Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Workforce Training Forestry topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
University forestry program seeks workforce manager after $2 million equipment purchase; committee hears request
Summary
University of Idaho’s Forest Utilization Research program told the committee it purchased advanced logging equipment and requests a workforce development manager to train student employees and supervise operations on the university experimental forest.
The Joint Finance Committee work group considered a budget request from the University of Idaho’s Forest Utilization Research program (presentation led by Kevin Campbell and Director/Dean Dennis Becker). Campbell said the program has 13.28 authorized FTEs with a half FTE vacant and that roughly 90% of its expenditures go to wages and benefits.
Why it matters: The program manages experimental forest properties, the university’s nursery and wildland fire center and uses specialized machinery that requires qualified supervision and student training. The committee heard that the program purchased advanced forestry logging technology worth about $2,000,000 and now requests partial funding for a workforce development manager to supervise and train students.
Dennis Becker, dean of the College of Natural Resources and director of the Forest Utilization Research program, told the committee the manager would help train student employees on new equipment acquired with proceeds from logging operations and private industry support. Becker said the workforce manager is intended to expand the program’s capacity to provide job‑ready training to students who graduate into the forest products industry.
No vote was taken. Committee members had no substantive questions during the presentation and the committee chair thanked Becker for appearing in person and noted the program’s request would be considered in upcoming work group budget decisions.
