Back To School: Reading, Writing And Forest Literacy
Once again, back-to-school season brings attention to lunch boxes, new crayons, school supplies and education in general. Inside and outside the classroom, a range of programs shape lives and open opportunities to introduce young people to a deeper understanding of trees, forests, and careers in the forest products industry.
The North American Forest Foundation works year-round to help support the forest products industry and promote sustainable forest management and opportunities in forestry-related careers while dispelling common misconceptions about trees and wood products.
NAFF’s educational efforts focus on reaching early elementary age children. We reach kids, teachers, and families through our Truth About Trees kits that are provided at no cost to classroom teachers. Each kit can be used by multiple classrooms within a school, and repeated for multiple years, easily touching the lives of 250 or more students. We’re reaching hundreds of thousands of kids in this way, as we head toward our goal of educating 1,000,000 kids by 2030.
You can sponsor a kit during our Back-to-School Kit Drive (running now through September) by visiting NorthAmericanForestFoundation.org and clicking DONATE.
But ours is only one possible approach. Innovative programs are happening across the country that are shaping future generations and drawing more people into careers in forestry and the forest products industry. They’re raising the level of understanding and appreciation of forests and sustainable forest management.
Beth Krisko, Director of Forests Today & Forever, describes their program’s mission “to promote forest stewardship through education.” She finds that without education, the general public tends to think that there are few rules regulating the forest industry. The perception is that timber producers have the latitude to do as they please, when in fact, forest management is highly regulated and subject to following very strict, rules and guidelines.
“People may have a deep emotional relationship with trees and forests,” she says, “but they need the information to comprehend the operation and economics of sustainable forestry so they can observe with understanding.”
Based in Oregon, Forests Today & Forever began coordinating Forest Field Days in 1994, and the organization’s roots go back to 1985. Currently, each year Forests Today & Forever reaches roughly 3500 students of all ages, across a range of program activities. This includes:
Custom programs for kids
Field days, especially for 4th and 5th graders, to get them connected and help them learn about the social and environmental impact of forests
Forestry immersion program for rising 10th, 11th, and 12th graders
Forest fire education program for high school students
Virtual programs offering flexible resources for classroom teachers and others
Much support comes to the program from the Oregon Forest Resources Institute and a host of other sponsors helping to promote forest literacy.
How can you get involved, as an individual or
as a business?
Volunteer – and join 130 forestry professionals and others who help keep the program in operation
Donate – contact Beth Krisko for specifics on how to financially support Forests Today & Forever
Act – take inspiration and look for ways to build bridges within your own community, such as participating in career days, offering tours, or hosting field trips to introduce young people to your business and careers in the industry.
Diane Dealey Neill is the Director and Founder of Forestry Challenge, a California forestry nonprofit program that was started in 2003. Three primary goals shape this academic event for high school students that introduces them to technical forestry:
Connecting classroom math and science with real-world applications
Providing career exploration opportunities for students
Encourage and promote outdoor recreation activities in the forest
Above all, says Dealey Neill, “the goal is to give the students a foundation in forest management, and the understanding that we use science and can be successful at improving forests using science.” She adds, “they’ll be citizens out in the world, and they need to have that understanding that forests can be improved by managing them.”
Unlike any other program, the Forestry Challenge involves an immersive 4-day learning experience in which teams of students work on real life forestry problems, helping to find answers to current questions. Students are trained by professionals in technical forestry methods and they learn to apply scientific techniques in data collection in the field. They work as teams to address a current topic of interest, preparing a presentation and generating recommendations that will be of interest to land managers and landowners.
Five events are scheduled at four different forest locations in California throughout the fall, followed by a championship round in the spring. More than 5200 students have participated in the Forestry Challenge. While not all have gone on to careers in forestry, some have done so and then have returned to support the program by participating as volunteers. Nearly ten percent of the most recent challenge group have expressed interest in careers in forestry.
All participants have gained a deeper understanding of sustainable forestry as well as the application of science to practical situations. Because the students are working on meaningful current projects, their results and recommendations make a genuine contribution to solving specific problems.
How can you help or get involved?
Sponsor – Forestry Challenge has concrete needs to be met: equipment and tools to support student education, funding to sponsor student transportation and housing, and payroll for dedicated staff.
Volunteer – As participation grows, more judges are needed to be involved in the competition.
Recruit – Potentially all high schools in California have the opportunity to participate–more need to hear about the possibilities and you can help spread the word.
Educational programs come in all shapes and sizes, but each one speaks to the hearts of a specific segment of students and expands the general understanding and knowledge about forests.
For example, the Missouri Forest Products Association (MFPA) reaches young students in several ways. Educational materials for schools include:
Supersize custom made hardwood Jenga games, made of 10 different Missouri hardwoods
Little Trees in a Big Forest, a book targeted at fourth graders, but suitable for various ages, that traces the life of a tree from seedling to the point where it becomes a bench
A professional travelling magic show, the Marvelous Magic Tree Show, presented at school assemblies to reach kids in grades 4 through 6.
They have also extended their reach by partnering with the Future Farmers of America to sponsor a Forestry Speaking Competition for high school students. The competition attracts around 40 students a year, and many kids come back year after year, says MFPA Executive Director, Brian Brookshire. MFPA members select the topics and act as judges and the final round of competition is presented at the MFPA annual conference. Winners are awarded monetary prizes, and all participants gain improved speaking skills.
Powerful educational programs to improve forest literacy are going on across the country. Students in your community need this information too. What can you do to help get it into their hands?
Maybe your role is sponsorship and supporting current programs or donating Truth About Trees kits to schools. Or maybe these program concepts will inspire you to connect with young people in your region and find new ways to help them discover the wealth of career opportunities in the industry.
Wherever you fit in, your support is needed–to help close the gap in workers needed to keep the industry going, and in forestry education that leads to sustainably managed forests now and for the future of our planet.
Let this be your reminder to act today. Together we can make a difference by nurturing the next generation and helping kids become #exTREEmelysmart.
Find out how you can support the mission toward a healthier future for generations at NorthAmericanForestFoundation.org or feel free to email AllisonDeFord at adeford@northamericanforestfoundation.org.
