Happy Holidays from the Forestry Club Elves!

The guys look pretty good in green tights! To see them dance, visit: http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1150744017

Forestry Club T-Shirts For Sale

This year, the Forsestry Club designed one of its best T-shirts ever and have extras on hand for sale for $15. Profits from shirt sales will be used to fund Forestry Club activities throughout the year.

Demo at Biltmore Lake

HCC's Woodsmen's team was invited to 'strut their stuff' (see picture... Forestry Club President James Bentley engaged in strutting) at Biltmore Lake's 1st Fall Festival this weekend. A crowd of over 400 residents of Biltmore Lake in Asheville got to watch the team perform a number of timbersports events including crosscut sawing, underhand chopping, and chainsawing. A couple of spectators even strapped on chaps and pulled saws with teammembers. Forestry students Josh Roten, James Bentley, and Braxton Spurlin and Fish and Wildlife students Erin Bellavia and Jarret Guffey participated in the demo. Students participated in the event as part of their fundraising efforts to host the 2008 Stihl Mid-Atlantic Woodsmen's Meet which will take place at Haywood in April.

HCC Lumberjacks take 1st Place at Cradle of Forestry

A little late, but.....For the 8th year in a row, the Lumber Jacks and Lumber Jills of HCC bested the field of competition at the 12th annual Cradle of Forestry Woodsmens Meet. HCC's team went up against fellow competitors from Penn State Mont Alto, Dabney Lancaster Community College, Montgomery Community College, and 1st year invitee, Virginia Tech. Haywood jumped out to an early lead winning the Quiz Bowl Competition, taking 1st and 3rd place in Dendrology, and finishing 1st in Archery. Haywood also dominated in the Water Boil event, Women's Chainsaw, Pole Climb, Men's Horizontal Speed Chop, Women's Axe Throw, and Men's Crosscut Saw among others. The event was graced with excellent weather and a crowd of over 2,000 spectators who were dazzled by all participants' sawmenship and sportsmanship.Sporting freshly cut mohawks, HCC's woodsmen took to the field after several weeks of practice and firewood fund-raising to host the event. After camping out, the teams awoke Saturday morning to an old style lumberjack breakfast prepared by HCC Blacksmithing Instructor David Burnette and his crew at the Pink Beds at the Cradle of Forestry.

Fish and Wildlife Instructor Shannon Rabby set up an information booth about HCC's different programs in natural resources and also provided hands-on environmental education to youngsters who attended the event.

"Fired up!" HCC's Quiz Bowl victory over Virginia Tech set the stage for the rest of the day and Austin Keener's fast time in the Water Boil event kept HCC "smokin'!".

Woodsmen's meet organizer and founder John Palmer was also recognized by the Cradle of Forestry Interpretive Society in a special ceremony at noon for his 12 years of work with the event. Cradle of Forestry Executive Director Alex Comfort unveiled a banner officially naming the event the "John G. Palmer Intercollegiate Woodsmens Meet."

Preston Simpson

I'd say the VP of the Forestry Club makes a pretty convincing Simpson...thanks to http://www.simpsonizeme.com/.... and 5 minutes of photoshop!

Forestry Club Begins Practice for 2007 Cradle of Forestry

The Forestry Club is up and running for the new academic year. Sophomore officers James Bentley, Preston Honeycutt, and Zack Koonce have rallied the troops for a beginning-of-the-semester cookout (with Wildlife and Archery Clubs as well) and have recruited a new crew of 'talent' for the woodsmen's team. The first major lumberjack meet of the year will be the first weekend in October at the Cradle of Forestry. Haywood's lumberjacks (and jills!) will square off against their rivals Penn State Mont Alto, Dabney Lancaster, Montgomery Community College, and first year invitee, Virginia Tech.

Above: (Freshman Ryan Gilliland practices single-buck.)

The team practices daily at the old lumberyard with "Coach" Jimmy Lawrence, who gives tips on technique for chopping and sawing events. The club is currently planning a couple of fundraising activities and does have firewood for sale. For more info about these and other club activities, contact Forestry Club President, James Bentley at jwbentley@yahoo.com















Sophomore women Holly Warren and Erin Bellavia practice women's crosscut.

Axe-Throwin' Shelly

Shelly Lowe, HCC student and Forestry Club member, demonstrates excellent form and technique in the Axe-Throw. The Forestry Club at Haywood Community College is actively seeking members for the 2007-2008 Woodsmen's Team. If you are interested in participating, contact James Bentley at jwbentley66@yahoo.com!

Blackburn WINS STIHL Intercollegiate Championship!!

HCC Forest Management graduate, Jay Blackburn, placed FIRST in the STIHL National Collegiate Timbersports Championship held in Stillwater, Minnesota this weekend (July 21). Jay squared off against 5 other regional champions (the best from 40 colleges/universities from the US and Canada) and secured a spot in the STIHL Timbersports Professional Series!!

Competition was extremely tight and came down to a 3-way tie where Jay emerged the victor in a stocksaw showdown.Jay has been training 6 days a week throughout the summer and felt much more prepared than last year--when he placed third overall. Jay recently trained with Arden Cogar Jr., a STIHL pro-series finalist, in West Hamlin, West Virginia. You can see some video of this practice session below and we will post videos of Jay's performance in Minnesota as soon as they are available!




Underhand chopping, stock chainsaw, and single-buck practice on red oak and white pine.

First Summer Meeting Flyer

Video Highlights from Timbersports Competitions

Men's Stocksaw Event (Jay Blackburn)



Jack and Jill Crosscut (Brooke Banks)



Men's Crosscut (Josh Roten and Jason Jones)

"Man of Stihl" Featured in Smoky Mountain News

Senior Forest Management Technology major, Jay Blackburn, was recently featured in the Smoky Mountain News regarding his repeat qualification for the Stihl Intercollegiate Timbersports Championship. Jay will once again represent HCC in Stillwater, Minnesota this summer. If he wins, Jay will secure a spot in the professional series to compete against the big boys of Stihl Timbersports. You can read the entire article by following this link--and see his mug representing the college on the Haywood Billboard on Hwy 23/74!

Lumberjacks Finish 3rd at Mid-Atlantic Meet

Despite the constant rain and cold temperatures, the HCC woodsmen's team rebounded late in the day from last place to finish 3rd in the 2007 Mid-Atlantic Woodsmen's Meet held at Dabney S. Lancaster Community College in Clifton Forge, Virginia. Competition was fierce as Penn State Mont Alto successfully defended their overall Mid-Atlantic title and Dabney S. Lancaster finished in 2nd place. Forestry senior Jason Jones made strong showings in the single-buck sawing event and underhand chop and "cut wood good!" with his freshman teammate, James Bentley, in the men's crosscut and pole fell events which put a lot of HCC points on the board. Teammates Heather Johanssen and Brooke Banks took first place in the women's crosscut event and incoming student Kendawa Ruckman placed second in men's bowsaw. Max Cox placed third in the men's axe throw after a "throw-off" with four other competitors. Footage from this years competition will be aired on ESPN-U in July.

Jay Blackburn Qualifies for Intercollegiate Championship

Forestry senior Jay Blackburn will travel again to Stillwater, Minnesota to represent the college in Stihl's Intercollegiate Timbersports Championship. Jay finished first place in each of the qualifying events--underhand chop, single-buck saw, and stocksaw--to secure a more than 20 second lead over the next best competitor. As a freshman in last year's intercollegiate event, Jay placed third overall and this year hopes to improve his times to secure a bye into Stihl's Timbersports Series.