Leaping into Forestry and Natural Resources at University of Idaho

This Leap Day, a group of 18 students from Clearwater Valley High School in Kooskia, ID seized the opportunity of the extra day in the year by embarking on a journey to Moscow, where they delved into the world of forestry and natural resources at the University of Idaho. Facilitated by the University of Idaho Extension Forestry, their excursion included a tour of the Franklin H. Pitkin Forest Nursery facilities and the College of Natural Resources building on campus.

The Pitkin Nursery is a fully operational production nursery that produces close to 500,000 seedlings each year. Beyond its impressive output across 70 species of conifers, hardwoods, and shrubs, the nursery also serves as a training ground for students, providing invaluable hands-on experience within a professional nursery setting. The visiting high school students were privileged to be the first group to tour the nursery’s new greenhouse building, which will expand the nursery's capacity by an additional 100,000 to 400,000 seedlings.

After learning about nursery production and management at Pitkin, the group ventured onto the University of Idaho's main campus in Moscow for a tour of the College of Natural Resources. The college offers an array of natural resource-focused degree programs, spanning forestry, rangeland science, fish and wildlife, among others. Many CNR students also work at the Pitkin Nursery where they can apply the knowledge learned from their studies into a real-world work environment. The tour was generously led by CNR Student Ambassadors who shared their time and enthusiasm for being a Vandal.

Article and Photo by Maddie Goebel
Published March 2024