Monitoring Forest Health
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Through a variety of health indicators, learners assess the health of a forest area and see how soil scientists, wildlife biologists, arborists, and other forest professionals monitor forests.
To get PLT’s Green Jobs: Exploring Forest Careers unit, purchase a copy from Shop.PLT.org or find information about an in-person workshop in your area..
Supporting resources for this activity include the Worksheets from the guide (also known as Student Pages).
Green Jobs: Exploring Forest Careers is a supplementary curriculum that is multi-disciplinary, with an emphasis on science, reading, writing, mathematics, and social studies.
Each activity displays explicit connections to practices and concepts expected by the following national academic standards so teachers can easily see where the materials will fit into their lesson plans:
- Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
- Common Core Toolkit, includes
- English Language Arts (CCSS.ELA)
- Mathematics (CCSS.MATH)
- College, Career, and Civic Life Framework for Social Studies (C3)
Our professional development further demonstrates these connections, as well as to state and local standards, contact your state coordinator.
EE Resources
NGSS Toolkit for Green Jobs: Exploring Forest Careers
Download this PLT Green Jobs NGSS Correlations Toolkit. The Toolkit includes guiding questions, a list of science connections, and explicit NGSS correlations for each activity. Each is organized around the three dimensions of science, making it useful for educators even if their state has not adopted NGSS.
Forests at Work: Video from a Science Teacher in Indiana
Go on an adventure with Rick Crosslin, a science teacher in Indiana, to investigate forest management in this video Forests at Work: An Indiana Expeditions Special. Students will learn how the genetic traits of seedlings can turn result in a tree farm full of magnificent hardwoods—similar to how our DNA can determine athletic ability, height, and... Read more »
Conservation Careers: Video Series from New York
The video series On the Front Lines, created by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, profiles conservation professionals working in New York’s natural lands and environments. Select the playlist “On the Front Lines” to choose from 25 videos highlighting a variety of green careers including Wildlife Biologist, Forest Health Specialist, and Environmental Educator.
Cool Jobs Video Series
Want to show your students how fun, interesting, and just downright cool being a scientist can be? Share with them this Cool Jobs video series that highlights what scientists do, how they do it, and how they got their jobs. There are 40 videos highlighting a variety of green careers including Biologist, Wildlife Conservationist, and Zoologist.
PLT’s 12 Green Job Fact Sheets
Learn more about the wide array of jobs related to forests with PLT’s 12 Green Jobs Fact Sheets, which highlights the following green jobs: Forester, Environmental Educator, GIS Specialist, Indigenous Relations Specialist, Forestry Technician, Park Ranger, Hydrologist, Silviculture Technician, Urban Forester, Machine Operator, Wildlife Biologist, and Sustainability Manager. Green jobs offer opportunities for people with... Read more »
Science Special Issue: Forest Health
Read in-depth about forest health – from invasive pests and diseases to regeneration – in this Special Issue: Forest Health from Science, a magazine published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Researchers are constantly trying to understand and monitor the health of forests given the world’s changing ecosystems and human behavior. Learn about methods being... Read more »
Basic Tree Risk Assessment Form
Check out what professional arborists look for in surveying tree health with this sample basic tree risk assessment form from the International Society of Arboriculture. By assessing multiple site factors, profiling tree species and general health (crown and branches, trunk, and roots), and soil conditions, arborists evaluate many factors when determining the overall risk of the tree... Read more »
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If You Were the Boss
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Who Works in this Forest?
As an introduction to some of the people who work in and on behalf of forests, learners research different forest sector careers to learn what it takes to perform these jobs.
Forest Biotechnology
Students learn how traditional methods of artificial selection and modern methods of bioengineering have been used to improve the quality of forests products worldwide. Students investigate both the risks and benefits of genetically modifying trees.