Green Horizons

By observing TSI plots before and after thinning, southwest Missouri FFA teams get a better grasp of this forest management practice.

This spring the Red River D Tree Farm hosted a workshop for the District winners of the FFA Forestry contest. The 214-acre tree farm in eastern Christian County is co-owned by myself and John Dilsaver. This is the fourth year we provided a “hands on” training area for the FFA Forestry teams who would be going on to the State competition. Fellow local Missouri Department of Conservation foresters, Gary Smith and Greg Cassell, assisted in setting up a Timber Stand Improvement (TSI) plot, Tree ID walk, and a timber cruising plot for the FFA teams to work on.

The unique part of the training is the fact that the trees the teams selected to remove in the TSI plot were actually cut down and a couple of the sawlogs they estimated volume in were felled and measured.

They did not have to use their imaginations to visualize what the TSI plot would look like with the trees gone. And no more guessing where a 16-foot log ends for volume estimates. They actually got to measure out the 16 feet and see how closely they estimated it from 50 feet away while the tree was still standing. The students also had the chance to measure the diameter at the end of the log to see how far up they could consider a log before the diameter became too small to be merchantable.

Schools placing high enough in the district contest that came out to attend the training opportunity were Mt. Vernon, Buffalo, Sarcoxie, Forsyth and McDonald County.

Over the years, comments from the students and their advisers about the experience have been very positive. Making the exercises from the contest a reality has helped solidify the experience of doing forestry work to the students. “Using it (the tree farm) for stuff like this is what makes having it and working out here worthwhile,” says Dilsaver.

He and I intend to keep inviting the FFA students out to the property to train them for their contests and deepen their appreciation of forest management. It’s especially satisfying to know National FFA competition winners like Forsyth have been out to our property.

Extra Training Pays Off as Mt. Vernon and Forsyth FFA Forestry Teams Advance to Nationals
All five of the attending school teams placed within the top eight FFA Forestry teams at the State Contest held April 18. Mount Vernon (1st Place) and Forsyth (2nd Place) will represent Missouri at the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis this fall.