Students check out forestry, natural resource jobs

Around 250 high school students converged on Scotia, Ferndale, and Fortuna on Sept. 12 to participate in a hands-on natural resources and agriculture career day. Participating students were from Humboldt, Del Norte, Trinity, Mendocino, Lake, and Sonoma counties. They learned about current and future job opportunities and the skills and/or education needed to secure employment in the natural resources and agriculture-related fields.

“This day is dedicated to helping junior and senior-level high school students learn more about career opportunities in agriculture and forestry-related industries,” said Sandy Dale, director of Ag Partners and one of the organizers of the annual Redwood Region Resource Rally.

This is the 9th annual event, which is held in Scotia and the Eel River Valley every year.

One of the founders of the event is Katherine Ziemer, retired executive director of the Redwood Region Logging Conference. She told the students that there was a discussion several years ago about the difficulty of finding employees and someone interested in having a career in the forest products industry.

“We thought we would ask you to consider (a career in) the forest products industry,” Ziemer said to the students. “But asking wasn’t enough, we need to show you. We need to let you hear from people who have a passion for what they do.”

“They love their jobs, and they want to share that with you,” she added.

The natural resources leg of the day took students to five different locations where they learned about forestry and timber falling, fisheries, mechanics and heavy equipment, and lumber milling. Students walked into Humboldt Redwood Company’s tree plantation at the south end of Scotia to hear from a Registered Professional Forester and watch a tree being felled and were given a guided tour of the Humboldt Sawmill Company’s Scotia sawmill.

Fisheries and stream restoration were the topics of discussion at Humboldt Redwood Company’s Scotia fisheries exhibit, which is open to the public for self-guided tours Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Guided tours and/or school field trips of the fisheries exhibit can be scheduled by calling 707-601-5546.

Mechanics and heavy equipment were discussed, along with the students being able to get up close to a loaded logging truck and talk to the driver, who had a more than 20-year career as a truck driver.

The students who participated in the agriculture production portion of the Redwood Region Resource Rally toured the Brodt Dairy in Ferndale, the Humboldt Auction Yard in Fortuna, and heard a presentation on aquaculture, given by a representative of Nordic Aquafarms, in conjunction with the College of the Redwoods aquaculture program at Fireman’s Park in Scotia.

The students were enthusiastic about the knowledge they gained, and connections made with natural resource and agriculture industry professionals. They also learned about current career opportunities.

“There are some jobs that need some school work from you, and some jobs you can start next week,” said Sal Chinnici, director of forest sciences at Humboldt and Mendocino Redwood Companies.

“The students who attended were very engaged and interested in learning about careers in natural resources and agriculture,” Dale said. “We told them to seize the day and that is exactly what they did.”

There is no cost to the schools for participation thanks to the sponsorships of North Coast Agriculture Partners, the Humboldt County Farm Bureau, Humboldt and Mendocino Redwood Companies, and the Redwood Region Logging Conference.