[music]
[birds chirping]
[water flowing]
Student: So as an incoming freshman, it's been a lot of fun.
Coming to Annual Ring was, I had no idea what it was about.
I knew it was canoe races and coming up to their cabin.
Student: I think that so far, you know,
with the classes I've taken,
I feel like I'm gonna be, you know, put into a really good
position job-wise, for what I want to do.
Student: Forest service law enforcement kind of sparked my eye
just because I love the outdoors being born and raised in Alaska
and I want a job that will keep me outdoors
and not behind a desk.
Student: My whole life I grew up working outside.
When I was finishing up high school,
I was thinking about what I wanted to do for a career
and I knew that I didn't want be working inside all the time.
I wanted to be able to work outside a little bit as well.
Student: Just something, something about forestry just seems
like it'd be, it would be an exciting thing to get up everyday
and go out to the forests or, you know,
work with these products that came from the forest.
Student: I'm a natural resource major so I learn about also like
the social aspects that come in with forestry,
not just the scientific aspects
and about atmospheric sciences, water sciences.
So it's a little more comprehensive I would say.
I learn about different things.
Student: The forest program is very extensive and the choices
in what can I study are broad and I'm quite fortunate
to be able to, study from, say I've done a course
in forest engineering as well as well as being able
to study in wood science major and also forest resources.
Student: Well, having attended another school in forestry,
I see that having this forest adjacent to the university
is a huge advantage to this college.
We get to come out here for field trips, to watch operations,
we get to come out here for classes and labs to do lab work.
Collect data and go back to the university and process that data.
On top of that, there's also the fact that 90%
of the literature in forestry is written by the professors
who are currently teaching here or have taught
at the College of Forestry at OSU.
Student: The faculty that we have, they go the extra mile
all the time to really make sure that you're learning
what you should be learning.
Student: It's helped quite about with, networking
with people outside of the school and in the industry.
You get to build a lot of good relationships with people that
could be future employers.
Student: And then also the fact that it is such a small,
personal college.
That I've had the ability to meet people in my classes and,
we have study groups with them and really just
get to know the people around me.
I think that's helped me a lot academically.
Student: The big picture of forestry is
we're not just harvesting trees.
It's also planting trees and raising trees.
Student: Protecting not just trees but the environment
and the animals that live in it.
It's not just trees, its streams, rivers, wildlife,
everything in the forest.
Student: We're talking about creating wildlife habitat,
maintaining wildlife habitat sequestering carbon,
cleaning our air and a place for, and where our streams
and water start and place for the water to be filtered
and cleaned out for the cities and drinking water of people.
Student: There's a lot more depth in the policies associated
with forestry, the resource itself,
how it can be used within the society,
and I think learning, I guess learning to find
the sustainable balance, or the best outcome for
that resource in whatever area it is.
Student: I use the the knowledge that I gain at OSU
and with my work here to kind of open up the forestry
field to more people.
I feel like I could go out there and reach out to more people
to come out and use it as a resource for health
and building community connections
and it's a great resource for everybody to use.
[END]