SKC Foresty students branch out with local FFA chapter

There is strength in numbers. Missoula FFA Chapter, which had the most students competing, took top honors at the inaugural State Forestry CDE held on the Flathead Indian Reservation. Pictured (L to R) Missoula FFA Chapter included: Lisa Henderson, who also snagged 7th place individually; Emily Muir; First place individual winner, Logan Standley; and 4th place individual winner, Richard Farrar. (Courtesy photo)

PABLO — More than 80 years ago in a hotel in Kansas City, almost three-dozen young farm boys chartered Future Farmers of America. In 1988, the name was changed to reflect the increase in the agricultural industry to the National FFA Organization.

FFA has been in existence here in Montana helping students with personal growth, leadership skills and career development in many farm and agricultural areas for approximately 75 years.

“It took a teacher to finally just get’r done,” says Bill Jimmerson, advisor for the Montana FFA Association in Bozeman.

The Mission Valley Chapter has competed in other state FFA Career Development Events over the years, but a forestry CDE has never been held in the state - not ever. Montana’s forests cover a little more than 25 percent of Montana’s land base.

Ronan High School teacher and advisor Ben Meyer contacted Salish Kootenai College’s forestry school and asked them to help him host Montana’s first-ever statewide forestry competition for the National FFA.

Meyer was quick to point the finger at SKC and give them credit for the maiden forestry competition, but it was actually Meyer who lit the fire and made it come to fruition.

“Not to be patronizing or anything, but when I asked my students if they wanted to do this, they just jumped in, and did it,” boasts Bill Swaney, SKC instructor.

SKC Forestry students set-up seven stations and various plots for students from Cascade, Choteau, Flathead, Mission Valley, Stevensville, Deer Lodge, and Missoula chapters to test their skills and knowledge.

Former Kicking Horse Job Corps student and a SKC student now, Reba Hawkins says she chalked up about 20 hours of volunteering for the competition for the high school students. Hawkins and three other forestry students assisted in garnering tools for the tool identification station, marking plots for timber cruising, species identification, pests and disease identification.

Ronan Power Products assisted by hosting a chainsaw station where students learned to identify various chainsaw components and safety, which students said was most the valuable. Ronan Power Products also volunteered use of their ATVs to transport students to various stations in the North Crow Canyon.

Students were subjected to crash courses at each of the stations in the morning and were tested in the afternoon on the material covered.

CSKT GIS program and map stenographer, Dennis Lichtenberg, offered a station on GPS measurements and GIS to the students. Lichtenberg said he noticed some of the students seemed to already have some knowledge using maps and coordinates, which was extremely helpful when competing in the afternoon.

Missoula FFA chapter won the state forestry CDE and will advance to the nationals at Indianapolis, Indiana, in October.