Conservation on the Ground –
Lee County 4-H Forestry and Wildlife Judging
Teams Receive RC&D Grant by Anne Miller, District Administrative Coordinator,
Opelika Field Office, AL
Lee County 4-H Forestry and Wildlife Judging Teams
received a grant from the Mid-South Resource
Conservation and Development (RC&D) Council.
Working through the Natural Resources Conservation
Service (NRCS) Opelika Field Office and the Lee
County Soil and Water Conservation District, the
grant funds helped sponsor the team training and
covered team expenses for competition at the state
level.
Competing in statewide forestry judging requires
months of rigorous study in topics such as tree
identification and measurement and using a compass
for navigation. Team members are also required to
identify forest pests both by their physical appearance
and the type of damage they cause in trees. Site
evaluation is another important facet of forestry
judging. Team members must demonstrate how well
they can evaluate and manage a forest based on the
needs of the forest landowner. If this isn’t challenging
enough, members must also master a wide array of
forestry manuals to compete in a knowledge bowl that
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Members of the Forestry and Wildlife 4-H judging
teams worked with local trainers to develop skills for
team competition. Not only did they gain experience
in natural resources, they also developed leadership
skills that will serve them well for years to come.
tests their skills in forestry and natural resources.
the area of wildlife, participants learn about specific wildlife species and the foods they eat. Team members
arned to judge the suitability of wildlife habitat for pre-determined wildlife species by analyzing aerial photos.
ildlife team members were exposed to information about various regions of the U.S. Based on the specific
gion and species, participants learned about different wildlife management practices that may