The Southeast Area Forestry Contest was held at Mountain Gateway Community College in Clifton Forge, Virginia, on April 19, 2023. The forestry contest tests the FFA member’s knowledge of tree identification, equipment identification, estimating the volume of trees, and reading topographic maps. Three Buckingham teams were able to compete in the Virginia State Forestry Contest. They qualified for the event in November at the Southeast Area Contest.
The Buckingham Middle School team consisted of Ryland Carter, Luke Gilliam, Alexis Meadows, and Trenton Ragland. The team placed 4th in the junior division of the contest. Ryland Carter placed 5th as an individual.
In the senior division, Jordan Dorrier, Noah Jones, Daniel Farrish, and Andrew Dorrier placed 3rd overall. Noah Jones placed 8th overall. In addition to the parts of the contest listed above, senior division members had to explain their choice of removing or leaving trees in their timber stand improvement plan, estimate distance by pacing, identify wood species based on a sample, and identify diseases and disorders of trees.
The junior division team from the Buckingham Senior Chapter was the winning team. Team members were Ben Gilliam (8th Pace Individual), Sarah Bryant (6th Place Individual), Grace Martin (4th Place Individual), and Alex Morris (2nd Place Individual).
The Buckingham FFA forestry team members would like to thank Mr. Henry Paris and Mr. Tomas Snoddy, Virginia Department of Forestry, for also coaching the teams.
Middle School
Photo l to r; Trent Ragland, Ryland Carter, Luke Gilliam, Alexis Meadows
Junior Team:
Photo l to r: Ben Gilliam, Sarah Bryant, Grace Martin, Alexandra Morris
Senior Team
Photo l to r: Andrew Dorrier, Jordan Dorrier, Daniel Farrish, Noah Jones