In Southern Oregon, teens get their hands dirty and get paid to learn about the forest

In Southern Oregon, teens get their hands dirty and get paid to learn about the forest

Up in the Ashland Watershed, along the White Rabbit trail, a group of teens is hacking away at the bushes on the forest floor. They’re cutting back madrone tree saplings to reduce the risk of wildfire. Steven Rice, a high school junior from Goshen, said they’re keeping these smaller saplings from encroaching on the larger trees.“They’re sort of a nuisance to all these other ones,” he said, snipping a branch. “So we’re just cutting them back and …