Rutland Senior Secondary Forestry students from around the Central Okanagan took their learning to new heights on Thursday — climbing trees, cutting branches using chainsaws and even performing rescue scenarios.
It was all part of earning their Certified Utility Arborist Training which will lead them to their next steps following graduation.
The RSS Forestry Program has been around since 1990. It’s a full-time course that’s open to students in grades 11 and 12 in School District 23, and its purpose is to give students hands-on experience of what life in the forestry industry is like while they’re still in high school.
“I think the skills that a lot of these students, that maybe regular schooling wasn’t the best fit for them, they come out here and they’re able to learn a lot of life skills in a practical applied scenario, and for a lot of these guys it can be life-changing for them to have that type of opportunity,” explained RSS Forestry teacher, Marshall Corbett.
One student says the program has in fact changed his outlook on life and his future.
“This is the only class in my 12 years of school and education that I look forward to,” said student Blake Pomeroy.
“I know that every day I’m going to learn something new that I can actually apply later in my life, and you just can’t learn that in a classroom.”
Corbett has been teaching the program for four years now. He says despite other forestry and authentic learning programs in the province, this one is especially unique because it’s the only one that offers arborist training.
“We go on some logging tours, we do some firefighting, tree planting, a bunch of forest science and plant I.D., forest health as well as some genealogy with c-cone plants up in Vernon,” said Corbett.
The students enrolled in the RSS Forestry Program share a deep passion for the forest and for their education. One student says he’s grateful for not just the lessons he’s learned about the industry, but also in his own life.
“You really learn how to grow up being in this course, because you’re treated like an adult, and it really puts you into the situation of stepping up and being the best person – feeling more grown up,” explained student Ian Collinson.
Those lessons learned have guided Collinson into the next phase of his life, when he finishes the program in November.
“My plan currently is to possibly become a timber cruiser,” said Collinson
“What they do is they count all the trees and make sure they are healthy, and how much profit you’ll be getting out of them. Either I would work for a company or the government because they’re both very important in this industry.”
For students interested in getting enrolled in the RSS Forestry Program, you can fill out an application at the Career Centre at RSS.
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