Forestry Student Spotlight – Emilie Hebenstreit

May 28, 2025

Emilie Hebenstreit shares a special story in her forestry journey and how she led a team of foresters to win the 2017 State Forestry Contest for the first time in history.

Forestry undergraduate student Emilie Hebenstreit’s story:

I stumbled across the field of forestry in my 7th-grade year, back in 2016. I signed up for the Michigan FFA Organization's Career Development Event (CDE) as a member of my Chapter's forestry team. The contest is held in the spring in the first week of April every year. I started practicing for the contest in December. Studying under an alumni member of my school's FFA Chapter, a businessman, and most notably a local forester, my journey began.

I quickly felt a spark ignite a fire within me when practicing. I was eager to get out and practice more for the contest. I learned how to identify 25 species of trees, 25 tools and equipment used in forestry, and what trees to keep and cut based on a given practicum with 5 options to support your decision, as well as compass and pacing and tree measurements (DBH and Merritt Hypsometer).

When contest time came, I was nervous. Everything that I studied in and for the FFA Forestry Contest (CDE) is comparable to what I learned during my first semester at MSU as a sophomore. I had learned a whole semester's worth of classes in less than 5 months. I learned fast with a passion like no other, my coach was impressed. My coach even reached out to both my father and FFA Advisor about my interests, as well as career opportunities, and college. He, as my coach, also noted, "If I were to pursue a degree in the field of forestry, I would excel."

Upon arrival, at Michigan State University's Livestock Pavilion, I kept ensuring my team and I were prepared with all the equipment necessary for the contest. We unloaded our equipment, took a team photo, and received a briefing of contest information such as locations and supervisors. Then, we entered the woods. I felt so alive, as we went through each station, whistle after whistle. At each contest station, I was focusing on the task at hand, asking my teammates if they agreed with what I had written, and comparing any discrepancies. After the final whistle blew and we turned in our bubble sheet, I was anxious.

After the contests were over, it took a couple of weeks for the Michigan FFA Organization to report the contest results. As soon as I heard the results of the contests were in, I raced to my Advisor and begged to hear how my team placed. I had a feeling my team did well in the contest; but I never would have imagined what we had placed in the state.

In 2017, I was the Team Captain for the Olivet FFA Chapter's State Forestry Contest ranking First in the State. For the first time in history, the Olivet FFA Chapter won the State Forestry Contest. I have continued to expand my knowledge, experience, and passion for forestry since my first time working in the woods in 2016.