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!

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.

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

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

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