Four College of the Redwoods Forestry and Natural Resource Students were awarded the Kent & Larry Holmgren Memorial Scholarship at last month’s Redwood Region Logging Conference. Jayce Burniske, Audrey Gomes, Lauren Hatfield, and Marlia Luzier were the recipients.

About the Kent L. Holmgren & Larry Holmgren Memorial Scholarship:  Kent was a fourth generation Humboldt County resident. He was a timberland owner, a logger, a registered professional forester and a sawmill owner. Mr. Holmgren was involved with the development of State forest practice rules and forester licensing regulations. He served on the College of the Redwoods FNR Advisory Board and on the Redwood Region Logging Conference Board. He was a member of the Forest Landowners of California and the Association of California Loggers.

Larry Holmgren was the son of Kent & Shirley Holmgren. He followed in his father’s footsteps becoming involved in the timber industry.  Larry started out working for Simonson Timber, was an independent faller, a logger for Eel River Sawmill, and ended doing log procurement for Schmidbauer.  Larry’s career has covered every aspect of the timber industry.  He served on the RRLC Board, the Pacific Logging Congress Board, and as was the vice President of the Northern California Log Scaling and Grading Bureau.  He was instrumental in developing the RRLC High School Forestry competition and Scholarships programs.

Upon qualification, up to two $1,000 cash scholarships will be awarded to a freshman or sophomore who is currently enrolled in the forestry program at the College of the Redwoods (CR), and has at least 2 semesters left in the year before graduation.  Person(s) completing their final semester at CR and have been accepted at an accredited forestry school to continue their forestry education are also eligible.  This scholarship is provided to students in the spirit and memory of Kent & Larry Holmgren.

About the CR FNR Program: The College of the Redwoods Forestry and Natural Resources program prepares students for a career managing public and/or private forested lands for economic, recreational, and conservation purposes.  There is continuing need for people with the knowledge and expertise to manage these areas sustainably. The FNR program is geared towards helping to meet this demand with a comprehensive curriculum that both prepares students for careers in the field and/or university transfer. The program includes an AS Degree in Forest Technology and Certificates of Achievement in Forestry and Natural Resources, and Geomatics.

Photo: Left to right: Jayce Burniske, Audrey Gomes, Lauren Hatfield, and Marlia Luzier