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“Hands-on discovery”
was what the educators from Maine, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick said they appreciated most at the ‘98 Irving Forest Discovery Institute. Five days (July 12 - 17) spent with some 180 fellow teachers and foresters on tour and at the Maritime Forestry Complex in Fredericton, NB. The dialogue between educators and foresters generated by forestry presentations and by visits to woodland sites and forestry operations was continuous.

In welcoming educators, Jim Irving, President of J.D. Irving, Limited, said the ‘98 institute should repeat the success of the first one in sharing the role of forestry and forestry careers in the Atlantic region. Open communication between educators and foresters, an on-going process since the first Irving teacher tours in ‘94, was a primary purpose of the institute.

New Brunswick’s Minister of Education, Bernard Richard, in his remarks at the opening session, praised the educators for giving their time to “forest discovery”. The minister saw the five days as offering valuable information on an industry and careers vital to the region’s economy. As a partner in sponsoring the institute, Minister Richard hoped the teachers would find material they could use in their classrooms.

Feedback (see "Quotes") from the teachers showed they had found useful classroom material from the Institute.