What better way to get to know our forests than being outside, digging in the ground and planting trees?
For a week, the forestry students at Rutland Senior Secondary (RSS) at Joe Rich did just that.
RSS forestry teacher Marshall Corbett said it helps them better appreciate forestry and nature as a whole if you take students outdoors and allow them to plant trees.
“Being able to just walk into the forest is another way of learning,” he said.
“That gives you a variety of options. We have had students who might not fit into the traditional school system and who do really well when they come here and just really enjoy it. “
Corbett said the goal of the forest program is to give students a snapshot of the jobs available in forestry. But above all, he said that he wanted his students to appreciate the country around us.
For Earth Day, April 22nd, some RSS forest forests wanted to encourage others to become more aware of their actions and to be more aware of their relationship with nature.
Forestry student Carter Stewart said participating in the program helped him change his perspective.
“I can definitely say that I have respected the forest since taking part in this class. It wasn’t that important to me before, ”he said.
“I didn’t know how important it is to take good care of our forests. I just want to say, don’t throw your trash on the ground, don’t go around screwing up trees. “
His classmate Katie Weisbrod repeated his statement.
“It’s not just about the trees; If you break a tree, it can affect the whole forest. It really broadened our view, ”she said.
“When you’re out here so much, you really think about anything that is damaging the trees and the ecosystem,” added forestry student Matt Dickson.
“You may not think much about throwing away a bag or something, but it all adds up and everything makes a difference.”
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