On Saturday, May 7, 2022, 16 youth representing 4 counties gathered at NC State's Carl Alwin Schenck Memorial Forest in Wake County for the 2022 Spring 4-H Forestry Contest. Youth from Alamance, Edgecombe, Forsyth, and Wilson counties competed in three categories: tree measurement, tree identification, and forest insect and disease identification. The fourth 4-H Forestry contest category, compass traverse, was not held due to adverse weather.

The top-scoring senior team was Forsyth County. In second place, was the Edgecombe County senior team. Forsyth County has declined the invitation to represent North Carolina at the National Forestry Invitational in West Virginia because they are headed to the National Wildlife Habitat Education Program, or WHEP, contest in Kentucky. Edgecombe County will instead have the opportunity to represent North Carolina at Nationals this year.

Typically, spring competitions are not held but due to the COVID pandemic, our competition looked a bit different this year. This was the first statewide contest since 2019. The 4-H Forestry Contest will resume its regular fall schedule this year, with another statewide contest in late September or early October.

We are proud of our forestry youth and excited for Edgecombe County to represent us in West Virginia!

For more information on NC 4-H Forestry and other 4-H programs offered by Extension Forestry, visit forestry.ces.ncsu.edu/4h/ or contact Renee Strnad, Extension Forestry Environmental Educator, at renee_strnad@ncsu.edu or 919-515-5518.