Forestry sprouts opportunity for Alberta’s youth By Samara Funk “There are some misconceptions about forestry. For example, people tend to think it’s a low-tech industry. There is actually some really cool innovation going on,” says Normand. “For students interested in things like GIS mapping and drones, this might be an interesting field to explore.” In September 2017, Work Wild released three toolkits that are available at workwild.ca. The toolkits support three of Alberta’s school curriculum units including Grade 6 science Trees and Forests, CALM 20, and the CTS forestry course.

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range widely, including foresters, labourers, truck drivers, engineers, skilled tradespeople, and even accountants and pilots. It’s important that students know these opportunities exist.”

“We have people who make plans that go up to 200 years in the future. These are educated professionals who understand how the ecosystem works and how we affect it,” says Ann Normand, outreach manager at the Alberta Forest Products Association. “Professions in this industry

The Alberta Forest Products Association launched the Work Wild campaign in 2011 in response to a labour shortage in the industry. The campaign focuses on informing youth on how forests are sustainably managed while providing students with resources about the variety of rewarding career opportunities in Alberta’s forest industry.

hen thinking about forestry, people often envision lumberjacks and logging. In fact, there is a lot more to Alberta’s forestry industry. Forestry can unlock a wide range of career opportunities for today’s youth.

12 Alberta School Counsellor / Fall 2018

The Grade 6 toolkit includes a variety of videos, quizzes, and an interactive map for students to explore. This encourages students to examine the various considerations in a forest such as water, wildlife, jobs, and products. The unit also includes a timeline of how forest management has evolved over time. The CALM 20 toolkit allows students to learn about career opportunities using profiles and quizzes while the CTS forestry kit provides students with a deeper understanding of sustainable forest management. Alberta teachers are finding that these resources compliment their lessons. “The program shows the students new options