Autumn Pecarovich using a Biltmore stick
O’NEALS — Four students from Minarets High School recently participated in the 2019 Santa Cruz Forestry Challenge. The students were part of a group of 84 high schoolers from twelve schools from the coastal and Central Valley regions. The event was held Oct. 9-12 at Redwood Glen in Loma Mar.
Minarets placed second out of twenty-one teams, with a score of 200 out of 250, earning the team a spot at the state championships in the spring.
One of the highlights for the students this year was the opportunity to collect data on a 20-acre forested unit in the northeast portion of Redwood Glen to establish baseline statistics on the stand and assess its growth potential. Students will be weighing in on whether it would make sense to manage the property under a Nonindustrial Timber Management Plan (NTMP.)
During the challenge, the teams of students also completed field training, followed by a field test, to assess their technical knowledge of forestry.
“The Forestry Challenge is a wonderful opportunity for students to learn skills used by foresters,” said Minarets High School teacher Richard Chapman.
Joseph Langley, a senior at Minarets, summed it up as follows, “My time here has far exceeded my expectations. I never thought I’d be here, but I am so, so glad I was.”
