After taking second place in an ISU-hosted conclave earlier this month, the ISU Forestry Club is hoping to keep some of the momentum they garnered from participation in the event.

The 56th Annual Midwester Foresters Conclave was co-hosted by the ISU Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management and the ISU Forestry Club on Oct. 5 to 7. Iowa State had not hosted the event since 1982.

The Forestry Club was sponsored by Stihl, a multinational tool supply company.

Emma Bruemmer, senior in forestry, said she had to learn a lot of new techniques for the conclave.

“I have spent the last four weeks learning how to do the underhand chop,” Bruemmer said. “We had someone come in from Stihl and help us learn, our club has really worked together to make sure that everybody does have the proper technique.”

Richard Schultz, professor of natural resource ecology and management, said he had been to conclaves in the past, but this one was “best organized” that he had ever been to.

He also said that although some of the events at the conclave utilized classroom knowledge, others focused on having fun.

Bruemmer said she participated in the wood ID event, in which she had to identify various species of wood just by looking at the blocks.

“By sight, by smell, you cut it; you just basically look at the anatomy of the wood and tell what species it is,” Bremmer said. “So I got to show off the skills that I learned in class at this event, and compete against other schools that were learning the same exact thing,”

Adam Bianchi, junior in forestry, said he enjoyed the networking between schools at the conclave and the teamwork involved.

“Competing was fun, don’t get me wrong – but I really enjoyed what it took to get there,” Bianchi said.

Luke Gran, senior in forestry, said one of the common misconceptions often applied to forestry is that it’s a man’s profession.

The women of the club were responsible for 41 percent of the team’s points even though the represented only 27 percent of the total number of people on the team.

Jeff Wallace, senior in forestry and president of the club, said one of the rewarding things he got out of conclave was to see everybody working together. However, he also said he was disappointed by how little people knew about the forestry industry and what they did.

“They think we’re loggers or park rangers, but we’re much more than that,” Wallace said. “We’re natural resource ecologists, we’re land managers, we take care of the earth on a large scale, and it impacts all of society but nobody really sees that.”

There has been a shift in the focus of modern foresters, when compared to foresters from previous decades, Schultz said.

“I think like in any of the land management professions today, you hear the word sustainable talked about,” he said. “Well, forestry is the same way. When there was a lot of forest that was still there, and had not been cut, people thought that it would go on forever.”

He said a lot of work is now focused on conservation and making sure there will be resources for the future.

Wallace said, the club has boosted attendance, and has come together as a team to compete in the conclave, heighting interests.