Into the Woods: NCSD Students Building Forestry Futures
Into the Woods: NCSD Students Building Forestry Futures
As a new term of classes begins for NCSD high school students in February, many eager teenagers take notes and contribute to class discussions in warm indoor classrooms…safe from the cold, rainy weather that usually comes during that time of year. Yet for several groups of classmates, the outdoors is their classroom…and they wouldn't want it any other way.
Who are these high-climbing, hands-on high schoolers who happily spend class time trekking along forest pathways, wearing weighted vests, and even harnessing themselves to trees more than 15 feet off the ground?
They're all students in NCSD's unique Forestry Program, one of 17 Career Technical Education study areas offered by the district's one-of-a-kind Sabin-Schellenberg Professional Technical Center (SSC). And they have some advice for students considering a career in the outdoors.
"If you don’t want to sit in a classroom all day, taking Forestry classes is definitely a good opportunity to get out and do things,” said Clackamas High School senior Rebecca Whitney.
Those things include a combination of academic and hands-on learning in preparation for many different outdoor careers, including wildlife biologists, forest engineers, wildland firefighters, and even park rangers-- a career that attracted Milwaukie Academy of the Arts senior Aspen Neil to begin taking SSC Forestry classes early in high school.
“It’s always been a passion of mine,” explained the 17-year-old. “I love going out in the woods and teaching others about environmental safety and stewardship.”
Safety and stewardship are two key aspects of the program led by instructor Seth Stoddard. “It’s not just about getting kids out in the woods,” explained the second-year program leader. “This is about being stewards of the land and helping students appreciate the natural resources we have. These resources need to be managed if they’re going to be sustained for future generations.”
As a way to sustain those resources, Forestry students are quick to point out the more subtle skills that Stoddard's program also teaches. “It isn’t just about the physical stuff,” reminded Milwaukie High School senior Lennon McBride. “It’s also map reading and the technical stuff—plant identification, grant writing, all that."
So where would Stoddard like to extend branches of the Forestry Program? He says he'd love to give students more hands-on experience with heavy machinery like bulldozers and excavation equipment, which would help promote a more extensive list of outdoor careers.
“I want them comfortable with various types of equipment so they can work in the woods in any capacity,” said the ambitious instructor.
A perfect next step for a group of students who welcome working in the woods…no matter the weather.
Interested in learning more about Forestry or other career programs offered at NCSD's Sabin-Schellenberg Professional Technical Center? Click here.