Virginia Tech, N.C. State, Clemson, Georgia, Florida, Alabama A&M, Mississippi State, Kentucky, Tennessee, Louisiana Tech, LSU, Stephen F. Austin, Arkansas Monticello and your very own Auburn; what do all of these universities have in common?
They are all part of the STIHL Collegiate Timbersports Championship Series, which will be hosted by Auburn's School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences on March 14-16.
The series will include an individual STIHL Competition as well as a 56th Annual Southern Forestry Conclave team competition.
Clubs and participants will arrive to Auburn's campus on Thursday, March 14 for registration, orientation and dinner.
Each of the 14 southeastern universities listed above will choose one individual to compete in the STIHL Competition held on Friday evening at the Cowboy Church of Lee County off Interstate-280. These events are open to the public at a $5 admission cost.
Auburn has chosen Conclave Chairman Dalton Hand, junior in the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, as their representative. Each participant selected will compete in four events - the single-man buck, horizontal chop, vertical chop and stock saw. In the end, a winner will be chosen and will earn a spot to compete in the national collegiate competition, which will be held in June.
The events will also be highlighted by a professional regional qualifying event held later in the evening. The professionals will compete in the same four events, as well as the springboard and modified saw. The qualifying event will air on an ESPN affiliated network at a later date.
A total of 25 events - eight technical events, such as pole classification and wildlife identification, and 17 physical events, such as the axe throw and log roll - will be held throughout the duration of Friday and Saturday at AG Heritage Park off South Donahue Drive.
According to Gallagher, teams are comprised of anywhere from eight to 40 participants.
"As a 14-year recurring event, we are very excited to host the Conclave at Auburn this year," said James Robert Dearman, senior Forestry Club President.
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