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The
Natural
Resources
Educational
Day took
place at
the
Cooks
Run
forest
in Iron
River.
Connor
Sports
organized
it with
the
Forest
Park,
Iron
Mountain
and West
Iron
school
districts
and
local
industry
partners.
The
court
will be
manufactured
at the
company's
mill in
Crystal
Falls.
(Photo
by
Connor
Sports) |
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Connor
Sports
hosts
forestry
lesson
for 500+
students,
begins
work on
2027
Final
Four
court
Parker
Sinclair
- Sports
Tell Us
USA News
Network
IRON
RIVER,
Mich. –
More
than 500
K-12
students
from
three
Upper
Peninsula
school
districts
spent
Monday
in the
woods
learning
how
timber
is
harvested
sustainably,
as
Connor
Sports
began
production
of the
official
court
for the
2027
NCAA
Men's
Final
Four.
The
Natural
Resources
Educational
Day took
place at
the
Cooks
Run
forest
in Iron
River.
Connor
Sports
organized
it with
the
Forest
Park,
Iron
Mountain
and West
Iron
school
districts
and
local
industry
partners.
The
court
will be
manufactured
at the
company's
mill in
Crystal
Falls.
Students
rotated
through
interactive
field
stations
staffed
by
Connor
Sports
and 20
local
partners.
Topics
included
selecting
timber
under
Forest
Stewardship
Council
(FSC)
certification
standards
and
hand-cutting
methods.
Other
stations
covered
the use
of heavy
equipment,
the
impact
of
sustainable
forestry
on
wildlife,
and the
cutting
of logs
into
lumber.
Students
also saw
how the
court is
produced,
including
a sample
panel
similar
to those
that
will be
used in
the
Final
Four
court,
and
visited
the
"landing"
area
where
cut logs
are
staged
for
transport
to the
sawmill.
The
day's
centerpiece
was the
felling
of a
tree
that
will be
used in
the
court.
Brock
VanOss
of
Crystal
Falls-based
VanOss
Forestry,
a
certified
SAWW
Level 1
trainer,
cut the
tree
while
students
watched
and
learned
about
safe
felling
techniques
and
chainsaw
operation.
"Sustainability
has
always
been a
priority
for
Connor
Sports
in our
position
as the
industry
leader
in
hardwood
basketball
court
manufacturing,"
said
Benjamin
Bachman,
CEO of
Gerflor
North
America/Connor
Sports.
He said
the
event,
held
with the
company's
Upper
Peninsula
timber
industry
partners,
provided
"a
classroom
in the
woods"
for
local
students.
"We
thank
all
those
who
developed
such a
tremendous
education
program
to show
local
students
first-hand
the
process
of
responsible
forestry
and how
those
forest-to-floor
methods
and
products
will be
used for
the Made
in
Michigan
Official
Court of
the 2027
Men's
Final
Four in
Detroit."
Dave
Beachnau,
CEO of
the
Detroit
Local
Organizing
Committee,
said the
committee
values
the
emphasis
on
sustainable
production
of the
court.
He
described
it as
part of
a
broader
focus on
environmental
responsibility
for the
2027
Final
Four,
including
ancillary
events
and the
games at
Ford
Field in
Detroit.
Participating
partners
included
the U.S.
Forest
Service,
the
Michigan
Department
of
Natural
Resources,
LP
Building
Solutions,
Billerud
Americas
Corporation,
the
American
Bird
Conservancy,
the
Great
Lakes
Timber
Producers
Association,
the
Forest
Industry
Safety &
Training
Alliance,
the
Michigan
Association
of
Timbermen,
Shamco
Lumber,
GEI
Consultants,
VanOss
Forestry,
the
Cooks
Run
Committee,
U.P.
Michigan
Works,
New Leaf
Consulting,
Whitewater
Associates,
Natural
Resource
Conservation,
Renewable
Resource
Solutions,
Conservation
Districts
and
Michigan
Conservation
Officers.
This
Tell Us
USA News
Network
report
is
produced
in part
by Ai
and can
make
mistakes.
Please
contact
and let
us know
of any
errors
you may
find.
info@tellususa.com
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