WALDPORT — For the fourth time in as many years, Waldport High School’s forestry program took home the Oregon Future Natural Resource Leaders state championship during two days of competition last week.
Fifteen teams from across Oregon took place in the competition held Friday at Oregon State University and Saturday at the Brooks Historical Society.
Waldport took first place with 225 points, ahead of Sweet Home High School which had 146 points. LaPine High School came in third, Philomath fourth, Clatskanie fifth and Neah-Kah-Nie finished sixth.
The Oregon Future Natural Resource Leaders is a career technical student organization dedicated to the support of high school students interested in pursuing education or careers in natural resources or forestry.
Waldport junior Trae Vandehey won the overall forester award after taking first place in log scaling and compass/pacing. Vandehey earned third place in map reading and sixth place in both cable splicing and timber cruise to clinch the top honor.
Vandehey said the competition started off rough for him.
“Last year, I got first place in cross cut,” he said. “This year, I got disqualified because my cut didn’t go all the way through. It was one of the first events of the day and it bothered me but I was able to get back from that which was great.”
After earning second place in plant identification last year, sophomore Jasmine Carlson won first place in that category this year and fifth place in demonstration speech.
“I really pushed hard to get first this year,” Carlson said. “It really paid off.”
Carlson credited Waldport forestry advisor Jeff Skirvin for the team’s success, saying “Skirvin pushes us to go out and practice over and over.” She also acknowledged the Waldport Booster Club and the community support for giving the team the equipment they need to practice.
Out of the 31 Waldport students who competed this year, eight earned first place awards and 22 placed in 20 events. Several students placed in multiple categories earning Waldport a total of 56 places overall. Waldport’s students swept all six place finishes in the timber cruise competition category.
State champions in individual categories included:
- Trae Vandehey, compass and pacing, log scaling, and overall forester;
- Eli Spangrund, power buck;
- Hunter Postma and Eli Sprangrunt, crosscut;
- Jasmine Carlson, tree identification;
- AJ MacFarlane, timber cruise; and
- Kiana McNeil, tool identification.
The championship is nothing new for Skirvin, who guided Knappa High School’s forestry program to state titles in 2009, 2011, 2012, and 2013. After he moved to Clatskanie High School, it won state titles in 2014, 2016, 2017, and 2018. He came to Waldport in 2019 when his wife, Amy Skirvin, was named principal of Waldport high and middle schools. Skirvin is also the varsity football coach and competes as a professional lumberjack in the USA Stihl Series competitions.
Individual results for Waldport students were:
- Log roll: 2-AJ MacFarlane; 5-Kenneth Heasley;
- Compass and Pacing: 1-Trae Vandehey; 2-Davin MacFarlane; 4-Raiden Stedman; 6-Logan Bennett;
- Cable Splice: 2-Eli Spangrud and Kelden McNeil; 6-Trae Vandehey and Jason Greenawald;
- Hose lay: 3-Team of Noah Fruechte, Kelden McNeil, Kiana McNeil, Hunter Postma and Josh Angelo; 5-Team of Jake Turkaly, Eli Spangrud, Gabe Catalfamo, Elise Greene and Kenneth Heasley;
- PowerBuck: 1-Eli Spangrud; 2-Jake Turkaly;
- Crosscut: 1-Hunter Postma and Eli Spangrud;
- Pole climbing: 6-Charlie Cagle;
- Arbor climb: 4-Hunter Postma;
- Tree identification: 1-Jasmine Carlson; 2-Elise Greene;
- Timber cruise: 1-AJ MacFarlane; 2-Noah Fruechte; 3-Kelden McNeil; 4-Josh Angelo; 5-Kiana McNeill; 6-Trae Vandehey;
- Job interview: 2-Mildren Ervin; 4-AJ MacFarlane;
- Written expression: 4-Mildren Ervin; 5-Milo Smith 4;
- Map reading: 2- Kenneth Heasley; 3-Trae Vandehey; 4-Milo Smith; 5-Logan Bennet; and 6-Valour Jones;
- Speech Demo: 4-Mildren Ervin; 5-Jasmine Carlson;
- First aid: 2-Mildred Ervin and Payton Abele;
- Tool identification: 1-Kiana McNeil; 2-Kenneth Heasley; 4-Eli Spangrud; 5-Josh Angelo; and 6-Payton Abele;
- Choker set: 5-Hunter Postma;
- Log scaling: 1-Trae Vandehey;
- Prepared speech: 5-AJ MacFarlane; 6-Trae Vandehey.