This year, the College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science (CFRES) was proud to nominate Michigan Tech's Student Society of American Foresters (SAF) Chapter for the 2024 Outstanding SAF Student Chapter Award. There are plenty of reasons why, including a growing membership, innovative programming, and projects that improve the local landscape.
Known on campus as the Forestry Club, Michigan Tech's Student SAF Chapter has nearly 100 members. Of these, 18 students are also official members of the national and state SAF chapters, and about 25 are extremely active, contributing to the College, University, and the forestry community in Michigan and across the United States. In the nomination letter, the College described the club's activities and the significant impacts of its members over the last year.
The club nearly doubled membership. "This membership growth is a direct result of recruiting efforts that support and encourage a diverse audience to participate," said the authors, Assistant Professor Tara Bal and former CFRES outreach coordinator, Krause. They described the club's efforts to foster diversity and a sense of belonging as "extremely intentional" and noted that the club has a woman president for the first time in over 20 years.
The Forestry Club's involvement at conferences led CFRES to pilot a mentorship program. Over several years, the College's social media accounts have shared club leaders' positive networking experiences at biannual Michigan SAF conferences and the SAF National Convention. The stories have encouraged MTU alumni to continue their SAF membership after graduating.
"When current students and graduates see these statements, hear stories of attendees getting jobs, and become a part of the networking circle that their friends made at conferences, graduates get a taste of the benefits of staying a member of SAF upon graduation," said Bal and Krause. With the new mentoring program, CFRES plans to encourage similar experiences among MTU students. The pilot in fall 2024 will have one Forestry Club e-board member mentoring six to eight first-year students.
The club hosted events, workshops, and professional development opportunities, budgeting and obtaining funds to sponsor member attendance at the Michigan SAF Spring Conference in Grayling, the Michigan Association of Consulting Foresters conference, and the Michigan SAF Fall Conference in Marquette. Additionally: "They hosted two chainsaw safety workshops, supported many members attaining their Fire Fighter Type 2 certification, became official measurers of the Michigan Big Tree Program, took a course on becoming American Tree Farm System Inspectors, and submitted a proposal to work with Michigan SAF to reinstate the Michigan SAF UP Forestry Auto Tour."
The nomination also described the Forestry Club's contributions to campus events, including supplying fire pit wood during the Winter Carnival All-Nighter, participating in K-Day, and planting trees at the Ford Center and Research Forest and at their woodcut site on MTU property in Houghton. "In total this past year, over 1,000 native and facilitated-migration tree and shrub species were planted to replace acres of lawn space or were underplanted in forests degraded by invasive species," said Bal and Krause. "The club has contributed to the cleanup of invasive species from campus and across the community (namely emerald ash borer, but invasive plants as well), collaborating with the Keweenaw Invasive Species Management Area, by burning invasive plant debris with the Wildland Fire Club."
The club has also provided leadership to other student orgs. "There are currently six natural resource-related student organizations within CFRES, yet we feel strongly that the Forestry Club has long provided leadership when it comes to student involvement, professional development, and success in CFRES and for students afterwards," wrote Bal and Krause. They cited the College's end-of-year Overstory banquet as an example. "The six student organizations are responsible for planning the event, selling tickets, creating trivia, obtaining donations, managing votes for awards, and hosting the event itself. The Forestry Club leadership typically takes point each year, delegating and completing tasks quickly and efficiently. There is never a lack of volunteers from the Forestry Club when it comes to events the entire College is expected to contribute to."
The Forestry Club intends to continue all of their current activities into the 2024-25 academic year. "We are extremely impressed with the determination the students have this year to increase their attendance to the National SAF Convention in Loveland, Colorado (they will double last year's attendance)," said the nomination. "Students have already reserved two large vans rather than fly, so that more students are able to travel to attend."
Michigan Technological University is a public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, Michigan, and is home to nearly 7,500 students from more than 60 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigan’s flagship technological university offers more than 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.
