Hopkins Hosts FNRL State Convention

The Hopkins Demonstration Forest was host, again, for the statewide Forestry and Natural Resource Leaders (FNRL) annual convention held April 29-30. Thirteen high schools from around Oregon participated bringing more than 150 students to the event.

According to Peter Matzka, Forestry Educator for FFI and a creator of the event five years ago, “FNRL is a FFA-like organization that was formed to provide educational opportunities for high school students wanting to learn modern skills needed to care for our forests and to prepare themselves for furthering their education and/or entering the workforce.”

The statewide convention brings students together to test their knowledge, abilities and skills with others from around Oregon. This was the first “in-person” convention since 2019.

Students identifying trees from small branches

Students working to identify plant specimens. Tree and plant identification is essential for those working in the forest.

Student identifying animals at Forestry convention

Identifying animals and wildlife in the forest is another important skill being evaluated.

Student using clinometer to measure height of a tree
Student using a clinometer to measure the height of a tree.
High Schoolers working on problem solving at Forestry convention
Problem solving planning is an important skill to demonstrate in forest management.
Students scaling logs at the Hopkins sawmill
Log Scaling to determine the board foot volume in a load of logs is being evaluated here at the Hopkins sawmill.