Outdoor classroom will educate children and adults alike

DOUBLE SPRINGS - The Bankhead National Forest is providing a way students from local schools, along with adults, can learn about various wildlife topics, it was learned at the Thursday, April 19 meeting of the Winston County Natural Resources Council.

The event, known as the Payne Demo, will be Thursday, May 3, from 9:45 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. in the Payne Creek area, with a canyon tour following.

“It’s outdoor classrooms where we have forest stations, tree identification, wildlife and archeology. We have about 15 minutes per station and try to cover various topics. We will have resource professionals,” said Jeremy McDonald, forestry technician.

Activities will begin with a safety briefing and welcome. Lunch will be from about 12 to 1:30 p.m.

“We had about 130 students last year from kindergarten to university students,” he said.

“It’s a demonstration area for our shortleaf pine woodlands restoration,” said Allison Cochran, wildlife biologist for the U.S. Forest Service. “In that area we have been actively managing the forest through logging, thinning the pines, clear-cutting, prescribed burns and replanting the shortleaf pine trees there.”

“Our goal in the upland is to create an area that is an open, park-like, pine woodland stand with tall and widely-spaced big trees,” she continued.

“There are two trails there, with one going to the upland and another going to Payne Creek where there is a huge canyon, typical of Bankhead sites, with a waterfall and big rock bluffs with hemlock trees. We take a hike down to there.

“We like to bring the students to the area to practice learning trees and have outdoor classroom events. Generally, this place is where we can show children, adults and visitors an example of the shortleaf pine management we’re working towards over a large part of the forest that many people don’t get to see,” mentioned Cochran.

For those who would like to go on a self-guided tour, the forest service has educational signs along the trails identifying trees and the management process.

For specific directions to the Payne Demo, or for more information, please call the Bankhead National Forest at 205-489-5111 or e-mail at bkinfo@fs.fed.us