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Timber Education Day
Article #384, May 2026
By Bill Cook

          Can you recall those gorgeous, sunny spring days when you were in school and were simply itching to get outside?  Yep.  Well, about a hundred elementary school students were treated to a Timber Education Day (TED) in Marquette and Tourist Park on 14 May.  It was a good day! 
          Travis Heikkinen and others from Rayonier organized the event featuring seven stations and a wide range of partners.  They ordered-up the perfect weather for the day.  Classes from North Star Academy, Graveraet, and Cherry Creek seized the day. 
          As the raucous kids poured out of the buses, their first stop was the playground equipment.  The quiet of the morning had abruptly ended.  After shedding some their abundant energy, gaggles of kids were herded to the first of seven stations. 
          The first was an active logging operation among the ice and wind damaged red pine sawtimber at the park.  I suspect some of the students could have watched the large Fabtek harvester operate all morning.  Monster machines are always a hit! 
          The red pine logs were stacked and made ready for the forwarder.  The tops were gathered and then pushed into a Bandit wood chipper, which was very loud but held the kids spellbound. 
          Leaving the logging site, the group paused at a small deck of wood for a few more comments, then crossed the road where a shiny new Ponsse Ergo processor was parked.  Tim Gafner fielded a barrage of questions ranging from how much the machine weighed, how much it cost, and how much money does a logger earn in a year.  They kicked the tires, peeked underneath the carriage, and marveled at the giant grapplers on the cutting head. 
          The next stop was more subdued as Matt Watkeys, from the DNR, skillfully explained the unusual range of non-timber forest products.  Matt brought along some curious show-and-tell items and a few boxes of give-aways!  The kids threw out many questions, as some attempted to figure out how to operate a clinometer. 
          From there, the herd tumbled over to the U.S. Forest Service display about how trees grow.  The classes were challenged with a bit of tree ID and learned a few things about tree growth, including observations of a set of tree cookies showing variably spaced growth rings.  Oops!  Hey!  Who is that?  Smokey the Bear made an appearance!  Up went the cheers and everyone had to touch Smokey and exchange high fives. 
          After hugs and high fives were given all around, the next stop blazed to fire control with the DNR.  Jim Johnston, from the Negaunee station, offered a few words.  However, the big attraction was the chance to wrassle with the hose!  Unbelievably, no teachers found themselves soaked by an overzealous student! 
          The final stations focused on wildlife.  First, the kids had a chance to identify aquatic insects squiggling around in a pair of shallow trays.  Noah Gostomski and Kyler Hanson, from the Lake to Lake CISMA, provided ID cards to help in the search for bugs that indicate a healthy stream.  Sara Kelso, Marquette County Conservation District forester, shared information about how forests provide habitat for different kinds of wildlife, from salamanders to hawks. 
          The day’s activities were the debut for this event.  I suspect we’ll see another one next spring.
          The “TED” happened in cooperation with many partners.  Special thanks to Rayonier, Sanville Logging, Holli Forest Products, Ponsse, Marquette County Conservation District, Lake to Lake CISMA, DNR, Hiawatha National Forest, the City of Marquette, and the Great Lakes Timber Producers Association.  Gotta love it when a plan comes together!

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TRAILER- This website was created by a consortium of forestry groups to help streamline information about forestry and coordinate forestry activities designed to benefit the family forest owner and various publics that make up our Michigan citizenry.  This website is maintained by Bill Cook, Retired Michigan State Extension Forester/Biologist.  Direct comments to cookwi@msu.edu.