Seeing a Kenworth log truck, with its 24 wheels and a full load of 15-metre-long logs destined to be turned into fence posts, arriving at Brightwater School was an exciting and memorable experience for the children who recently had the opportunity to learn more about our vast forestry industry.
‘Wood is Good’ is a forestry and log transport programme specially developed for primary schools nationwide to educate children about the forestry sector and the importance of wood in our daily lives. It is funded by the Forest Growers Levy Trust and the Wood Industry Development and Education Trust.
“It was a great day, the whole school took turns and every child got to go out and get up in the cab of the log truck and have a look at how big the truck and its wheels were,” Brightwater School’s deputy principal (junior syndicate) and Wai-Iti teacher and team leader, Aimee Sinclair, says.
“Through a series of demonstrations, children got to see first-hand how the sheer size of the truck made it hard for the driver to see them and gave an understanding of blindspots.”
The pupils in groups talked about logs and trees and found out how forests work and how they are cared for, which highlighted how valuable local forestry is to the community.
Children were asked to raise their hands if someone in their family, or someone they knew, had a connection to the forestry sector; a huge number of small hands quickly shot up.
“Many of our families have a connection to the forestry industry, and the ‘Wood is Good’ programme provided resources and activities, videos, forestry activity books and picture books, which further enhanced the learning experience, encouraging children to explore different aspects of forestry beyond what they might initially think of,” Aimee says.
Topics covered were environmental carbon storage and climate change, the diversity of wood products, and how plantation trees are grown and harvested in our area.
The information was delivered by Grace Perkins of Tasman Pine Forests and Hannah Munro of Discover Forestry New Zealand. They are professionals who work in the industry so were able to talk about what they do in an interesting and relatable way for the children. Some of the classrooms had the opportunity to learn about the use of drones as forestry work tools.
Brightwater School reported that they feel the programme plays a crucial role in fostering the understanding and interest in the forestry sector among the younger generation and potentially would inspire future involvement and careers in this important industry.
