Farm Director KC Sheperd visited with Riley Coy of the Oklahoma Forestry Services at Ag Day at the Capitol, where their booth was a popular stop, offering trees and information about their programs. Coy explained that their annual presence at Ag Day provides a valuable opportunity to engage with legislators and educate them on the importance of forestry in Oklahoma. “We come out here every year and we always have these lobolly pine trees we give out,” Coy said. “We just wanna spread the word of a lot of the different things that we do.” This year, a key focus was promoting their Forestry Summer Camp.
Coy enthusiastically described the summer camp, which runs from June 16th to 21st and is open to Oklahoma residents aged 13 to 15. Held at Beavers Bend State Park, the camp offers a unique immersive experience in the woods. “We just get them out there for a week and we teach them all about the ecosystem and trees and how trees grow,” Coy explained.
The curriculum includes learning about the timber harvesting industry, prescribed fire, wildland fire suppression, map reading, archery, and even water activities like fishing and kayaking on the Lower Mountain Fork River. Coy noted the positive transformation campers undergo, saying, “For the first couple of days when we take away their devices, it’s a little chaotic, and then by the end of the week, it’s amazing because half of them don’t even want their devices at the end of the night.”
For parents interested in enrolling their children, Coy provided several ways to learn more and sign up. “They can go to our website and sign up, ” he stated. The website also features contact information for their education coordinator, Tony Pascal. Additionally, information and registration links are available on their social media platforms, Instagram and Facebook. Coy also highlighted the availability of scholarships, encouraging interested families not to be deterred by the cost.
In a discussion about tree management, Coy offered a surprising tip for dealing with invasive redcedar trees, noting, “The lucky thing about them is that they don’t sprout when you cut them, so you could just cut them down and they won’t re-sprout.” For more information about the Oklahoma Forestry Services and the summer camp, Coy recommended Googling “Oklahoma Forestry Services” or visiting their website at ok.gov.
