Hello Students! Here are a few notes about technology for the 2022 Shasta Forestry Challenge.

• Each team should bring one laptop to use for presentation prep.  Windows PCs are preferred.  More than one laptop per team is allowed but not necessary.
• Your laptop must have:
  • At least 1 USB-A port
  • 1 HDMI port
  • Powerpoint software – No Internet-dependent programs (Prezi, Google Slides, etc.)
• IF YOU BRING A MAC, you must be able to convert files so they are .PPTX OR have an HDMI adapter to connect to a projector.
• If you need a laptop, there are a few available for loan, but please let us know in advance if you want to check one out. (Please do not rely on our laptops, they are passible, but your own will be better)
• You will receive a flash drive with focus topic related materials to use in your presentation.  You can also bring any background information about the focus topic that you think will help you in your presentation.
• Mountain Meadows Camp has limited Wi-Fi with heavily restricted access and little to no cell service.  We will try to make a few computers available for you to do limited online research.
• A camera that can hard-wire transfer photos to your laptop is highly recommended.

If you have any questions about technology at the Shasta Forestry Challenge, please email Diane.  Thanks!

Sample Schedule	Rules	What to Bring	What Happens at Forestry Challenge
2022 Minor Release Form	2022 Adult Release Form	2022 HELO Site Visit Release Form	Video Contest

Download or print the Forestry Challenge Instruction Manual & Study Guide to use in conjunction with the following learning objectives

Shasta Forestry Challenge Learning Objectives

Ecology, Botany, and Plant Identification

1. Understand the fundamental life processes of plants including photosynthesis and transpiration.
2. Know the basic parts of a tree and their functions.
3. Understand basic ecological concepts including food webs, succession, competition, adaptation, and symbiosis.
4. Understand concepts associated with forests, including stand composition, stand density, and crown classification.
5. Be familiar with the four most common forest plant communities in California, and know their approximate ranges.
6. Identify with common names the following tree species without a key, and know their approximate ranges in California:
   • Ponderosa Pine
   • Sugar Pine
   • Incense-cedar
   • White Fir
   • Douglas-fir
   • California Black Oak
7. Identify specific species of trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants through the use of a dichotomous identification key.  Be familiar with basic terminology related to leaf morphology.

Timber Cruising and Forest Products

8. Know how to prepare for conducting forestry fieldwork, including clothing, safety gear, and environmental hazards.
9. Be familiar with Plot Hound, a forestry inventory app that we will be using for data collection.
10. Know how to pace a chain.
11. Know how to use the following forestry tools: Biltmore Stick (diameter and height), clinometer, compass, diameter tape, densitometer, and angle gauge [angle gauge 2]. For information on purchasing your own set of tools, see our recommended tools list. All of these tools can be purchased from Forestry Suppliers, Inc.
12. Interpret volume tables using raw data.
13. Determine forest species composition using a 1/10 acre square or circular plot.
14. Interpret maps, including but not limited to township/range/section, ownership, distances/scale, directional headings, and topography.
15. Understand how forests are managed to produce timber, and what products are derived from timber.

2022 Featured Curriculum: Geographic Information System (GIS)

We would like to extend a big thank you to Ian Redding from the Forester’s Co-Op for making this possible. Ian is a GIS Analyst II, and he has created this unit to introduce GIS, and its many applications, to you.

16. Students should be familiar with GIS and understand how its use can help foresters visualize data.
17. What is GIS?
    • GIS stands for Geographic Information Systems and it describes any technology used for the management and display of geographic, or spatial, data. But don’t take our word for it – check out how the geospatial technology leader Esri defines GIS
    • Points, lines, and polygons oh my! Maps are made up of data, and those data are points, often symbolized by a dot, such as a city on a road map, lines, such as roads and rivers, and polygons, a geometric figure having three or more straight sides, such as a rectangle that represents a park. Learn more about GIS and its data types and uses from NatGeo
    • But the earth is round, right? How can we show it on a flat surface like a piece of paper? The answer is simple – PROJECTIONS! Check out this StoryMap called Flattening Earth for a primer on projections. (And feel free to peruse the other six StoryMaps about GIS while you’re there.)
18. GIS in Forestry
    • GIS is used heavily in the forestry and natural resources industries. Think about collecting an inventory of trees – of course GIS will allow you to mark the location of a tree and display it on a map – but GIS also allows for the collection of attributes related to the tree, such as species, height, diameter, health status, and more. It’s these attributes that provide context to spatial data and make GIS such a powerful tool!
    • Check out this video from Esri about how foresters in Colorado are using GIS

2022 Focus Topic: Post Treatment Monitoring of the North 49 Forest Health Recovery Project

19. Understand the different levels of environmental analysis for a forest health project on national forestland.
20. Know the location and Purpose and Need of the North 49 Forest Health Recovery Project.
21. Know the plan for action under Alternative 7, the preferred and chosen alternative.
22. Be familiar with the treatment specifications in Alternative 7 and understand why it is important to assess the project after treatment to determine whether the specifications were achieved and the project objectives were met.

The North 49 Project Environmental Impact Statement is linked here and is intended for summary viewing only.

Additional General Resources

• Glossary
• California Forests
• We Care for the Forests
• Life of the Forest
• Worksheets
• Make your own Biltmore Stick using this Biltmore Stick Template