The Student members of the UGA Forestry Club, based in the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, placed third in overall competition at this year’s 49th annual Southeastern Forestry Conclave. The event was hosted this past weekend by Louisiana Tech University and held at nearby Lincoln Parish Park in Ruston, LA.

In addition to third place in the overall competition, the club placed second overall in technical events, and third place overall in physical events. Representatives from fourteen southeastern universities competed in this year’s conclave. Individual honors for club members include:

• Men's bow saw - Steven Purvis (3rd)
• Women's bow saw - Ami Flowers (3rd)
• Jack and Jill crosscut - James Kent and Ami Flowers (3rd)
• Women's crosscut - Ami Flowers and Sara Johnson (2nd)
• Photogrammetry - Coby Smith (2nd)
• Wildlife - Jay Chupp and Kerry Holcomb (3rd)
• Compass and pacing - Coby Smith (3rd)
• Pole classification - Jason Carey (2nd)
• Timber estimation - Craig Seaman (2nd)

Student Ami Flowers receives special honors for her victory in the Dendrology (tree identification) event. This is the third year in a row a UGA student has won this technical event, with Ami’s victory creating a family affair, as her brother Jared won the same event two years ago.

“I want to congratulate the UGA Forestry Club for the hard work, professionalism, and sportsmanship that they displayed at Association of Southern Forestry Clubs conclave,” said faculty advisor Dr. Pete Bettinger. “The team worked very well together as they trained for the competition in Louisiana, and represented the University well with several high placements in both physical and technical events.”

“We are very proud of our students for achieving this significant accomplishment,” added Warnell School Dean Richard Porterfield. “We are especially pleased to with the clubs performance in the technical events. These are the events that best reflect the quality of the Warnell School’s academic programming.”

The UGA Forestry Club is a student organization open to any UGA student interested in forest conservation and management. For more information on UGA’s Forestry Club, contact Dr. Pete Bettinger, 706/542-1187, pbettinger@forestry.uga.edu, or visit the UGA Forestry Club website.