Seeking Sustainability
Learners explore the concept of sustainability by examining the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals, while also taking a look at some jobs involved in ensuring forest sustainability.
Patterns
Monitoring Forest Health
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.
Making Consumer Choices
Using paper as an example, students analyze the life cycle and consumption patterns of forest products, and identify the international dimensions of product use. They then draw conclusions about consuming forest products in a more intelligent way.
Analyzing Patterns of Forest Change
Students analyze factors that can change forests by using data sets, maps and other information. They also examine projections about future climate conditions and explore how these factors may change forests in the 21st century.
Mapping the World’s Forests
A holistic system of global ecological zones is now used to classify the world’s forests. In this activity, students examine this system to see how temperature and moisture determine the type of forest in a given locale.
What Is a Forest?
Dozens of official definitions of the term forest are in use throughout the world. In this activity, students analyze various definitions of this term and then consider different cultural perspectives that affect people’s perceptions of forests.
Climate Change and Forests
Students use a carbon footprint calculator to analyze their personal effect on carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in the atmosphere, calculate the amount of carbon stored in a single tree, and explore how carbon sequestration can affect CO2 levels.
Forest to Faucet
Students identify local watersheds and their forest cover, analyze a specific watershed in Maine, and evaluate the extent to which their own community’s water supply is affected by forests and forest management.
The Nature of Fire
Students learn about the role of fire in forest ecosystems, examine issues of fire in the wildland-urban interface, and conduct a wildfire safety assessment in their community.
Monitoring Forest Health
Students conduct a forest health checkup of a local forest area, will take forestry measurements, and will evaluate the ecological services provided by trees and forests.