Sean C. Morgan
Of The New Era
Sweet Home sixth-graders had a problem last week: They were asked to figure out what to do with an inheritance of 200 acres of timberland last week.
On a field trip to Bert and Bettie Udell’s Happy Valley Tree Farm off Bellinger Scale Road, students from all five of Sweet Home’s elementary schools learned what it takes to make timberland pay for itself.
This week, they will take what they learned and develop plans to operate their inherited tree farms, Oak Heights Elementary teacher Jim Hawkins said. The field trip was divided into four sections, including wildlife, soil sampling, timber cruising and recreation.
“If these kids inherited these 200 acres, they have to think about how to make money, pay taxes,” Hawkins said.
Leslie Bradner of Albany and the Talk About Trees program lectured students in the central gazebo about the recreation component of operating timberland.
She talked about the cost of providing camping, that outhouses cost $10,000 and showers cost $50,000, leading the students through the concept of what it takes to establish a campground.
Leaving the gazebo, she led the students on a walking tour of the farm, showing them trash left by campers. She asked students for ideas on how to get campers to stop leaving trash behind. Students suggested fines or providing garbage cans.
She showed them road signs that had been used for target practice and then a campsite that was less than ideal. She asked them for ways to improve it and suggested removing the nearby slash piles, leveling out the ground and planting grass. That might make it more enticing to campers and improve the bottom line.
“Up there,” Hawkins said pointing into the trees. “They’re marking out a 10th-of-an-acre plot.”
The students counted the number of trees and measured the diameter of the trees, Hawkins said. “So they see how much more harvestable timber they have, how much they can sell.”
The students learn about the rules of the industry, governing everything from selling to replanting, Hawkins said.
“Sweet Home, we live in this area,” Hawkins said. Timber is a large part of the area’s resources, and the field trip gives the students the chance to learn about it, he said.
“Every little reminder about safety helps when you’re camping in these areas,” said Dina Whitfield, an aide.
Students also learn about financial responsibility when they have to make the timberland economically viable, Hawkins said. The assignment crosses all educational disciplines. In math, students see a practical application for what they’re learning, including concepts like averaging.
Hawkins thanked the Udells for the use of their tree farm.
“The Udells made all this happen for all Sweet Home schools,” Hawkins said.