This 1,130-acre forest, just minutes away from the Ashland and Medford metropolitan area, is home to globally unique forests and rich biodiversity, providing an amazing venue to demonstrate climate-resilient management. In partnership with local schools, PFT is providing unique field experiences to inspire and educate the next generation of natural resource managers.

In May and November this year, students from Phoenix High School took part in the first of many field days planned at the demonstration forest. PFT designed hands-on experiences that complement what students were learning in the classroom regarding ecology, forest dynamics, and conservation. Activities included wildlife tracking, tree identification and aging, as well as learning about general forest health and resilience — and how restoring beneficial fire regimes can help achieve these goals. “This was such a great experience,” shared one pupil, “and I learned that fire can be a good thing.”

In November, PFT’s Stewardship and Outreach Associate Lyndia Hammer and Stewardship Forester Jack Singer hosted an environmental science class from Armadillo Community Charter School in Phoenix, Oregon. The students assisted with a wildlife habitat survey and learned basic forest measurements. Their fieldwork reinforced classroom lessons on food webs and community ecology. They observed plant and animal interactions firsthand in the field.

The students spent the day traversing both wet and dry meadow habitats, inventorying large, downed wood and snags, and documenting signs of wildlife use, such as burrows. The group also explored forest edge habitats, identifying tree species, measuring growth, and investigating tracks and scat to understand forest processes and wildlife activity. The data gathered adds to PFT’s pretreatment habitat mapping, a critical part of its ecological monitoring program.

The Mt. Ashland Demonstration Forest is a perfect place to create immersive experiences that educate and inspire the next generation of environmental leaders as they meet the challenges and opportunities of managing forests in the face of climate change.