That 70s Show?

No, these aren't extras from 'That 70s Show'!  Apparently, plaid was high fashion for youth culture in 1975 when this group of Forestry Technician graduates posed for a class picture after the College convocation ceremony.

City of Pembroke native, Terry Woermke, is in the middle row, far right.  He is the Fire Boss for the Ministry of Natural Resources in Pembroke. Every single person in this picture found a forestry position after graduating from the Foresty Technician Program at the Pembroke Campus.

Watch this page for news about other Algonquin College Forestry Technician alumni.  If you are a forestry program grad from the Pembroke Campus, we want to hear from you.

Contact program co-ordinator Frank Knaapen to let him know what you have been doing since graduation.

Celebrating 40 Years

During the academic year of 2007-2008, Algonquin College celebrated 40 years of post-secondary educational opportunities and marking the accomplishments of its graduates.

It is hard to imagine a time when there were no community colleges across Ontario and only limited educational opportunities.  When the community college system was formed in 1967, it offered Ontario residents an alternative to university studies that was more practical and accessible.

Once community colleges were established across the province, even outlying rural and remote regions had more opportunities for post-secondary education and skills training.  Even in the early years of the college system, employers and community members were able to participate in the development of curriculum by providing direct input to the college about their workplace needs and the kinds of practical training they required.

A Forestry Tradition in the Ottawa Valley

In the case of Algonquin College in the Ottawa Valley, community input is exactly how the Forestry Technician program came into being at the Pembroke Campus.  Located in the upper Ottawa Valley, the City of Pembroke rests on the shores of the Ottawa River and is surrounded by pristine lakes, picturesque farmland, and vast tracts of forest. There is a long tradition of logging in the area and a great demand for every level of trained forestry workers. 

One of the earliest records of forestry activity along  the Ottawa River dates back to around 1800.  That's when settler Philomen Wright and his family used horses to skid logs along the ice near Hull, Quebec, downriver from where Pembroke would eventually become a major centre for the forestry industry.  Since the late nineteenth century, dozens of lumber companies employing hundreds of loggers operated in the Ottawa Valley, developing a forestry tradition that still exists today.

In 1971, Algonquin College, Upper Ottawa Valley Campus as it was known then, saw its first 21 graduates of the Forestry Technician diploma program.  Now, 40 years later, the Forestry Technician program continues to evolve, incorporating modern forestry practices and many new technologies.  Since that first graduating class, hundreds of well-trained Algonquin College forestry graduates have brought their valuable skills and knowledge to the forestry field across Canada and around the world. 

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