Each year, 4-H youth from across the state convene at the Austin Cary Memorial Forest outside Gainesville, Florida to test their knowledge of Florida's forests.  The 2009 Forest Ecology Contest will be held on Saturday, April 18, 2009 at Austin Cary Memorial Forest in Gainesville.    Teams interested in competing must print and complete the team registration information found on the 4-H web site and fax it to the State 4H Events office at 352-846-0999 by March 6, 2009. 

Contest Elements:
This contest tests identification skills, compass skills, and ecological information. Youth will be asked to identify from samples trees and plant leaves and fruits and a few multiple choice questions about identification or natural history features, insect and disease damage, and wildlife.Youth will also walk along a trail and identify specimens in the woods.  A multiple-choice portion of the contest will cover two ecosystems: Upland Hardwood Forest and Mangrove Forest.  Youth will have a list of species from which they will copy the appropriate number--they will not have to spell common names or know Latin names.  There will also be a section on map and compass skills. There will be from 15 to 25 questions on each of six sections; the Junior contest is the shortest and the Senior contest is the longest.

In keeping with the ecosystems focus, the tree and plant species for which Seniors are responsible for on the I.D. section of contest will also emphasize species that are typical of featured ecosystems. These highlighted ecosystem descriptions contain lists of trees and other plants that are not on the tree and plants I.D. contest lists, but youth should know which ecosystem the plants are associated with. 

The 2009 contest will include several new elements. This is a summary of the quiz for three age groups by stations:

Information on each portion of the contest is found on this web site:

Tree ID: See official tree lists and tree descriptions

Plant ID: See official plant lists and plant descriptions

Insect and Disease ID: See official insect and disease lists and descriptions

Forest Hike: See wildlife pictures and descriptions

Forest Ecology: See forest stories (for Juniors) and ecosystem descriptions on each of the two highlighted ecosystems: Ecosystem 1; Ecosystem 2

Map and Compass: See map symbol information, compass information, and pacing information

Tree Measurement: See information on tree measurement.  Download info from http://www.aces.edu/n4hfi/page76.html

Forest Quiz Bowl: Procedure is described. Quiz questions will be taken from the descriptions of Senior Trees marked with *, and the National 4H Forestry Manual Units A and B.

Contest Awards

All contestants will receive a certificate that verifies their participation. The top three team and individual winners in each contest will receive a trophy. In addition, the highest scoring Senior team will be eligible to compete in the National Forestry Invitational. The highest scoring team among first year county contestants will also take home a trophy.  Ties for recognition will be broken by weighting sections of the contest in this order: tree ID, plant ID, ecosystem quiz, insect/disease, field map/compass.  A $500 scholarship from the University of Florida's School of Forest Resources and Conservation will be offered to the Senior High Scoring Individual of the 4-H Forest Ecology Contest if he or she chooses to enroll at the University of Florida and declares a major in the School of Forest Resources and Conservation.  The scholarship will be renewed for up to 3 additional years if a grade point average of 3.0 is maintained.

An Awards Ceremony will be held when all scoring is concluded.  We anticipate this will be between 1:00 and 2:00 p.m.  Guided hikes and outdoor activities will be offered between the conclusion of the competition and the awards ceremony.

For Observers:
When all contestants have finished the contest, we will open the stations to observers and contestants. Youth and coaches will be able to ask questions about forest plant identification, for example, and learn more about the contest.  Counties are encouraged to bring non-competing youth to learn more about the contest.  Please register these youth by printing and completing the non-competing form. Coaches will be able to take plant samples home to start collections.  

Training Information:
This website provides all the information 4-H'ers need to successfully compete in the 4-H Forest Ecology Contest.  Information is presented on forest ecosystems, trees, plants, wildlife, forest health, and map & compass.  Although it helps to go outside and identify real trees and forest plants, you aren't limited to the plants growing in your part of the state.  This site includes over 120 descriptions of trees and plants with detailed photos--in all parts of Florida.

The Contest will require 4-H'ers to be able to identify selected forest trees and plants from Florida 4H tree and plant lists.  Each year, the lists will include:

• The eighteen dominant trees presented in the 4-H Forest Resource Project Books;
• Selected trees from the Official List of the National 4-H Forestry Invitational; and
• Trees and plants commonly found in a natural outdoor setting, from branches or other significant parts, or from photographs depicting key features of a tree or plant.  There will also be multiple-choice questions on how certain trees and plants can be identified. 

All identification of trees and plants will be as the samples are found in a natural outdoor setting, from branches or other significant parts, or from photographs depicting key features of a tree or plant.  There will also be multiple choice questions on the natural history of the trees in the Senior tree list. 

Example question: Jelly can be made from the fruits of which native Florida tree?

This web site contains the Official Contest Lists, map and contest information, and descriptions of the Florida ecosystems. Click on links within the text or on the buttons to see this information.  Participants will be asked to identify wildlife and forest insects and diseases that will be selected from the current year's Official Wildlife List and Insect and Disease List .  The 4-H Forest Resources Project Books are available as an additional resource to assist 4-H'ers in preparing for the upcoming event.