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The North Carolina team, consisting of a young man from Clemmons, placed fourth in the 43rd annual National 4-H Forestry Invitational last month.

Nathan Patton and his teammates fell only to the representatives of Florida, Pennsylvania and Georgia, which placed first, second and third, respectively.

Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Utah also competed.

The invitational was held at West Virginia University Jackson’s Mill State 4-H Camp and Conference Center near Weston, West Virginia.
While at the invitational, 4-H members competed for overall team and individual awards in several categories. Events included tree identification, tree measurement, compass and pacing, insect and disease identification, topographic map use, forest evaluation, the forestry bowl and a written forestry exam.

Patton’s teammates representing North Carolina included Ben Cook of Kernersville and James Tyler of Pilot Moutain. The team was coached by Carla Arrowood and sponsored by Forsyth County Farm Bureau.

Pennsylvania’s Elizabeth Bruner had the highest overall score in the contest. The second-place individual was Kolton Zimmerman from Kentucky, and the third-place high individual was Jeremiah Caswell from Florida.

The Joe Yeager “Spirit of the Invitational” award was presented to Nevaeh Kouns from Kentucky. That award recognizes an outstanding 4-H contestant at the invitational. It is awarded to an individual who takes initiative and is enthusiastic and eager to lead academic and social situations.

The Tommy and Susan Futral Inspiration of the Invitational Award was presented to Wiley Norphlet McCollum from Clay County, Alabama. He has volunteered with Clay County 4-H since the 80s and has served as a 4-H Forestry team coach guiding nine teams to the National 4-H Forestry Invitational.

4-H is a youth education program operated by the Cooperative Extension Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the state land grant universities. More than six million youth, 540,000 volunteers and 3,500 professionals participate in 4-H nationwide, and nearly 100,000 are part of the 4-H Forestry Program.

The event would not be possible without the generous support of several sponsors:

Farm Credit supports rural communities and agriculture with reliable, consistent credit and financial services. FCS has been helping areas grow and thrive for a century by providing farmers with capital and financing infrastructure and communication services.

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), Inc. is a fully independent, charitable organization dedicated to promoting sustainable forest management. The SFI label is a sign you are buying wood and paper products from a certified source backed by a rigorous, third-party certification audit.

West Virginia University (WVU) Extension Service educators and volunteers build and sustain partnerships with people and organizations in West Virginia, to improve their lives and communities. WVU’s programs and services strengthen individuals of all ages.

The Society of American Foresters (SAF) is the national scientific and educational organization representing the forestry profession in the United States. SAF is the largest professional society for foresters in the world.

F&W Forestry is an international forest resource management and consulting firm dedicated to helping landowners gain the most value and enjoyment per acre from their forestland. F&W believes that environmentally viable timberland is economically viable timberland.