The Southern Forestry Conclave is an annual competition among students from 15 southern forestry schools in a variety of physical and technical events. It typically involves more than 250 contestants. Traditional physical events include

archery Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In m ...

axe throwing The modern sport of axe throwing involves a competitor throwing an axe at a target, attempting to hit the bullseye as near as possible. Axe throwing has historically been an event in lumberjack competitions. As of the fall of 2020 there are comme ...

pole climbing Pole climbing is ascending a pole which one can grip with his or her hands. The related activity of mast climbing describes ascending an object similar to a pole, but having a larger diameter which excludes gripping with the hands. In either case, ...

, log rolling,

bow saw A modern bow saw is a metal-framed crosscut saw in the shape of a bow with a coarse wide blade. This type of saw is also known as a Swede saw, Finn saw or bucksaw. It is a rough tool that can be used for cross-cutting branches or firewood, up t ...

ing, log birling, and

cross-cut saw A crosscut saw (thwart saw) is any saw designed for cutting wood perpendicular to (across) the wood grain. Crosscut saws may be small or large, with small teeth close together for fine work like woodworking or large for coarse work like log b ...

competition. Technical events include

dendrology Dendrology ( grc, δένδρον, ''dendron'', "tree"; and grc, -λογία, ''-logia'', ''science of'' or ''study of'') or xylology ( grc, ξύλον, ''ksulon'', "wood") is the science and study of woody plants (trees, shrubs, and lianas), ...

timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, wi ...

volume estimation,

photogrammetry Photogrammetry is the science and technology of obtaining reliable information about physical objects and the environment through the process of recording, measuring and interpreting photographic images and patterns of electromagnetic radiant ima ...

wood identification Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin tha ...

, and others. Scores from individual events are combined to determine the overall winning school of each year's conclave, which is a highly sought honor. The Forestry Conclave is hosted by the participating schools on a rotating basis and is sponsored by the Association of Southern Forestry Clubs.Auburn University: School of Forest and Wildlife Science: Association of Southern Forestry Clubs.
The Conclave promotes spirited competition among the forestry students representing their respective schools and clubs, and participation in the Conclave helps students develop high standards and professionalism.ASFC News: Forestry Conclave
Planning the Conclave requires considerable cooperation among the participating forestry clubs for it to be successful.

History

Eight forestry schools participated in the first Conclave in 1958, which was sponsored by the University of Georgia. Fewer than 100 students competed in the first Conclave's mainly physical events. Over 50 Conclaves have been conducted since the first one.

Host schools

*1958

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

*1959

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 nea ...

*1960

Auburn University Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a public land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama. With more than 24,600 undergraduate students and a total enrollment of more than 30,000 with 1,330 faculty members, Auburn is the second largest uni ...

*1961

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

*1962

University of Arkansas at Monticello The University of Arkansas at Monticello (UAM) is a public university in Monticello, Arkansas with Colleges of Technology in Crossett and McGehee. UAM is part of the University of Arkansas System and offers master's degrees, baccalaureate degrees ...

*1963

Clemson University Clemson University () is a public land-grant research university in Clemson, South Carolina. Founded in 1889, Clemson is the second-largest university in the student population in South Carolina. For the fall 2019 semester, the university enro ...

*1964

Oklahoma State University Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

*1965

North Carolina State University North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The universit ...

*1966 Stephen F. Austin State University *1967 University of Georgia *1968 Clemson University *1969 Auburn University *1970

Virginia Tech Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also ...

*1971 University of Arkansas at Monticello *1972 Oklahoma State University *1973 University of Florida *1974 North Carolina State University *1975

Mississippi State University Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university adjacent to Starkville, Mississippi. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Unive ...

*1976 University of Georgia *1977 Stephen F. Austin State University *1978 Clemson University *1979 University of Arkansas at Monticello *1980 Virginia Tech *1981

University of Tennessee at Knoxville The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state, ...

*1982 Oklahoma State University *1983 University of Florida *1984

*1985 University of Georgia *1986

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

*1987 North Carolina State University *1988 Auburn University *1989 Clemson University *1990 Mississippi State University *1991 Virginia Tech *1992

Louisiana Tech University Louisiana Tech University (Louisiana Tech, La. Tech, or simply Tech) is a public research university in Ruston, Louisiana. It is part of the University of Louisiana System and classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activ ...

*1993 University of Tennessee at Knoxville *1994 Stephen F. Austin State University *1995 University of Florida *1996 University of Arkansas at Monticello *1997 University of Georgia *1998 Virginia Tech *1999 North Carolina State University *2000 Louisiana State University *2001 Auburn University *2002 Texas A&M University *2003 Clemson University *2004 Mississippi State University *2005 Stephen F. Austin University *2006 Louisiana Tech University *2007 University of Tennessee at Knoxville *2008 University of Florida *2009 Alabama A&M University
2010 University of Arkansas at Monticello
*2011 University of Georgia *2012 North Carolina State University *2013 Auburn University *2014 Virginia Tech *2015 Mississippi State University *2016 Clemson University
2017 Stephen F. Austin University
*2018 Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College *2019 Louisiana State University *2020 Postponed due to pandemic *2021 Postponed due to pandemic *2022 University of Tennessee *2023 Louisiana Tech University *2024 University of Florida *2025 Alabama A&M University *2026 University of Arkansas at Monticello *2027 University of Georgia *2028 North Carolina State University *2029 Auburn University *2030 Virginia Tech *2031 Mississippi State University *2032 Clemson University *2033 Stephen F. Austin State University *2034 Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College *2035 Louisiana State University *2036 University of Tennessee *2037 Louisiana Tech University

Sources

{{Forestry Forestry in the United States Lumberjack sports College sports in the United States Forestry events