Junior Natural Resources

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Junior Natural Resources

• Career Development Event

GA Ag Ed Curriculum Office To accompany Georgia
Agriculture Education Curriculum Lesson July 2002
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OVERVIEW
The Natural Resources CDE provides the
opportunity for FFA members to demonstrate their
knowledge of natural resources.
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Purpose

• Promote the instruction of natural resources in
  the Ag classroom
• Recognize students who have demonstrated skills
  and competencies as a result of this instruction
• Train future participants in
• Environmental/Natural Resources CDE
• Forestry CDE
• Land Judging CDE
• Envirothon

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Whos Eligible

• Active FFA members in the 6th,7th,8th, or 9th
  grades
• 9th graders who have competed in any Area
  Forestry CDE are ineligible
• Ten students make a team
• The Top 2 Area Team Winners may participate in
  the State CDE that same year

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Rules

• All general FFA rules apply to this CDE
• Participants are grouped with a judge and must
  remain in that group throughout the entire event
• Each team member can enter only 1 event

• Time limit
• 45 minutes- AREA
• 60 minutes- STATE
• All written material is furnished
• Participants must be prepared for adverse weather
  conditions

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Event Format

• Materials provided by student
• Clean, note-free clipboard
• 2 pencils
• non-graphing calculator
• own equipment
• check guide for exceptions

• Materials provided by FFA
• score sheet
• graph paper
• exams

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Individual Activities

• Tree Identification
• Timber Stand Improvement and Thinning
• Timber Cruising for Cord Volume
• Land Measurement
• Hand Compass Practicum
• Tree/Forest Disorders
• Land Use
• Soil Sampling
• Wildlife Management
• Fish Management

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Tree Identification

• Identify by common names of 45 trees by
• -full trees, cut foliage, herbarium sheets with
  pressed foliage, photographs, bark, limbs, cones,
  fruits, nuts, or any other tree part
• -complete names must be reproduced exactly
• no credit given to partially correct names
• misspelled names receive half credit

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Example

• Correct Yellow-Poplar
• Incorrect Poplar
• 1/2 Credit Yellow Poplar

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Timber Stand Improvementand/or Thinning

• A selected area will contain 20 marked trees
  considered as a forest management site
• Participants score each marked tree by either
• Harvest- utilize the tree for forest production
• Leave- tree remains in stand
• Deaden- tree with no value or for wildlife
  purposes
• Participants are given a situation and must make
  a decision based on given information
• Markets available, wildlife habitat
  considerations, present condition of stand, final
  goal of the management plan

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• Reason Why Each Tree Was Harvested, Left, or
  Deadened
• future crop tree
• non-merchantable
• wildlife/aesthetics
• insect infestation
• disease
• lack of vigor or growth, suppressed or
  restricted crown or spacing
• crooked, forked, malformed of leaning
• other
• more than one reason may be used if two or more
  reasons are of equal importance

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Timber Cruising for Cord Volume

• Participants will measure 10 pre-numbered trees
  for volume in cords
• Participants record diameter in breast height
  (dbh) to the nearest inch
• Record total height of each tree down to the
  nearest 5-foot length
• Volume tables and weight factors are provided to
  calculate cords and tons

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Land Measurement

• Participants determine the acreage to the
  nearest .001 of land that is delineated by at
  least three, but no more than six, corner stakes
• Must provide own hand compass
• Graph paper is provided to draw plot
• All computations must be shown

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Hand Compass Practicum

• Participants use a compass and pacing to the
  nearest foot to determine the bearings and
  distances of four designated lines.
• Azimuth readings will also be calculated
• A minimum of four stations will be given

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Tree/Forest Disorders

• Samples of 10-20 disorders, insects, or diseases
  (from the official list) are displayed for the
  participants to identify
• Complete common name should be reproduced
  exactly as given in the official list
• Correct but misspelled words will not receive
  full credit

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Example

• Correct Black Turpentine Beetle
• Incorrect Turpentine Beetle
• 1/2 Credit Black Turpantine Beetle (misspelled)

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Land Use

• Participants evaluate individually and
  collectively each of the seven land class factors
• slope of land
• topsoil thickness
• erosion
• topsoil texture
• permeability of subsoil
• drainage and effective depth of soil

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Soil Sampling

• Participant will take a soil sample from plot
  representing a field, pasture, orchard, garden,
  or lawn and complete the information on the soil
  sample bag
• Participant will also take a short exam and
  answer oral questions about proper techniques
• Participant must bring necessary equipment for
  properly taking the soil sample

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Wildlife Management

• Participants will identify a designated number of
  species of wildlife from the official list
• Participants must also answer questions on
  habitat, hunting regulations, preferred foods and
  biology of the animal
• Complete common name must be reproduced exactly
  as it appears on the list

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Example

• Correct Mourning Dove
• Incorrect Dove
• 1/2 Credit Morning Dove (misspelled)

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Fish Management

• Participants are required to identify a
  designated number of species of fish from the
  official list.
• Participants will also answer questions on
  habitat, fishing regulations, preferred foods,
  and biology of the fish
• Complete common name should be reproduced exactly
  as it appears on the official list

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Example

• Correct Largemouth Bass
• Incorrect Bass
• 1/2 Credit Large Mouth Bass (misspelled)

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See Junior Natural Resources CDE Information for
detailed information