2008 ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEASTERN FORESTRY CLUBS (ASFC) CONCLAVE IN GAINESVILLE, FL

Forestry Club Places Fifth at Conclave, Third in Technical Events;

Justin Jacobs Wins STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® Southern Collegiate Challenge

Fifteen members of Louisiana Tech University’s Forestry Club participated in the 2008 Conclave, a forestry skills competition conducted by the Association of Southeastern Forestry Clubs (ASFC). The University of Florida hosted the ASFC Conclave March 6-8 at the Alachua County Fairgrounds in Gainesville. Forestry clubs from sixteen universities competed at Conclave: Alabama A&M University, University of Arkansas at Monticello, Auburn University, Clemson University, University of Florida, University of Georgia, Louisiana State University, Louisiana Tech University, University of Kentucky, Mississippi State University, North Carolina State University, Oklahoma State University, Stephen F. Austin State University, University of Tennessee, Texas A&M University, and Virginia Polytechnic Institute (Virginia Tech). 

Conclave competition is divided into Technical events and Physical events. Louisiana Tech placed third overall in Technical events. Denton Culpepper won 2nd place in Wood Technology, and took 5th place in Dendrology. Dustin Johnson won 2nd place in DBH (diameter at breast height) Estimation, and his wife Brandi Johnson placed 6th in Pole Classification. Four students placed 7th in Technical events: Charlie Edwards (Compass and Pacing), Justin Jacobs (Timber Estimation), and Reba McCoy and Sara Dean (Wildlife Identification). Josh McClain placed eleventh in Photogrammetry.

Tech placed sixth in Physical events, which included Justin Jacob’s First Place in Pole Felling. Justin also placed 3rd in Log Chopping. He and Danielle Creamean teamed up for 3rd place in Jack and Jill Crosscut Sawing. Rachel Dunn and Brandi Johnson placed 4th in Women’s Crosscut Sawing, and Ben Holten took 6th place in Knife Throwing. Seventh place was taken by Jake Azbell and Scott Rhodes in Men’s Crosscut Sawing, and Jacob Haring and Justin Jacobs in Log Rolling. Other events and the students competing were Women’s Bowsaw (Michelle Gonzales), Axe Throw (Scott Rhodes), Men’s Bow Saw (Dustin Johnson), Archery (Sara Dean), Chain Throw (Jake Azbell and Ben Holten), Pole Climbing (Charlie Edwards), and Log Birling (Charlie Edwards). 

The ASFC awarded Louisiana Tech with a competition quality J.P. Mercier crosscut saw valued at $1,700 for their improvement in sawing and competitive spirit.

On Thursday, March 6, the STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® Southern Collegiate Challenge was held in conjunction with Conclave at Gainesville. Each university had one contestant who competed in Underhand/Horizontal Chop, Stihl Stock Saw, and Single Buck/Crosscut Saw. The event was covered by ESPNU, which will broadcast it in June, and by five articles on the ESPN TIMBERSPORTS website http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/timbersports/.  Louisiana Tech’s Justin Jacobs, a senior Forestry major from Sterlington, was the overall winner of the competition, and has a place in the National Collegiate Challenge in Columbus, Georgia in June, and a chance for a berth in the professional STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® series. A check for $1,000 in Justin’s name will be given to Louisiana Tech’s Forestry Club. STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® professionals Mike Slingerland and David Jewett were present throughout Conclave and worked with student competitors on their techniques. In addition, Stihl provided all 300 Conclave participants with all the caps and mugs they could carry off. The link to You Tube is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7GF1LePYj8.

Article by Dr. Bill Patterson

TECHNICAL EVENTS

LA TECH PLACED THIRD OVERALL

Reba McCoy and Sara Deen identify a wildlife browse plant in the Wildlife technical event.	Louisiana Tech placed Third overall in Technical events. Competitors are (left to right), first row: Justin Jacobs, Sara Deen, Reba McCoy; second row: Dustin Johnson, Denton Culpepper, and Brandi Johnson; third row: Josh McClain and Charlie Edwards.

PHYSICAL EVENTS


LA TECH PLACED 6TH OVERALL

Archery 9th Place Sara Deen	Axe Throw Tied 11th Place Scott Rhodes	Log Birling Tied 13th Place Charles Edwards
Men's Bow Saw 10th Place Dusty Johnson	Women's Bow Saw 13th Place Michelle Gonzales	Chain Throw 9th Place Jake Azbell and Ben Holten
Faculty Advisor Dr. William Patterson	Cross Cut Jack and Jill 3rd Place  Danielle Creamean & Justin Jacobs	Denton Culpepper Trip Coordinator
Aimee Robert Chaperone	Cross Cut Men's 7th Place Jake Azbell & Scott Rhodes	Faculty Advisor Bogdan Strimbu
	Cross Cut Women's 4th Place Rachel Dunn and Brandi Johnson
Knife Throw Tied 6th Place Ben Holten	Log Chopping 3rd Place Justin Jacobs	Log Rolling 7th Place Jacob Haring and Justin Jacobs
Pole Climbing 12th Place Charles Edwards	Pensacola Beach, Florida	Pole Felling 1st Place  Justin Jacobs
Stihl Timbersports  Underhand Log Chop 4th Place Justin Jacobs	Stihl Timbersports 1 Man Buck Saw 4th Place Justin Jacobs	Stihl Timbersports Stock Saw 2nd Place Justin Jacobs
	Justin Jacobs overall winner in the Stihl Timbersports Competition being interviewed by ESPN-U

2008 Conclave Participants Back Row and Left to Right Dr. William Patterson, Joshua McClain, Denton Culpepper and Bogdan Strimbu Middle Row and Left to Right Scott Rhodes, Rachel Dunn, Ben Holten, Danielle Creamean, Charles Edwards, Reba McCoy and Sara Deen Front Row and Left to Right Justin Jacobs, Aimee Robert, Jacob Haring, Jacob Azbel, Dustin Johnson, Brandi Johnson and Michelle Gonzales

Photographs by Bogdan Strimbu, Aimee Robert, Brandi Johnson and Dusty Johnson

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2007 ASFC Conclave in Crossville, TN

Article and Captions by:  Dr. William Patterson, Forestry Club Faculty Advisor

Photos by:  Jay Thomas and Rance Tomlinson

Seventeen School of Forestry students competed in physical and technical forestry related events and placed 8 out of 15 in overall competitions,and 5th out of 15 in technical events. Sam Brimer placed 1st in Timber Estimation, Trey Wynn placed 1st in Wood Technology and Justin Jacobs placed 3rd in Log Chop.

Stihl Timbersports – Jay Thomas – Overall 11^th place

Underhand Chop – Tied for 10^th place

Stock Saw – 8^th place

Single Buck – 13^th place

Physical Events-11th place overall 

Archery-Sam Brimer-9^th place

Axe Throw-Scott Rhodes-8^th place

Birling-Christopher Bordelon-5^th place

Bowsaw Mens-Ellis Armfield-6^th place

Bowsaw Womens-Rachel Dunn-8^th place

Chain Throw-Whitney Green and Matt Mardis-5^th place

Crosscut Jack & Jill-Jay Thomas & Rachel Dunn-11^th place

Crosscut Men’s-Jay Thomas & Scott Rhodes-7^th place

Knife Throw-Gregory Martinez-5^th place

Log Chopping-Justin Jacobs-3^rd Place

Log Rolling -Justin Jacobs & Matt Martin-14^th place

Pole Felling-Sam Brimer-7^th place

Technical Events-5th place overall 

Compass & Pacing-Rance Tomlinson-13^th  place

DBH Estimation-Reid Brown-8^th place

Dendrology-Jay Thomas-6^th place

Photogrammetry-Rance Tomlinson-8^th place

Pole Class-Matt Martin-12^th place

Timber Estimation-Sam Brimer-1^st place

Wildlife-Matt Shelton and Rachel Dunn-6^th place

Wood Technology-Trey Wynn-1^st place

 

Log Chop Competition	Justin Jacobs	Justin placed 3rd in Log Chop
Bow Saw- Rachel Dunn	Jack & Jill Saw-Jay Thomas & Rachel Dunn Rance Tomlinson and Scott Rhodes observe.	Men's Cross Cut-Jay Thomas & Scott Rhodes Sam Brimer, Rance Tomlinson and Ellis Armfield observed.
Knife Throw-Gregory Martinez	Axe Throw-Scott Rhodes	Group picture at conclave in Crossville, TN
Pole Felling-Sam Brimer	It actually fell this year!	Pole Climbing-Whitney Green
Log Birling - Christopher Bordelon	Log Rolling- Justin Jacobs & Matt Martin	Group Picture @ Fall River Falls
T shirt logo - back of shirt	Faculty Advisor, Dr. William Patterson, Justin Jacobs and Greg Martinez	T shirt logo - front pocket
Stihl Stocksaw - Jay Thomas	Fall River Falls in Tennessee	Stihl Underhand Chop - Jay Thomas
Jay Thomas and Scott Rhodes		Sam Brimer encourages Jay Thomas

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2006 ASFC Conclave In Ruston, LA

Article by:  Dr. Gordon Holley

Photographs by:  Kori Pardue

 

The LA Tech Forestry Club hosted the 49^th annual Association of Southern Forestry Club.  Conclave is an annual gathering that brings together forestry students and faculty from technical and physical events.

 

Tech’s final scores in each event were:

 Physical Events 

• Archery 3^rd place with 123 total points
• Axe Throwing Tied for 4^th place with Auburn University with 5 total points
• Chain Throw 1^st place with a time of 1 minute - 35 seconds
• Knife Throwing 4^th place with 2 total points
• Log Birling 9^th place
• Log Roll 11^th place with a time of 3 minutes – 35 seconds
• Men’s Bow Saw Disqualified
• Women’s Bow Saw Disqualified
• Crosscut Sawing Men’s 13^th place with a time of 39.85 seconds
• Crosscut Sawing Women’s 8^th place with a  time of 22.22 seconds
• Jack-n-Jill Crosscut 6^th place with a time of 15.61 seconds
• Pole Climbing 4th place with a time of 4.44 seconds 
• Pole Felling 13^th place
• Log Chop 6^th place with a time of 3 minutes – 2 seconds

 Technical Events 

• Compass & Pacing 13^th place
• Dendrology 3^rd place
• Pole Classification 13^th place
• Photogrammetry 10^th place
• Timber Estimation 5^th place
• Wildlife ID 2^nd place
• Wood ID 3^rd place

 Tech scored 6^th overall.

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