In small school districts, teachers wear many hats and teach a variety of unrelated subjects. Amara Smallwood, a member of Black Oak Mine Teachers Association and a teacher at Golden Sierra Junior Senior High School, is no exception. Smallwood teaches AP Environmental Sciences every other year, Biology, Health, Food Science, AVID and more.

Students measure trees as part of students prepare for the challenge in class. the Forestry Challenge.

After hearing about the Forestry Challenge from a colleague at another school, Smallwood has fostered two teams to compete in the program for the past six years. The annual event started in 2003 and is held in different forests across California each year; students spend four days competing in five categories. Competitors not only learn the basic skills and principles of forestry, but they make connections with foresters, hydrologists, wildlife biologists, soil and fire scientists, and more for future career opportunities.

In a world of increased fire danger with a need for enhanced forestry management skills, Smallwood is preparing students for academic challenges and providing invaluable career exploration.

“Forest fires are part of our consciousness, especially in fire-prone areas, such as El Dorado County. The Forestry Challenge is important for spreading awareness,” says Smallwood. (For the record, she notes that her last name suits her perfectly, as she admits she is “more at home in a ‘wood’ or forest than anywhere else!”)

“Through the Forestry Challenge, students find out they are really good at solving complex problems and learn they are capable of more than they expected.”

—AMARA SMALLWOOD,
Black Oak Mine Teachers Association

Amara Smallwood

Working in teams of three to five, students measure trees, calculate basal area to determine how much wood is on a specific plot of land, determine how much money could be made on the assigned plot of land, and collect necessary data to make forest management decisions. Students’ use of math, science, data collecting and other skills contributes to 60% of the team’s final score.

“The program is intense and is very academic,” explains Smallwood. “Every year, our students are given a different problem to solve. They went out to the forest and collected data on an area where salvaged logging was done after the Caldor Fire, and their mission was to create a reforestation plan. Students counted seedlings and made determinations about whether or not to plant new seedlings and allow current seedlings to grow, determined if herbicides should be used or not, and more. These are realworld skills forestry personnel use in their career.”

The remaining 40% of student teams’ scores come from a presentation before a panel of judges, which requires students to develop public speaking skills and learn how to collaborate with a team.

Students are enthusiastic about the Challenge.

Amara Smallwood’s students prepare for the challenge in class.

“Participating in the Forestry Challenge was one of my most memorable experiences in high school. Not only did it spark my interest in forestry and teach me so much about managing our forests, but I developed friendships and close bonds with my teammates,” says 12th grader Adan Mendoza.

“The youth of our generation are blind to the truth about our forests. Bringing knowledge to the public and revealing the sad truth can prevent under-management from happening again. The Forestry Challenge is a way of doing this — implementing a fun time into learning,” says 10th grader Austin Cole. Smallwood points to the larger student benefits. “Often kids don’t know what they want to do and through the Forestry Challenge, they find out they are really good at solving complex problems and learn they are capable of more than they expected,” she says.

In a competition of 24 teams, Smallwood’s two teams from Golden Sierra placed 4th and 7th, with nearby perennial champion and appropriately named Foresthill High School winning the championship.

“I am not super competitive, but I love that our kids enjoy pushing themselves. That’s the best part of the Challenge for me.”

For more information about visit the Forestry Challenge page.