Forest Service Hosts National Boy Scout Jamboree

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Haven Cook, Florida National Forests, and Tiffany Holloway, Office of Communication, U.S. Forest Service, on August 27, 2013 at 12:55 PM

Boy Scouts work on pulp and paper merit badge at the Forest Service exhibit. (U.S. Forest Service photo)

Did you know the U.S. Forest Service has a long connection to the Boy Scouts of America? Roughly 78 percent of Forest Service employees were Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts in their youth; and many scouting projects, including Eagle Scout projects, take place on national forests or grasslands.

“The Boy Scouts of America is a longtime valued partner of the Forest Service,” said DeVela J. Clark, deputy forest supervisor on the Monongahela National Forest. “Scouts have assisted our National Forests and Grasslands with numerous conservation service projects across the country.”

The Forest Service has been a part of the National Boy Scout Jamboree since 1967, when the Jamboree was held at Valley Forge, Pa.

This year, more than 40,000 Boy Scouts attended the National Boy Scout Jamboree in West Virginia. Every four years the Jamboree happens, and scouts come from across America and around the world to sleep under the stars, learn new skills, work on merit badges, and make new friends. The first Jamboree was held in 1937. This year’s Jamboree marked the 103 anniversary of Boy Scouts in America. It also marked the first time the Jamboree was held at its new permanent home – Summit Bechtel Reserve, commonly referred to as “The Summit.”

“We think it’s awesome to have the National Jamboree held in West Virginia now and into the future. It’s a great opportunity to showcase the state’s national forest and beautiful landscapes to a wide range of people,” said Clark.

At this year’s Jamboree, Scouts experienced many outdoor and adventure skills: canoeing, ziplining, rock climbing, rappelling, archery, whitewater rafting, shooting sports, skateboarding, mountain biking, bicycle motocross, kayaking, all-terrain vehicle riding, stand-up paddle boarding and more. In recent years, the Jamboree has gone high-tech, offering Scouts the latest in robotics, geospatial mapping and computer technology.

Others had the opportunity to travel north to participate in service projects on the Monongahela, focusing on improving wetland habitat at several newly created vernal pools and two recreation sites.

During the Jamboree, there were several agency exhibits along the Conservation Trail giving the Forest Service a chance to share their conservation education message with each new generation of scouts. The Forest Service exhibit features the Decision Trail, where visitors must make their own decisions about how to manage a specific resource problem, and at the end of the trail they find out the consequences of the decisions they’ve made.

The agency exhibit also includes two smokejumpers demonstrating their equipment, the pulp and paper merit badge, and a tent where scouts can join an internationally known sculpture artist, Jorge Rodriquez, in creating a stone sculpture during the 10-day Jamboree.

There were also several appearances by Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl to assist in re-enforcing conservation values.

Keith Lawrence, forest supervisor on the Savannah River Site, explains the tornado scenario. (U.S. Forest Service photo)

Smokejumpers - Out of the Sky and Into the Fire

Save 20% on AVG Anti-Virus 2013 - 1 user 1 year






USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Donna Drelick, Office of Communications, U.S. Forest Service, on August 22, 2013 at 10:45 AM

A smokejumper exits a plane. (US Forest Service photo)

This blog is part of a series from the U.S. Forest Service on its wildland firefighting program to increase awareness about when and how the agency suppresses fires, to provide insights into the lives of those fighting fires, and to explain some of the cutting-edge research underway on fire behavior. Check back to the USDA Blog during the 2013 wildfire season for new information. Additional resources are available at www.fs.fed.us/wildlandfire/.

Imagine jumping from a plane into a fire, with enough provisions to last for several days.  That’s what highly trained Forest Service smokejumpers do to provide quick initial attack on wildland fires.

The attack is a well-choreographed scenario.  Aircraft can hold anywhere from eight to 16 jumpers, a ‘spotter’ who stays with the plane, the pilot and provisions to make the jumpers self-sufficient for 72 hours. The spotter is responsible for the safe release of the jumpers.  Once the jumpers have landed, the aircraft will circle around and drop their cargo by parachute from just above treetop height.  The spotter also is responsible for communicating essential information about the wind, fire activity and the terrain to the jumpers, the pilot and to dispatch centers.

“Jumping from a plane is fun, don’t get me wrong,” said Forest Service smokejumper Colby Jackson.   “But it is the people we interact with that makes this job so great.”

Jackson has been a smokejumper for the past 10 years, currently working out of the Missoula, Mont., smokejumper base. Prior to that, he was on a hotshot crew and has had extensive wildland fire management experience.

“One thing is certain,” Jackson said. “We definitely learn something new from every experience we encounter.”

Smokejumpers must be in top physical condition.  They oftentimes carry more than 110 pounds on their backs when they are packing out from the fire.

Training for smokejumpers includes parachute maneuvering and emergency procedures, landing rolls, safe aircraft exiting, and you guessed it – tree climbing.  Some training sites even have ‘virtual reality’ parachute jump simulators that provide on the ground practice.

“When people ask me what it takes to be a smokejumper, I say if you like the outdoors, you like adventure, you like fire, you are in good shape and you like to put in a hard day’s work, this job is for you,” said Jackson.  “But be prepared, our assignments can last for 14 days in remote areas in some very challenging conditions.”

More than 270 smokejumpers are working from Forest Service bases in California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.