Following on the heels of last year’s successful Guinness Book World Record tree plant, this year’s Rivers, Ocean and Mountain School (ROAMS) students planted 3,800 Douglas-fir seedlings in Northwest Bay with Island Timberlands.
“Island Timberlands goes above and beyond supporting local youth,” said ROAMS teacher Darin Carmichael.
This is the third year in a row they have supported ROAMS students by introducing them to silviculture operations.”
Students were paired with professional silviculture workers from Timberline Reforestation and forest professionals from Profor Consulting.
The event was organized by the Island Timberlands Area Forester Greg Jorgenson and assisted by North Island Area Forester Jocelin Teron.
The School District 69 ROAMS students were dressed in personal protective equipment and planting gear as they spent the day on a block planting trees.
During this process they were taught appropriate guidelines for tree spacing, microsite selection, and seedling quality.
“It is a great opportunity for ROAMS students who have all completed their Occupational First Aid Level 3 to be on a job site where safety and first aid is a mandated part of the operation. Students had a great experience learning what real forestry operations look like,” said Carmichael.
“Island Timberlands looks forward to opportunities to partner with schools in our community,” said Makenzie Leine, Island Timberlands manager, community and government relations.
“Tree planting is an excellent way to introduce our youth to working safely and understanding the science of forest management, while enjoying the benefits of the outdoors.”
ROAMS is an outdoor career education and leadership program that introduces a student to a wide variety of outdoor experiences like river rafting, surfing, climbing, fishing, kayaking, skiing and snowboarding, combined with industry recognized certifications like OFA 3, Radio Operator, Bronze Cross, Food Safe, World Host and others.
— NEWS staff/ROAMS
