The UW Forestry Club will revive its Christmas tree sale this December, selling 300 trees after a six-year hiatus due to a pause in club membership and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite not being officially registered as a student organization, the club serves as a student-run professional development organization for forestry and natural resource majors. It provides hands-on skills training, certifications and industry networking opportunities and represents the student chapter of Society of American Foresters in Madison.
Recent club activities include chainsaw certification courses and support for students to attend state and national organization conferences. Those experiences, club President Emma James said, are crucial in a field where hands-on training and specialized credentials are often expected before graduation.
“Natural resource jobs expect you to have certain certifications,” James said. “[The sale’s] funds help us make sure students can get those trainings and network with professionals. It’s basically setting us up for the future.”
James hopes bringing the sale back will increase knowledge and strengthen the ties between the forestry program and the greater Madison community.
“Our major is really small — my graduating class only has about 10 people,” she said. “This sale bridges our club with the community and reminds people we’re here. It helps with outreach and visibility.”
The entirely student-run sale will sell trees from Solin Tree Farm in Stevens Point and take place Dec. 5-7 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at UW-Madison’s Stock Pavilion. Trees will be available while supplies last.
Alaina Walsh is the associate news editor for The Daily Cardinal. She has covered breaking news on city crimes and a variety of state and campus stories, including the 2024 presidential election and the UW-Madison budget.
