| Oregon Teacher on Summer Assignment (OR-TOSA) |
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| Working Together for Education |
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Oregon Forest Resources Institute & OPRD
Since 2001 the Oregon Parks & Recreation Department has hired a teacher intern as part of Oregon Forest Resources Institute's (OFRI) Oregon Teacher on Summer Assignment (OR-TOSA) program. OFRI was formed in 1991 with the purpose of educating the public about Oregon's forest resources and their management. The institute offers trainings and classes as well as outreach programs to fulfill its goals. The OR-TOSA program provides an opportunity for a teacher to work with private and public companies to get hands-on forestry experience. As part of the program the teacher develops a lesson plan to take back to the classroom. It is an exceptional opportunity for teachers to step out of their element and bring a new resource to the classroom.
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| 2007 OR-TOSA Teacher |
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Sam Dufner is in his second year of teaching science at South Salem High School. His interest in learning about Oregon's forests, watersheds, and natural ecosystems and his passion for sharing this with his students brought him to OPRD for the summer of 2007.
"Understanding this system better will help me to both encourage my students to utilize these opportunities, but also to respect the spectacular resource abundant within relative close distance of the urban areas where they live." Sam Dufner
Sam worked daily along side OPRD foresters and the student interns measuring trees and learning to use tree measurement equipment such as a clinometer and a relaskop. He enjoyed learning the differences in ecological systems in the Willamette Valley and in Central Oregon, and plans to include this knowledge when developing lesson plans for his classroom.
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| 2006 OR-TOSA Teacher |
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As a first and second grade teacher at a small school with limited resources, I was looking for an opportunity to increase my science curriculum. I came to work with OPRD with no forestry background and this became my chance to learn about Oregon's forests and how they are cared for. I have been fortunate to work primarily at Silver Falls State Park, a park in close proximity to my school. In my weeks with OPRD I have learned a wealth of new vocabulary: Cruising timber, clinometer, relascope, and many other words of the forestry profession. I have learned how to look at a forest and understand its components. I have observed the land and timber of Silver Falls, measured trees, and assessed for root rot and hazard trees.
Working alongside two OSU forestry interns and mentored by two knowledgeable foresters has made for an educational and unforgettable summer. My classroom will benefit as we become involved with projects at Silver Falls State Park. From understanding the layers of a forest and learning about what trees need, to culminating with an educational game, I am excited to bring my summer experience into the classroom. It is not every summer that you get to hike and have a picnic lunch as part of your everyday work.
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| Program Information |
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For more information about the OR-TOSA program visit the education section at
Oregon Forest Resources Institute
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