Students at Alberni District Secondary School are gaining some outdoor education experience from Mosaic Forest Management.
The ADSS Outdoor Education program is a senior elective for students in Grade 11 and 12 which provides students with an opportunity to learn outdoor skills and environmental stewardship.
“They learn to appreciate the outdoors and learn some skills while they’re at it,” explained ADSS teacher Tim Crosby.
There are plenty of field trips, where students get a chance to try out activities like kayaking, skiing, caving, hiking and rock climbing. Unfortunately, this also means that money can be a limiting factor. Crosby says the school tries to keep the program as accessible as possible for all students, but it has struggled with funding in the past couple of years.
“Budgets are starting to get tighter and we’re trying to do more with less,” he said.
While searching for new ways to fundraise, Crosby reached out to Mosaic Forest Management and said the company was “eager” to support the program, offering a few avenues for the class to raise funds. In March, students were able to take part in a day of tree planting with Mosaic and Sitka Silviculture. They planted trees in a controversial Mosaic cut block near the Alberni Valley Memorial Gardens on the Port Alberni Highway.
“That went really well,” said Crosby. “The kids enjoyed themselves and got a bit of work experience. Mosaic forest workers were there, and Sitka staff were there to teach and guide them.”
Crosby says Mosaic is also allowing the class to sell firewood permits for the waste wood on their cut blocks in the Alberni Valley, which means the class will be holding a firewood sale this weekend on Saturday, April 6 and Sunday, April 7.
“It’s kind of a win-win,” said Crosby. “It’s a fundraiser for us, and people can get firewood for good prices close to town.”
The sale will take place from 8 a.m. to noon each day at the Highway 4 turnoff to the Port Alberni Black Powder Club, which is the first right turn after passing Coombs Country Candy on the way out of Port Alberni.
Logs will be processed into five- to 15-foot lengths and piled roadside. Purchasers will need a chainsaw to buck wood into firewood lengths. Students are expected to be on site both days to help load trucks. The cost is $40 per truck load for a standard five- to six-foot box (cash or e-transfer accepted), but larger donations are also welcome.
There will also be a limited supply of firewood bucked to length, at a cost of $80 per truck load for a standard box. For a full price list, visit www.mosaicforests.com/firewood.