Nine students from Cordova High School participated recently in the 2016 El Dorado Forestry Challenge, one group of a total of 84 high school students from 13 schools from northern California.  The event was October 26 to 29 at Leoni Meadows Camp, near Grizzly Flats, California.  Cordova won second place in the Pacing Contest and received two Four-Year Participation Awards for seniors Joi Jacobs and Jonae Curry.

One of the highlights for the students this year was learning how to conduct a “Brown’s Transect”, a method to quantify woody debris on the forest floor. 

The study area was the site of a fuels reduction project in 2008.  Students entered the data into a fire behavior computer modeling program to determine optimum conditions under which to conduct a prescribed burn in the project area.  During the Challenge, teams of students also completed field training, followed by a field test, to assess their technical forestry knowledge and data collecting skills.

“Our students continue to have an amazing experience while job-shadowing foresters at this event, and even the rain this year did not dampen their enthusiasm,” said Cordova High School teacher Bret Harden. Joi Jacobs, a senior at Cordova High School, summed it up as follows: “This experience has improved my teamwork skills, my confidence, and presentation skills. It was very fun and a great four-year experience.”