Timber News

April 2008

The Timber class is planning to go "to the field"on May 5 at a site near Lacey, Arkansas owned by Silvicraft, Inc.  Check back later for photos and information.

November 2007

The timber producers' class conducted field exercises in the last part of October and the early part of November, 2007. The site was a tract of approximately 18-year-old plantation pine owned by The Campbell Group, Inc. Many thanks to The Campbell Group and especially to Kevin Burnett, their forester for this district.  Kevin was extremely helpful and went "above and beyond" if his efforts to assure we had a tract that was suitable for our purposes Additionally, we would like to extend our gratitude to Warrior of Arkansas, located in Monticello, for leasing us the equipment. It is not normally Warrior's policy to lease logging equipment, but they made an exception for us. We appreciate it very much.  Jerry Aiken and the crew at Warrior were exceptional, and Jerry visited the site several times to make sure all was well.

The class was split into 2 groups for the field exercises. One half was assigned to come on Monday-Tuesday, and the other half was to come on Wednesday-Thursday, with Friday being an open day for anyone who wanted to come. The first few days for both groups was spent learning about the specific equipment, which, as mentioned, was all John Deere. The characteristics of each machine were noted, especially those areas which could pose hazards to the operators or to bystanders. Safety was greatly emphasized in all areas. Proper mount and dismount of the equipment was demonstrated and enforced.

Almost all the students this fall were brand-new to operating equipment, so things went a little slowly at first.  As the students became more comfortable with the equipment they were able to relax and start to learn more. 

We'd love for you to become part of the Timber Class. 
Contact us today, or click the link to receive more information.

We highly encourage students to apply for federal financial aid as soon as possible.  This can be done online at www.fafsa.ed.gov (there is no fee for this).  The school code for UAM, which you will need, is 001085.