University of Idaho receives $500K for forestry workforce and educator training

Advancing forestry workforce readiness through enhanced educator training and experiential learning initiativesthis project addresses a persistent gap in Idaho's and nationalforestry workforce pipeline. In Idaho, while the state has recently invested over $11 million in forest products education infrastructure and developed new cte curriculum frameworks, secondary educators responsible for teaching this content often lack the forestry-specific knowledge, field experience, and industry connections needed to deliver it effectively. This is a result of lacking professional development opportunities for educators interested in integrating new curriculum and career pathways. Further,many teach in geographic isolation with limited access to updated resources or ongoing professional support. Similar challenges are faced nationally as we see an increasing need to educate and train the next generation of a forest-based workforce and support educators to confidently and effectively deliver introductory forest-based educational content.to close this gap, the University Of Idaho proposes a three-year, integratedproject built around experiential and place-based learning principles. The project's core activity is the forest industry teacher training (fitt) workshop, a three-day immersive field-based program held at University Of Idaho forestry facilities that equips 17 educators annually with foundational forestry knowledge, hands-on field skills, and curriculum-ready lesson modules. This is reinforced by four complementary components: a structured mentorship network pairing educators with University Of Idaho faculty, extension specialists, and industry professionals; a permanent online portal of instructional videos and modules; regional industry field tours (up to 34 annually) that build place-based understanding and educator-industry relationships; and a formal evaluation process to assess outcomes and develop a replicable nationwide professional development model.the project targets secondary cte and science/agriculture educators across Idaho, with priority given to rural and low-resource schools and to educators implementing the new forestry curriculum pathways. However, educators from Idaho's neighboring states will be considered for this project and all online resources will be made freely available to national audiences. In three years the projectis expected to directly support 102 educators, produce roughly 40 educational products (including at least 20 digital training resources), and indirectly benefit approximately 1,500 students through improved classroom instruction on forest-based content. Success will be measured through pre/post knowledge assessments, confidence surveys, participation tracking, and follow-up interviews, with a target of 75% of participating educators reporting increased confidence and forestry content integration within one year.by combining immersive training, sustained mentorship, digital resources, and industry,partnership, this project is designed not only to build educator capacity in the near term but to institutionalize a durable, self-sustaining model for forestry and natural resource educator development within University Of Idaho extension forestry programming after the funding period ends. Thisrobust and replicable professional development and mentorship model for forestry educatorscould then be integrated elsewhere across the united states.