Georgia placed third in the annual National 4-H Forestry Invitational that was held from Sunday, July 23 through Wednesday, July 26.
Teams from Florida and Pennsylvania placed first and second, respectively. Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee and Utah also competed in this year’s invitational.
The invitational was held at West Virginia University Jackson’s Mill State 4-H Camp and Conference Center near Weston, West Virginia.
The event is sponsored by Farm Credit, Sustainable Forestry Initiative, Inc., West Virginia University Extension Service, F and W Forestry and the Society of American Foresters.
While at the invitational 4-H members competed for overall team and individual awards in several categories. Events included tree identification, tree measurement, compass and pacing, insect and disease identification, topographic map use, forest evaluation, the forestry bowl and a written forestry exam.
The Georgia team members were Jackson Thigpen, Ann Parker, Lucy Saxon and Janelle Spivey. The team was coached by Wesley Parker and Stewart Thigpen with assistant coach Karen Thigpen.
Pennsylvania’s Elizabeth Bruner had the highest overall score in the contest. The second-place individual was Kolton Zimmerman from Kentucky and the third-place high individual was Jeremiah Caswell from Florida.
The Joe Yeager 'Spirit of the Invitational' award was presented to Nevaeh Kouns from Kentucky. This award recognizes an outstanding 4-H contestant at the Invitational. It is presented to the individual who takes initiative, is enthusiastic, and is eager to lead academic and social situations.
The Tommy and Susan Futral Inspiration of the Invitational Award was presented to Wiley Norphlet McCollum from Clay County, Alabama. He has been a volunteer with Clay County 4-H since the 80s and has served as a 4-H Forestry team coach guiding nine teams to the National 4-H Forestry Invitational over the years.
4-H is a youth education program operated by the Cooperative Extension Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the state land grant universities. More than six million youth, 540,000 volunteers, and 3,500 professionals participate in 4-H nationwide, and nearly 100,000 are part of the 4-H Forestry Program.
The event would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors:
- Farm Credit supports rural communities and agriculture with reliable, consistent credit and financial services. FCS has been helping areas grow and thrive for a century by providing farmers with capital and by financing infrastructure and communication services
- The Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc. is a fully independent, charitable organization dedicated to promoting sustainable forest management. The SFI label is a sign you are buying wood and paper products from a certified source, backed by a rigorous, third-party certification audit
- West Virginia University Extension Service educators and volunteers build and sustain partnerships with people and organizations in West Virginia, to improve their lives and communities. WVU's programs and services strengthen individuals of all ages
- The Society of American Foresters is the national scientific and educational organization representing the forestry profession in the United States. SAF is the largest professional society for foresters in the world
- F&W Forestry is an international forest resource management and consulting firm dedicated to helping landowners gain the most value and enjoyment per acre from their forestland. F&W believes that environmentally viable timberland is economically viable timberland
For more information on the National 4-H Forestry Invitational, click here.