Putnam County 4-H’ers Place in State Contest
By: Melissa Henry, 4-H Extension Agent
During the fall Putnam County 4-H members earned the opportunity to compete in the State Forestry Judging contest. They qualified by placing in the top 4 in the region contest. The forestry judging contest has evolved over the years to become some of the most intense events that 4-H offers. Youth learn subject matter that is often not even taught at the college level, but the knowledge and skills learned will make them better stewards of our environment in the future.
4-H Forestry Judging involves more than just knowing your trees. Team members spend numerous hours learning to identify trees by their leaves and identifying insects and diseases that affect the trees. Members also learn to use a compassing and a Biltmore stick to measure the diameter and number of logs in a tree. This requires a lot of hard work and the understanding of a lot of information, making it a tough contest. Team members enjoy their practice time and approach forestry judging as a fun activity.
The Putnam County forestry teams traveled to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville campus for the state event held on the Agriculture Campus, where Forestry Specialists were on hand to conduct the contest. An awards banquet was held for the teams and then the results are announced.
The team of Bailey Steger, Cadence Howell, Kinley Arms, and Britta Gaetjens was named State Reserve Champions, coming in second to the team from Knox County. Cadence was the 1st place high individual and Bailey received 3rd place overall. Judging teams are not an easy contest to be successful in and these members have developed the lifelong skills of decision making and communicating with others. It is an honor for the team to have represented Putnam County 4-H at the state level and the many 4-H members who work hard judging contests each year. Like the 4-H slogan says, these team members are “learning by doing.”
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Photo Caption: Putnam 4-H Forestry team placed second in the state contest. Team members are (L to R) Cadence Howell, Britta Gaetjens, Kinley Arms, Bailey Steger
Congratulations from UCReporter!