The Knott County 4H and KCC FFA have an established partnership in many program areas, including our Win With Wood/Forestry Club for 5 years now.  This year the partnership has continued to grow, even with the changing of our FFA advisor.  This year 27 youth were introduced to natural resources with training in compass and pacing, tree id, invasive species id, hardwood id, wildlife id, forestry tool id, woodworking tool id, and tree measurement practices.  The 27 youth were all first-time participants.  Six participants received blue ribbons in wildlife identification and two additional youth received blue ribbons in compass and pacing.
      All youth showed improvement in identification skills for many had no previous experience with the forestry industry.  The 27 youth applied their new knowledge during the competition but also assisted one another through the learning of these new concepts.  The youth also sampled local products made from sassafras trees through our county programming to show them the connection of the forestry industry to everyday products.  
      Youth need to not only identify but understand the importance of our connection and substantial influence on the environment that surrounds us.