February 2017
Calhoun County hosts largest Forestry Field Day AFA The largest forestry contest in Arkansas, held in Calhoun County, took place on February 9. The “Hogskin Forestry Contest” had a record turnout with 157 participants from 24 different schools. Contest participants competed in the following categories: Equipment Identification, Tree Identification, Compass and Pacing, Timber Cruising, Volume Estimation and Map Reading. “I truly enjoy seeing the kids learn about different aspects of forestry and being able to apply it to their everyday lives,” Jaret Rushing, Cooperative Extension County Agent said. Jesse Thompkins of Taylor High School took first place with a score of 483 out of 500. Two brothers from Hermitage, Cade and Connor Wilkerson, walked away claiming second and third place respectively, with scores of 482 and 469. Teams from the 24 schools were ranked by the scores of the best three on their team. Hermitage High School led the contest with a score of 1403. Taylor High School followed
Students from 24 different schools participated in various forestry events including timber cruising and volume estimation, equipment identification, tree identification, compass and pacing and map reading. in second place with a score of 1346 and Hampton High School came in third at 1161. The Arkansas Forestry Association Education Foundation partnered with the Calhoun County Farm Bureau, Farm Credit Services of Western Arkansas, Calhoun County Cattlemen’s, DM Apparel, Calhoun County EHC, Hampton FFA Program, Calhoun County employees, University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension and the Beene family to make the 2017 Hogskin Forestry Contest a success. The Hogskin Forestry Contest is one of numerous practice contests before these participants go onto State FFA and State 4-H contests that will be held this April.
A look at this year’s regular legislative session Written by: Max Braswell, Executive VP The 91st Arkansas General Assembly convened on Monday, January 9, with the expectation of a longer than normal session due in part to the massive amount of new bills and amendments needed to craft the state’s Medical Marijuana laws. However, with the session more than half complete, lawmakers have made better than expected progress on this complicated issue, passed major
components of Governor Asa Hutchinson’s tax reform package, and are now headed toward the homestretch with an earlyApril adjournment possible. Before that happens, however, we can expect to see plenty of bills filed as lawmakers turn their attention to their individual issues of interest. In addition, legislators must approve a budget for the state before they adjourn and they will determine which, if any, of a large list of proposed Constitutional Amendments they will refer to the 2018 General Election Ballot. While “big-picture” items usually dominate
the early portion of the session, there have been several issues of interest to the timber and forest products community on the agenda, with several more to come. In addition, Forestry Day at the Capitol on January 24 provided an excellent opportunity for a variety of AFA members and partners to showcase the economic and environmental impact forestry makes on the state. The day included exhibits from 10 organizations and a seedling give-away inside the Capitol, a luncheon for members of the General Assembly and staff members that drew almost 200 attendees and special Cont’d on page 3