UWSP Receives Grant for Forestry Education and Training

Wednesday, June 22nd, 2022 -- 11:00 AM

(Mike Leischner, WSAU) UWSP officials announced an eight million dollar grant on Tuesday for forestry education and training.

According to Mike Leischner of WSAU, Director of the Wisconsin Forestry Center and lead grant writer Les Werner says this will help create more opportunities for local teens and college-age students to see a path forward in the forestry industry. “The forest industry is one of the pillars of Wisconsin’s economy and this is absolutely critical in keeping Wisconsin in that position.”

Missy Hughes with the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation says the group was awarded the grant because they addressed a clear need in the region and state, and have come up with a targeted approach to filling that void. “Come together as a community and collaborated with employers and other groups, whether it’s tech colleges and the universities working together, and it’s really very exciting to see that collaboration come to fruition and to be able to deliver the resources to help.”

Werner says the need for entry-level positions in the forestry industry is a big void at this time- adding he once had an employer offer an entire class of students jobs on the spot. “I can remember distinctly, in one of my classes, I brought an employer in. It was a class of 30-some students and he said, ‘I’ll hire each and every one of you, right now.’ And he was serious.”

Werner says they've heard from employers at all levels of the forestry industry that they are lacking entry-level, skilled workers. “The demand is real, it’s growing, and it’s becoming urgent. The urgency was amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic. And it’s something that needs to be addressed.”

The grant will got towards completing the state's first start-to-finish wood mill products training center and a mobile sawmill complex that can be set up at high schools throughout the region. Officials also plan a new forestry workforce training center.

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