Lumberjacks sought for Forest Fest competition

James Ward competes in the 2011 Forest Sports Festival.

Woodsmen will be crawling out of the woodwork Saturday, Oct. 6 to compete in the 15th annual Farthest North Forest Sports Festival at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The itinerary includes log rolling, bow saw and crosscut sawing, ax throwing, fire building and more.

Everyone is welcome to participate as individuals or as teams of four to six. Observers are also invited to this free event. Awards will be granted to individuals, teams and the “Bull of the Woods” and “Belle of the Woods.”

Faculty members and students at UAF's Department of Forest Sciences developed the competition as a way to commemorate old-fashioned forest festivals. High-technology tools are the norm for forest professionals today, and the festival pays tribute to a time when traditional woods activities were the basis for work and play, survival and revival.

The event begin at 10 a.m. at the Fairbanks Experiment Farm fields (across from the Georgeson Botanical Garden). At 1 p.m. the games move to Ballaine Lake on Farmers Loop. A warming fire and hot drinks will be available at the lake. Participants are advised to dress warmly.

The festival is sponsored by the UAF School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences Department of Forest Sciences and the Resource Management Society, a student organization.

Contact Professor David Valentine at 474-7188.

Karl Holt tries birling on Ballaine Lake in the 2011 Forest Sports Festival.