Forestry Contest
Teams will compete in an in-person contest on March 22. This contest is capped at the first 15 schools to register. There is no virtual screener exam in Forestry. One team per school. This is a state qualifying contest with the top teams advancing to the State CDE Contest. Placement of teams will be determined by tabulating all four scores of contestants from the school.
Contest Purposes:
To challenge individuals and teams to stimulate interest and promote competence in forestry skills.
Regional qualifying contest for the State Forestry CDE.
To prepare individuals and teams to competitively participate in the National FFA Forestry Competition.
Description of the Contest:
1. NO CELL PHONES ALLOWED!
2. Contestants must come prepared to work in adverse weather conditions since the contest will be conducted regardless of weather. Contestants are advised to bring jackets, rain gear, and adequate footwear.
3. A team will consist of four members and the total of all four scores will determine the team score.
4. Contestants must provide clipboards and #2 pencils (no pens). Calculators are required. Each four-person team is required to bring a Silva Ranger compass or one of comparable quality. All other tools and equipment will be provided.
5. The contest will start at 9:00 a.m. and tardiness will likely cause late contestants to lose points.
6. The contest will consist of two exams:
1. Indoor Written Exam – Individual (50 minutes, 55 questions worth 80 points): This exam portion will include general forestry knowledge and forestry business management. The primary format will be multiple choice but may also include true/false or short answers. Topics will include timber harvesting, reforestation, or other forestry examples to calculate per-acre, per-total acre, and per-event values based on typical forestry measurements (e.g. total board feet, survivability, total cost per acre, etc.). There will also be questions about tree ID, equipment ID, and forestry health/disorders ID.
2. Outdoor Field Exam – Team (50 points): This exam will include knowledge/skills of orienteering, timber cruising, and timber stand improvement. Topics will include bearing and distance, merchantable timber height, DBH, basal area, board volume, and timber stand improvement for multiple landowner objectives. Students should know how to use the following tools: magnetic compass, cruising stick or Biltmore stick with hypsometer, DBH tape, and clinometer.
7. Note: the 2024 Forestry CDE theme is Wildland Fire: Smokey Bear and Forest Management. There will be questions related to this theme.
Tree identification will focus primarily on the Wisconsin-specific tree identification list (p. 5-6) found in Forest Trees of Wisconsin: How to Know Them, a DNR publication, AND a list of invasive Wisconsin plants. Forestry health/disorders will focus on a Wisconsin-revised list reflecting ID most relevant to Wisconsin. The forestry equipment ID list is identical to the national CDE event. Both adapted lists are modeled from the National CDE Handbook.
Please review the state FFA Career Development Events.