The key to restoring Tahoe’s forests and preventing catastrophic wildfire is a robust and talented workforce. That’s why the Tahoe Fund is raising $50,000 to provide scholarships for more than 50 students in Lake Tahoe Community College’s (LTCC) Forestry Education & Job Placement program.
LTCC’s Forestry Education & Job Placement Program teaches students how to assist with forest management, planning, and implementation work. For three years running, the Tahoe Fund has provided scholarships for students in the program, and recently awarded a grant to support the program administrator to ensure student success.
“We can’t fix our forests without foresters and a robust forest health workforce, and that workforce is critically understaffed,” explained Amy Berry, CEO of the Tahoe Fund. “We are hoping our community can see what we see—that these students are our future, and any support we can provide may make all the difference in their success and ours.”
Over the next five years, forestry management occupations are projected to have more than 200 annual job openings in the greater Sacramento region alone. Approximately 76% of these jobs will be for middle- and high-skilled occupations. California community colleges like LTCC are a big part of the plan to prepare this crucial workforce of the future.
LTCC Forestry program graduates will be prepared for careers with Tahoe-based employers, including CAL FIRE, the USDA Forest Service, the California Tahoe Conservancy, the Tahoe Resource Conservation District, private forestry contractors, and other agencies that are part of the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team.
Spencer Benlien, a former scholarship recipient in the Forestry program, is now attending the Rausser College of Natural Resources at the University of California, Berkeley, where he is studying Ecosystem Management and Forestry. He shared his experience in the program during LTCC’s Scholarship Awards Banquet last year.
“I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to the scholarship committee for believing in my potential and providing this opportunity for me,” said Benlien. “It is an honor I cherish, a validation of my endeavors, and a motivation to continue striving for my dreams.”
