ACM Woodsmen's Team members practice in advance of April 14-15 meet.
CUMBERLAND, Md. (Mar. 29, 2023) — Competitive archery, axe throwing, crosscut sawing and pole climbing skills — all that and more will be on display at the 2023 Mid-Atlantic Woodsmen’s Meet as teams compete for the top spot. The public is invited to attend this unique and thrilling event on Friday, April 14, and Saturday, April 15, at Allegany College of Maryland. The Mid-Atlantic Woodsmen’s Meet begins at 4 p.m. on April 14, for limited evening activities, and at 8 a.m. on Saturday, April 15. Saturday’s all-day roster of competitive activities includes historic logging skills rarely seen in person.
From dendrology to team pulp toss
The woodsmen’s teams will compete in dendrology (or tree identification) and compass
and pacing on Friday. On Saturday, the teams compete in archery, axe throw, bolt split,
chain saw, crosscut saw, horizontal speed chop, pole climb, pole fell, team log roll,
team pulp toss, and water boil. STIHL Timbersports professionals will be available
to coach and talk with competitors.
The Mid-Atlantic Woodsmen’s Meet is held rain, snow, or shine. Event information is available at https://bit.ly/3TTTE5J. The event is free. Spectators are encouraged to bring folding chairs. A campus map and directions to the ACM campus, which is located at 12401 Willowbrook Road in Cumberland, are available at www.allegany.edu/visit-us.
Lumber Jacks and Jills
Eight two-year and four-year college woodsmen’s teams will compete in this year’s
showdown of skills. Despite its name, the competition is open to all sexes. Only collegiate
woodmen’s teams can take part in the meet.
Participating colleges and universities
The meet brings together competitors from two and four-year colleges and universities.
Eight teams, including Allegany College of Maryland, from five states are expected
to take part: Haywood Community College (Clyde, N.C.), Montgomery Community College
(Troy, N.C.), Mountain Gateway Community College (Clifton Forge, Va.), Pennsylvania
College of Technology (Williamsport, Pa.), Penn State Mont Alto (Mont Alto, Pa.),
Penn State (University Park, Pa.) and West Virginia University (Morgantown, W.Va.).
The forestry students who compete in the Mid-Atlantic Woodsmen’s Meet will later accept entry-level positions with state departments of natural resources, the National Park Service, U.S Forest Service, environmental groups and private companies, among others. Agriculture, logging and forestry topped the Washington Post's ranking of The Happiest, Least Stressful, Most Meaningful Jobs.
ACM forest technology program
Allegany College of Maryland’s Woodsmen team trains regularly for this competition. The team placed third in 2022. ACM’s forest technology program, accredited by the Society of American Foresters, is one of only 25 accredited programs in North America, and the only SAF-accredited Forest Technology Program in Maryland.
Contact
For more information about the 2023 Mid-Atlantic Woodsmen’s Meet at Allegany College of Maryland, please contact Marie Perrin Miller, forestry program
director, at 301-784-5256. For questions about parking, please contact the Thomas Welcome Center staff at 301-784-5005 during normal business hours Monday through Friday.
Media Contact: Kristin Kehrwald, communications coordinator, 301-784-5152
