IDL Launches Wildland Firefighter Online Training

The Associated Logging Contractors of Idaho (ALC) supports a new training opportunity launched by the Idaho Department of Lands (IDL).

The online fire training portal for loggers, industrial forestland owners, and foresters provides access to training resources that will qualify them to safely fight fires on their own land within areas where IDL provides fire protection. The portal connects these forestry professionals with traditional in-person or virtual classes and free self-directed online learning. With proper training, owners and operators of heavy equipment can become eligible to contract for work suppressing fire on other lands protected by IDL. This adds to the firefighting capacity of IDL while also benefitting local economies.

“This partnership with industry is more important than ever as wildfires have become more frequent and more severe,” said ALC Executive Director Shawn Keough. “Our logging contractors and crews are usually close by and can provide initial attack before others can even arrive, thus putting out fires or keeping them small and controlled. They also have the skills and equipment to continue working on containing a fire.”
www.idl.idaho.gov

AgForestry Leadership Program Accepting Applications for Class 44

The Agriculture and Forestry Education Foundation, which oversees the AgForestry Leadership Program, is looking for potential candidates—the key or up-and-coming decision-makers from the farming, forestry, fishing, and natural resource fields—for its upcoming Class 44.

Now in its 45th year, the AgForestry Leadership Program has graduated more than 1,000 leaders in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries. Leaders who help advance their industries through understanding, education, and empowerment. Leaders who understand and navigate issues in the public policy arena.

Applications for Class 44 will be accepted until April 30, 2022. The first seminar is set to start in October at Washington State University. To learn more, visit agforestry.org.

Olympic Logging Conference

After a two-year hiatus, the Olympic Logging Conference is excited to be holding its 75th anniversary at the Empress Hotel in Victoria, British Columbia, April 27-29, 2022. In addition to the normal happenings—great speakers, social events, and golf—there will also be a trip to Butchart Gardens, historical displays, and a movie featuring the organization’s long and successful past.

Don’t miss out. Visit www.olympicloggingconference.com to register online.

Pacific Logging Congress

The Pacific Logging Congress (PLC) will be distributing thousands of dollars in scholarships this year through its foundation, the Pacific Forest Foundation (PFF). These scholarships will be awarded to students who are studying for forestry-related careers, either in degree programs or at technical colleges.

The applications can be completed online at www.pacificforestfoundation.org, and the final day of submission is May 1, 2022.

If you or someone you know could benefit from a PFF scholarship, you are invited to apply. Good luck!

Hite Named New American Forest Foundation President/CEO

The American Forest Foundation (AFF) announced the selection of Rita Hite as President and CEO. Hite, who officially took office January 1, 2022, is the first woman in the organization’s more than 40-year history to hold its top position. AFF is a national conservation organization that works to make a meaningful conservation impact through the empowerment of family forest owners.

For more than 20 years, Hite has shaped strategy, programs, and policies that have unlocked billions of dollars in support for family forest stewardship. Hite will work to focus and ultimately expand AFF’s efforts in an inclusive and equitable way to address the most pressing conservation challenges facing our nation today: combating climate change, mitigating catastrophic wildfires, and improving wildlife habitat.