Page 16 - Tree Line - North Carolina Forestry Association - First Quarter 2024

Q: How did you get connected with the NCFA?
A: My mentor, Dr. Zakiya Leggett, originally proposed the idea. I had
no idea what the project would be, but
I was interested to work on the public
side of the forestry sector since my only experience had previously been on the research side. I’m an undergraduate research assistant at Dr. Leggett’s laboratory in the forestry department at NCSU’s College of Natural Resources. I help Dr. Leggett with her PhD students’ and masters’ students’ projects and I support her high school program. Dr. Leggett works with underrepresented high school students. I was the first “guinea pig” for the program and now the program has grown into a full summer-long internship for students in Wake County.
Q: Tell us about the project you worked on with the education and communication teams at NCFA.
A: For the past year, Jessica, Abigail, Amanda, and I have been working
on an informational media video that answers the question, “What is sustainable forestry?” The video addresses any questions you might have about forestry and sustainability and sustainable forestry. It’s simple to understand because it is geared for K-12 students, but it’s also created for anyone who doesn’t know about the topic. It’s great that the video
“I’ve learned that without foresters, we wouldn’t have basic commodities and our world would look completely different. People hopefully will gain a new respect
and appreciation for foresters and their work.”
can make you think about forestry and sustainability in your everyday lives.
Q: What was the process and steps you took to get to the
finished product?
A: At first, I was given a bunch of resources, statistics, and data, to
inform myself about sustainable forestry. After that, we spent many months working on a draft script, spending hours reading single paragraphs until the verbiage came out perfectly. There was also a graphic design portion of this project, which I really enjoyed. After discussing our needs with the team, I created graphics to convey our message visually. Then we spent time ironing out the intricate details, looking over the colors and the positioning to make sure the graphics communicated a very specific idea, and figuring out if the graphic flowed well as part of the video. Once the draft script was finished, we had industry experts review the content and we invited NCFA members to be featured
on the video, and then we began the filming process. The bulk of the project was in front of a computer screen, then it was smooth sailing with filming and traveling for speaker interviews.
Q: What was your favorite part of the process?
A: This project was one of the most creative things I’ve worked on in an
internship or job. Being alongside other professionals, it was intimidating at first. They helped me find my voice and working style in this environment. Sharing and collaborating artistically is very inspiring. This project was not structured and it gave me the freedom to exercise my brain in a new way.
Q: What impact do you hope the video will have?
A: I hope people will take new infor- mation into their everyday lives
and realize our lives would be completely
Above: Amy Phillips, Weyerhaeuser, being filmed by Tres Bruce in Elkin, NC. Right: Cierra Ward, Resource Management Service, being filmed by Tres Bruce in Jacksonville, NC.
14 ncforestry.org / FIRST QUARTER 2024