Quincy High School Forest Health Project
In 2011 a group of Plumas County Quincy High School (QHS) students completed a forest health project on the High School's Learning Landscape property. The project offered plenty of experience on what it takes to maintain a healthy forest for wildlife and reducing the threat of wildfire. Students learned skills such as pre-project monitoring, mapping, tree & shrub identification, and small tree removal using hand saws. With funds obtained from the California Fish and Game Commission and resources donated by PG&E, the Feather River Resource Conservation District (RCD) coordinated a pilot project with QHS teacher Matt McMorrow’s Natural Resources class to improve the quality of the forest habitat near their school. These lands are part of the Learning Landscapes Program, initiated by Quincy-based non-profit Feather River Land Trust, which seeks to provide sustainable access to natural lands within a 10-minute walk from every school in Plumas County.
Through Plumas National Forest and private resource specialists who volunteered their time, plus considerable preparation by Mr. McMorrow, the students learned to identify native trees and shrubs, survey a plot of land, monitor wildlife activity, and evaluate what vegetation to remove for the benefit of wildlife and reduction of wildfire hazards. Students also learned the importance of how their little acre fits into a much larger plan of reducing wildfire hazard for the entire Quincy Community. Of the 9.5 acres of forested upland that is part of the Learning Landscape parcel, the students chose a challenging one-acre plot of dense undergrowth located between the high school and a nearby residential area. The one acre project is part of a larger effort to create a Community Fuel Break around Quincy.
In a narrative written during the beginning of the project, students of Mr. McMorrow’s class wrote the following: “In our project we would like to continue our study of wildlife and emulate the biodiversity of our native wildlife, such as deer, squirrels, and birds. We will try to avoid attracting bears. We would like to make sure it is clean, usable and enjoyable to all.” The students have definitely been successful in helping to create a healthy forest habitat. It is now up to future classes to expand the work and to monitor and observe what has already been treated.
Through Plumas National Forest and private resource specialists who volunteered their time, plus considerable preparation by Mr. McMorrow, the students learned to identify native trees and shrubs, survey a plot of land, monitor wildlife activity, and evaluate what vegetation to remove for the benefit of wildlife and reduction of wildfire hazards. Students also learned the importance of how their little acre fits into a much larger plan of reducing wildfire hazard for the entire Quincy Community. Of the 9.5 acres of forested upland that is part of the Learning Landscape parcel, the students chose a challenging one-acre plot of dense undergrowth located between the high school and a nearby residential area. The one acre project is part of a larger effort to create a Community Fuel Break around Quincy.
In a narrative written during the beginning of the project, students of Mr. McMorrow’s class wrote the following: “In our project we would like to continue our study of wildlife and emulate the biodiversity of our native wildlife, such as deer, squirrels, and birds. We will try to avoid attracting bears. We would like to make sure it is clean, usable and enjoyable to all.” The students have definitely been successful in helping to create a healthy forest habitat. It is now up to future classes to expand the work and to monitor and observe what has already been treated.
