, as well as all of the many volunteers that helped to make the event a success!

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

COOK OUT!!!!!!!!

Everyone is invited to attend the Forestry/Wildife Club Cookout this Wednesday!

The cookout will be held at the Mill Pond at 7PM.


See You There!!!!!!.

Friday, May 21, 2010

Part-Time Job Opportunity

If anyone's interested in some seasonal/part-time work pulling a cross-cut saw (for real!), there is a trail maintenance project going on at the Linville Gorge Trail that requires clean-up using saws and axes (wilderness area). If you're interested, call Josh Reeves at 417-247-0415. He's looking for folks who have cross-cut experience.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Congratulations HCC Forestry Class of 2010!!

Just thought I'd give a congratulatory shout-out post to the 2010 class for graduation. It was a real pleasure following your class from the 1st day of Intro two years ago to now. I truly enjoyed the afternoons at the practice yard, traveling with you motley jacklegs to timbersports competitions, and having you in class as students. If you're ever in Boone, I hope you'll look me up. I wish you all the best in your pursuit of a career in natural resources...or fast food...whatever the case may be!! Keep in touch!
Jim Hamilton

Thursday, April 22, 2010

HCC TIMBERSPORTS TEAM RESULTS



HCC Mid Atlantic Team Results:

Johnny Manuel, 2nd Place, Dendrology
Rance Rogers, 2nd Place, Archery
Myles, 4th Place, Archery
Frank Potts, Jermemy Graves, Rance and Dawn, 2nd Place, Team Log Roll
Jeremy Graves, Frank Potts, Rance Rogers, Heather Franklin, Lee, and Alex, 1st Place, Pulp toss for Accuracy
Jared Guffey, 1st place, Men's Axe Throw
Alex, 1st place, Men's Axe Throw
Rance Rogers, 1st place, Chainsaw
Daniel Jones and Rance Rogers, 1st place, Cross Cut
Dawn Salley and Sarah Miller, 1st place, Cross Cut
Daniel Jones and Dawn Salley, 1st place, Cross Cut
Derek Morgan and Heather Franklin, 3rd place, Water Boil
Daniel Jones, 1st place, Single buck
James Judge, 2nd place, Single buck
Daniel Jones, 1st place, Speed Chop
Braxton Spurlin, 2nd place, Speed Chop
Sarah Miller, 2nd place, Speed Chop
Jared Guffey, 1st place, Bolt Split
Rance Rogers, 2nd place, Bolt Split
Dawn Salley, 3rd place, Bolt Split

The Mid-Atlantic Trophy Comes Home



Congratulations to the 2010 Woodsmen Team on your victory at this year's Mid-Atlantic Woodsmen's Meet!

Monday, April 12, 2010

SAF Visit



The Society of American Foresters (SAF) is the national scientific and educational organization representing the forestry profession in the United States. Founded in 1900 by Gifford Pinchot, it is the largest professional society for foresters in the world. The mission of the Society of American Foresters is to advance the science, education, technology, and practice of forestry; to enhance the competency of its members; to establish professional excellence; and, to use the knowledge, skills, and conservation ethic of the profession to ensure the continued health and use of forest ecosystems and the present and future availability of forest resources to benefit society. SAF is a nonprofit organization meeting the requirements of 501 (c) (3). SAF members include natural resource professionals in public and private settings, researchers, CEOs, administrators, educators, and students.(From: http://www.safnet.org/

Joanne Cox, SAF executive committee member, and former NC Division Chair recently spoke to a joint meeting of the HCC student Chapter and Warren Wilson Student Chapter. Joanne discussed the many benefits of being a member of SAF. The HCC SAF Student Chapter encourages all forestry and fish and wildlife majors to join the organization. See the following link: http://www.safnet.org/join.cfm

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

2010 Mid-Atlantic Tryouts

We're down to crunch time folks! just a couple of weeks until Mid-Atlantic, and club members are stepping up to the challenge that our captains have laid before us: VICTORY AT MID-ATLANTIC! It is not a question of whether we will win, but by how many points! Our finest lumberjacks and lumberjills will be taking the fight to Pennsylvania to defeat our foes on their home turf! Below are some pictures of the tryouts that will decide who competes and who warms the benches.

Enjoy!
~Billy

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Mid-Atlantic Practice Revs Up

The HCC Lumberjacks are fired up and practicing to win! We will be bringing home a 1st place victory from the North in April. For all competing: now is not the time to slack off! Practicing is the only way to assure victory on Penn State's native soil, so BE THERE!



Let's get it together and bring it home folks!

~Billy

P.S. The crosscut saw you see pictured was graciously donated to the club by Sarah Miller, with the engraving donated by the HCC Golden Leaf Advanced Machining Center. A huge THANK YOU to both Sarah and the Center! It looks great guys!

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Natural Resources Department Career Day

On Wednesday, February 24th, The HCC Department of Natural Resources hosted a career day put on by several State and Federal agencies. After a pizza lunch, the students were encouraged to form groups to cycle from station to station in "round-robin" style. At each station, an agency representative spoke with the student group about the job(s) that they perform, and the opportunities available to interested individuals. Students were encouraged to bring resumes with them, as potential employers could be present, and an opportunity could be available. Below are some pictures taken from the event.



We would like to thank the following people for making this event possible:

First and foremost, Bob Pinkston. Bob was the driving force behind making this happen. Thanks, Bob, for all you do. We appreciate you tremendously!

The HCC students for helping in set up and tear down of the event.

The HCC Forestry Club for pizza and soda acquisition

Also, a special thanks to Krista Shelton, of the Sumter National Forest, for forwarding all the available jobs that Bob posts for us.

Officers Shawn Martin and Greg Daniels, of the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission

Tobias Miller and David Ogle, in the trails division of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Dan Bryson, Geoffrey Geier, and Brandon Poole, Forestry Technicians in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Officer Lee Boyd, of the USDA Forest Service Region 8 Law Enforcement Division

Jeff Owenby, Director of the Cradle of Forestry, USDA Forest Service

Chris Spencer, of the Holmes Educational Forest, NCFS

Mike Byrd, Henderson County Ranger, NCFS

And lastly,

Matt Gilbert and Matt Miller of the USFS Cherokee Hotshots

Many of the presenters are HCC graduates, and good examples of what a degree from HCC can achieve. Thanks again everyone!

~Billy

HCC SAF STUDENT CHAPTER TRIP TO APSAF



The HCC Student Chapter of the Society of American Foresters recently attended the annual APSAF (Appalachian Society of American Foresters) meeting held in Greenville, North Carolina. The topic of this year's meeting was, "Charting the Path Forward: Land Management and Forest Products Marketing Strategies for an Emerging Economy". HCC chapter members were able to hear from professional foresters, researchers, and other natural resources professionals on how emerging timber markets (woody biomass, cellulosic ethanol, and carbon credits) will impact the demand for forests and forest products. In addition to the technical sessions, students were able to network with potential employers, university faculty and staff, and also their peers from other colleges and universities.


A highlight of the conference was the student field tour sponsored by Weyerhaeuser and the North Carolina Division of Forest Resources. During this field tour students where able to visit the Pitt County district office and also Weyerhaeuser plantation lands.

We greatly appreciate all those that provided finical support, without your help many of our students would have not been able to attend. Special thanks to: HCC Foundation, The Kenny P. Funderburke Educational Endowment, North Carolina Division of SAF, and Mr. and Mrs. Tom and Cathy Bishop.

Sugarbush!



As part of their Forest Management Technology capstone course, HCC forestry students recently traveled to Maple Creek Farm in Yancey County to discuss forest management and non-timber forest products, with Mr. Richard Sanders (Forester and Farm Manager of Maple Creek Farm). Maple Creek Farm is the furthest southern commercial producer of maple syrup in the US, and the only one located in North Carolina. Their "sugar bush" consists of two stands, each with some 200+ sugar maple trees, located on the north and east facing slopes of two mountainsides. The stands are high on the slopes between 3,100 and 3,900 feet in elevation. Over four miles of tubing and piping carries the maple sap from the trees down the mountain to the "sugar shack" in the valley between the mountains(From Maple Creek Farm's website: http://www.maplecreekfarm.net)

At the end of the tour we assisted Richard in inspecting some of the farm's maple syrup by pouring it over vanilla ice cream.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Club T-Shirts

With the approval of the design and colors of the new club t-shirts comes the next step.... Ordering them. Sarah has posted a sign-up sheet on the FC bulletin board. Please choose what colors and sizes you want. The minimum order quantity is 40, so we need as many folks to commit as possible.

Thanks,
Bill

Saturday, January 23, 2010

ApSAF Winter Meeting

It's almost time, folks, Wednesday is coming up fast. All sophomores that haven't renewed their SAF membership but are planning on attending the Winter Meeting in Greenville, need to try to get it done ASAP. You can renew at the meeting, but it slows things down for the group. An important email was forwarded to me concerning PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) needed for the student tour on Thursday, so I'm posting an excerpt from that letter here, and will go over it again on Tuesday at the FC meeting.

ApSAF Winter Meeting Student Tour

Hello to all. I just wanted to send out a quick reminder regarding PPE for the ApSAF Student tour on Thursday Jan 28th. Please advise students and others planning to attend the tour to wear boots suitable for a field visit (they do not have to be steel toed but should afford substantial ankle support). Also, high-vis vests and hard hats along with safety glasses will be required. Realizing that every student might not have an orange vest, glasses and hard had, I will have some available, but please bring what you have..

Thanks,

W.C.Tucker, Jr.

That's all I have for now folks, see you on Tuesday.

~Bill

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Welcome Back Folks!

Well, another semester has begun and, after the first week, it hold the promise of being a cold one! Club officers met Tuesday to discuss activities and possible projects and have cobbled together a rough outline of what's in store for us this semester. Sarah Miller has already taken the initiative to get a calendar posted on the Forestry Club bulletin board, so look for solid dates posted there. Here's what we have so far...
  1. First and foremost: WE WILL BE HAVING OUR FIRST FC MEETING ON TUESDAY, JANUARY 19th
  2. The annual ApSAF Winter Meeting is slated to take place Jan. 27th through Jan. 29th in Greenville, NC. This is a great opportunity for students following the forestry track. At this meeting, students will get the opportunity to attend technical sessions presented by some of the top minds in our field as well as participate in a field tour presented by the local SAF chapter. This is an excellent chance for students to meet professionals in our field of study, make important contacts, and also to meet students from other colleges. Preference will be given to sophomores in the program, and the students must have a minimum GPA of 2.5 to attend. More information will be given at our meeting on Tuesday.
  3. We will be hosting a guest speaker on Feb. 9th. Ched Kearse, the current ApSAF Executive Committee Chair, has agreed to come speak with us. An agenda and subject matter will be posted soon.
  4. Timber Beast, the timbersports event hosted by Virginia Tech will be held toward the end of February at Virginia Tech. We really want to send a team, so be thinking about whether you will be able to make it.
  5. Mid-Atlantic is going to be held in Pennsylvania this year around mid-April. WE WILL WIN THIS ONE!!!! Practice during January and February will have a low-expectation practice schedule, but we are going to be cranking that dial UP in March and April. We spanked Penn State Mont-Alto at the Cradle and we will do it again, this time on their home turf! Commitment is expected!
  6. Firewood orders are rolling in with the cold snap we've had over the past month, and we only have enough cut wood to fill about one order. WE NEED FOLKS TO HELP WITH THE CUTTING AND SPLITTING OF WOOD!!! This is our primary way to earn money for the club, and with this cold weather we could make a bundle. Please help with this project, folks! See Rance Rogers or Boomer for times to volunteer.
Well, folks, I look forward to seeing you all at the meeting on Tuesday!

Thanks!
Bill