The teachers toured the West Fraser oriented strand board (OSB) mill in Joanna to learn how this product is manufactured.
This June, dozens of organizations spanning the spectrum of forestry came together to put on another successful Teachers’ Tour.
The annual South Carolina Sustainable Forestry Teachers’ Tour program is an intensive, four-day environmental education workshop and tour of forests and forest industry around the state, promoting the message – and promise – of sustainable forestry to educators. The purpose of the class is to provide an unbiased look into the impact that sustainable forestry has on our state’s economy, environment and quality of life, which equips teachers to take that knowledge into the classroom.
The Tour is organized by the Forestry Association of South Carolina (FASC), the SC Timber Producers Association (SCTPA) and the Forestry Commission.
Nineteen teachers registered for this year’s tour, the first day of which was held at the Newberry College Center for Teacher Education. Participants received both in-class and in-woods instruction on everything from forestry skills and sustainable forestry practices to biodiversity and wildlife conservation. The teachers were trained in the use of Project Learning Tree materials and learned from forest industry professionals about current forest issues and sustainable forest management practices.
The last three days put the “tour” in the Teacher’s Tour title. The program took the educators to forest product mills, publicly and privately owned forests, forestry equipment purveyors and even an active logging job.
During a tour of the Enoree Ranger District of Sumter National Forest, teachers learned how the USDA Forest Service manages the land for multiple uses while also conserving the resource.
Next, teachers visited Tidewater Equipment where they saw various pieces of forestry equipment and how they are operated and maintained. The day ended with a delicious supper provided by Tidewater Equipment…thank you!
On Wednesday, teachers experienced an active logging job being run by Blake’s Timber, followed by a visit to Mike and Lucy Meetze’s tree farm where teachers learned how the family manages for timber, wildlife, recreation and aesthetics.
SCFC Environmental Education Coordinators Matt Schnabel and Leslie Wilson led the Project Learning Tree activity “Tree ID” in which teachers compete to see who could identify the greatest number of trees correctly.
Wednesdays last stop included a trip to Beal Lumber Company, a family-owned hardwood mill that produces dimensional lumber. The stop at Beal included a tour of the sawmill and grounds as well as a sponsored dinner!
Thursday, the teachers toured the West Fraser oriented strand board (OSB) mill in Joanna and then headed to the Joe R. Adair Outdoor Education Center in Laurens for a PLT workshop and lunch sponsored by West Fraser. In the afternoon, SC Project Learning Tree coordinators Leslie Wilson and Matt Schnabel (SCFC) led a training in the K-8 Explore Your Environment and secondary Exploring Forestry Careers PLT activity guides.
On the last day of the tour, the teachers came together one last time to complete the PLT activity “If You Were the Boss” in which participants took all the knowledge they learned about forestry during the week and created a plan of management for their imaginary 400-acre forest plot. The activity includes considerations such as wildlife management, timber harvesting, camping, hunting and more.
Last, a special farewell was made to Crad Jaynes, SCTPA CEO and president, who participated in his final year with the Teachers’ Tour before retiring at the end of June. This was Crad’s 28th year as an organizer of the Tour.
Under the leadership of FASC Director of Membership and Recruitment Emily Oakman, SCTPA CEO Crad Jaynes, Teachers’ Tour Steering Committee Chair Bo Carson and other volunteers from industry and government alike, the week went off without a hitch. We can’t thank our host sites enough for the amazing learning opportunities they provided to our participating teachers, who will now take their new-found knowledge of sustainable forestry and forestry careers and share it with future students!
