The North Carolina Forest Service (NCFS) hosted a forest health workshop at Wayne Community College on Jan. 11.

The workshop was attended by professional foresters, technicians, and urban forestry personnel. It provided foresters with credits needed to maintain a pesticide license or the continuing education units required for registered foresters.

Former WCC Forestry Instructor and alumnus Jim Moeller was one of the event’s hosts. Now a forest health specialist with the NCFS, Moeller said it was exciting to come back and help foster discussions in the forestry community with current and former colleagues.

“This is the first time there has been a forest health workshop here at Wayne Community College,” Moeller said. “It’s great for everybody to come together to network and share information and ideas.”

Jim Slye, another host for the event, is the head of the NCFS’s Forest Health program. Like Moeller, he is also a former WCC forestry instructor.

“I made a lot of good memories at Wayne Community College,” said Slye, who started teaching at WCC in 1998. “It’s cool to be able to come back.”

Slye said events such as this used to be more common than they are now. He is pleased that the attendees could gather and stay up to date on forestry-related issues.

Many of the individuals present were WCC alumni, and WCC Forestry Instructor Jim Brodie kicked off the day’s events with a presentation highlighting the College’s Forestry Management Technology program.

“Our forestry program has a strong connection to the industry here locally and to the Forest Service,” said Brodie, who previously worked for the NCFS as well. “We like to coordinate to provide that connection for the students and for the program to stay abreast of everything that’s going on.”

Students in WCC’s forestry program also attended the workshop and were encouraged to connect with other professionals.

“In any field, it’s all about the connections you make,” Brodie said.