Page 28 - Tree Line - North Carolina Forestry Association - Second Quarter 2024

EDUCATION PROGRAMS
59%
OF THE TOTAL FOREST INDUSTRY LABOR FORCE ARE BETWEEN THE AGES OF 3564
ONLY 12%
OF THE TOTAL FOREST INDUSTRY LABOR FORCE ARE BETWEEN THE AGES OF 1624
Left to right: Students practice measuring tree diameter using a Biltmore Stick. Teachers work with students from Montgomery Community College to take a tree core sample.
Fostering the Next Generation of Forest Workers in NC
By Jessica Ireland, Director of Education Programs, and Jeanne Harmor, Director of Communications, NCFA
wood and manufacturing forest products, tree identification, timber cruising, best management practices, and more. The course is being piloted in NC high school agricultural education programs for the 2024-2025 school year. To best prepare the educators teaching the course this fall, the NCFA is conducting three professional workshops this summer:
• June 18-19 | Waynesville, NC • July 9-10 | Troy, NC
• July 15 | Winston-Salem, NC
The course is funded through the U.S. Forest Service Landscape Scale Restoration grant program, which promotes collaborative, science-based restoration of priority forest landscapes and furthers priorities identified in State Forest Action plans or equivalent restoration strategies.
Natural Resources
Forestry II -
AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION | Career
AN53 and Technical Education
In North Carolina, there is a steady need for skilled forestry professionals due to ongoing forest management needs, forest products manufacturing, and conservation efforts. The good news is the demand for these workers exists within a
variety of areas — from the forest industry to state and federal forestry agencies to municipalities, to consulting firms, to universities, and more. The forest products industry has a significant workforce in NC, supporting over 139,700 jobs (NC State Extension, 2023).
However, recent statistics show us that the forest workforce is aging, with 59% of the total forestry and logging labor force between the ages of 35-64 and only 12% between the ages of 16-24 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023).
The 2020 North Carolina Forest Action Plan identifies workforce development
as a priority to address forest threats and enhance the benefits of forest management. The opportunity lies in generating an interest in forestry at an early age — however, a high school forestry course did not exist in North Carolina to foster this interest.
The NCFA went to work, collaborating with ForestryWorks® and the North Carolina Future Farmers of America to create a brand-new semester-long forestry course: AN53 Natural Resources II- Forestry. The course and its designated Forest Worker Credential were both approved by the NC Department of Public Instruction earlier this year. The credential, issued to students who pass the exam with a 70% or higher, is recognized by the NC forest industry.
Course topics include the forest industry and NC forests, properties of
HOW TO GET INVOLVED – We encourage NCFA members to get involved with the course! You can sign up to be a resource for teachers, help with the summer professional development workshops, or spread the word to educators in your community to bring the course to more schools across NC. To learn more, visit our website.
26 ncforestry.org / SECOND QUARTER 2024