By Lon Tegels
U of A System Division of Agriculture
The forestry program at University of Arkansas at Monticello is recruiting to expand the forestry workforce, powered in part by federal grant funding.
RECRUITMENT — Dr. Pipiet Larasatie (left) and her graduate student Kamala Chamlagain (right), who are working on the projects together. (Division of Agriculture photo by Lon Tegels.)
Pipiet Larasatie, assistant professor of forestry for UAM, has received two federal grants to address recruitment in forestry. The first grant is part of an outreach project that will match eleven students from rural Arkansas high schools, vocational-technical institutions, or community colleges with eleven students from the UAM in a mentoring program. The program is designed to increase participation of underrepresented populations in science, technology, engineering, and math, commonly referred to as STEM, especially as they relate to forestry.
The $107,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture grant provides funding for students to attend summer camp at UAM’s campus and eventually prepare a project for a science competition in 4-H, Future Farmers of America or science fairs. The camp will be held June 3-6, and its application period is open through April 1. Interested individuals can apply at https://www.competitive-forest.com/wamsfor or email larasatie@uamont.edu for more information. Most Arkansas residents are eligible to apply.
Michael Blazier, dean of the UAM College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources, supports the mission.
“I think the action of doing these camps in and of themselves is important because even if these students that go through the program don't necessarily go right into forestry, it may open their eyes to similar opportunities,” Blazier said.
“It unlocks new potential in them,” he said. “That is the win that we at UAM get immediately from this. These students may be attracted to us sooner because they get quality time with our faculty, staff, and students while on campus. The longer-term benefit I’m hopeful for is that what we learn from these students will help our recruiting efforts by not only being better at reaching students geographically but culturally. That will be vital to our long-term success as a college and providing a workforce for the forestry profession.”
The program will pay participants a $1,000 stipend for their time at the summer camp and science project development.
“We have launched an open call,” Larasatie said. “We will initially interview 15 high school students, and depending on what motivates them, we will match the high school mentees with college mentors so that they can help them with their science journey and prepare for the science competitions. Once on the UAM campus, the mentee and mentor will spend time bonding to determine the student's science interests.
“They can choose their science project with the end goal that they will go to competitions such as 4-H, FFA, and Science Fair,” she said. After the UAM camp, the mentee and mentor will continue working on the science project online until the actual presentations.
The mentors will also receive mentorship training before the camp, Larasatie said.
“The project is twofold,” she said. “The first goal is to give them more exposure and opportunities to be involved in STEM-based forestry science projects and then be able to compete in the science competition.”
A second long-term goal is to encourage these young talents to enter forest sector workforce, Larasatie said.
Forest Grant to Research Attitudes of Workforce
The second grant that Larasatie is involved in focuses on identifying the existing workforce and exploring issues and opinions around recruitment and retention. The Forest and Wood Products Sector Inclusion Council funds the grant, led by the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities.
Larasatie said she was particularly pleased about receiving this grant.
“This is an honor for us because this opportunity recognizes that we are doing the right thing,” she said. “This research is targeting all actors in the forestry and wood products workforce including students, employees, and recruiters. It includes participants along forest chains who manage forest ecosystem services across the United States' urban and rural landscapes.”
Larasatie is joined by graduate student Kamana Chamlagain, who completed her undergraduate degree in forestry study in Nepal and then worked as a conservationist with tigers and red pandas. For Chamlagain, her master's thesis will investigate the patterns of entry into the forestry workforce and the value of seeking natural resources careers.
“To sustain the forestry workforce, we want to make sure that we're recruiting students from a broad array of backgrounds, and we want to make sure that we're placing them in good jobs and continuing to be a resource for them,” Blazier said.
If you are in the forestry and natural resource sector, please fill the survey here: https://uark.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1NVKtClRXIG4SlE
About the Arkansas Center for Forest Business
Established in 2021, the Arkansas Center for Forest Business is part of the University of Arkansas, College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources. The Center provides technical assistance for market-based solutions to forest resource challenges, programs for degree and post-baccalaureate education, and information on timber supply, forest products markets and operational efficiency. The Center for Forest Business will provide market-based economic solutions to forest resource issues, improving business practices for forest enterprises, and enhancing economic competitiveness.
About the College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources and the Arkansas Forest Resources Center
The College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources, and the Arkansas Forest Resources Center, a University of Arkansas System Center of Excellence, brings together interdisciplinary expertise through a partnership between the University of Arkansas at Monticello and the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. The College and Center are headquartered at the University of Arkansas at Monticello campus, but their programs range statewide with the mission of developing and delivering teaching, research, and extension programs that enhance and ensure the sustainability and productivity of forest-based natural resources and agricultural systems. Academic programs are delivered by the College of Forestry, Agriculture, and Natural Resources through the University of Arkansas at Monticello. Through the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, research is administered by the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, and extension and outreach activities are coordinated by the Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service.
The University of Arkansas at Monticello and the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offer all of their programs to all eligible persons without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and are Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employers.