Sean C. Morgan
New portable sawmill allows SHHS students to learn across curriculum
Construction trades teacher and Forestry Club adviser Dustin Nichol has connected forestry to construction at Sweet Home High School.
Nichol’s timber cruising and log scaling Forestry Club and natural resources class has sparked an interest in the construction side of timber, he said. In response, thanks to grants and private donations, the school has purchased the sawmill to allow students in the programs to take timber on through the process.
“We had the opportunity to go over to Logs to Lumber over in West Albany,” Nichol said, referring to a milling project conducted by Albany schools during Arbor Week each year. “We participated in that for two years.”
That sparked the idea of installing a sawmill at Sweet Home High School.
Students, with some help from teacher Dustin Nichol, second from right, turn a log in preparation for sawing. From left are Elric Benson, Cody Froman and Cody Coulter. In front on the right is EJ Nichol.
Milt Moran of Cascade Timber Consulting donated a lot of hardwood to the program to get things rolling, Nichol said.
“The Construction II senior project is to build a structure they have machined from logs to lumber,” Nichol said. The only materials being purchased are pressure-treated lumber and items like doors and windows.
The flooring, structure and siding are all milled by high school students, Nichol said. Logs and materials are donated by local timber interests.
“The main reason was to try to be self-sustaining,” Nichol said.
About six students are involved in the process from natural resources to lumber.
The program teaches across the high school curriculum, particularly in applied math and science, Nichol said. In Forestry Club, students give speeches, write, and learn to interview for jobs, as well as developing numerous forestry skills.
The skills can generate job opportunities, he said, and students can become arborists, operate equipment, scale logs, cruise timber and more, said Nichol, whose background was in timber prior to teaching.
The program encourages and teaches hands-on learners, like him, he said. “That’s me. I don’t do well with the bookwork.”
Student assignments help students meet graduation requirements in career development, he said.
Nichol expressed appreciation for the backing of the community.
“The support from the timber owners and logging companies for the school’s woods and related activities is phenomenal. The people are wonderful. None of this could be done without the support of the community.”