Teacher resources: MD Forests Forever Teachers Guide
Maryland State Content Standards
Stream ReLeaf Task in html
Stream ReLeaf Task as a pdf file
Lots of Links to other resources
Not just for teachers ~ How to order your copy today!
What a great treasure we have here in Maryland! We are entrusted with 2,700,000 acres of forests. Forests that clean our air, filter our water, provide recreation for people and habitat for wildlife. Forests that produce useful products that give us an abundance of consumer goods to grow our economy and improve our standard of living.
Amazingly, all of these benefits come from a natural resource that is unique in this way – of all of our natural resources, only forests are both renewable and readily responsive to proper management. This means that not only can we enjoy the multiple benefits of forests today, but also our children and children's children can enjoy them for as long into the future as we continue to be good stewards of this resource.
Through the Maryland Forests Forever CD, you will be introduced to the science of forestry. You will better understand how foresters, through application of scientific knowledge, are now growing trees faster than our society is consuming them! That's right! In the last 100 years the science of forestry has helped turn around two and a half centuries of prior decline. There are now more acres of trees growing in the U.S., and substantially more volume of timber in our forests, than there was just fifty years ago!
The Maryland Forests Association, who's motto has always been "Forests Forever!" invites you to not only enjoy learning from this CD, but to step into our forests and enjoy what many feel is the most fascinating ecosystem to be found on the earth!
There are three components to the Maryland Forests Forever project:
- the interactive CD-ROM,
- the Teacher's Guide,
- and the web links to further resources.
Students that will use the CD are treated to an array of interactive games , such as the "I Wood If I Could" challenge pictured below, and informational videos that will help them understand how a well managed forest provides today's needs while ensuring the sustainability our forests for tomorrow.
The Maryland Forests Forever project is an effort to provide information for teachers and classrooms about forestry, especially concerning Maryland's forests. There is a clear need to emphasize "forest management" material, simply because we could not find much "out there" on the topic and because a number of teachers have requested this sort of information. More importantly, Maryland has outstanding forests, a long history of forest management, and forests and forest industry is vital to our state (and not just in monetary terms).
The CD has sections on The Environment, Products, Balance and Recreation which provide Maryland-specific information about our forests and their uses.
The USE and MANAGEMENT of Maryland's forest land is critical to the future well-being of not only Maryland residents, but is integrated to the health and well-being of North America and the rest of the world. Good forestry provides some of the finest examples of "thinking globally and acting locally" that our State has to offer.
We hope that the Maryland Forests Forever materials will be used state-wide in an effort to heighten the awareness among school children about the vital connection between people and forests. While it is true that "forests don't need people", it is equally true that "people need forests". Without thoughtful planning and management, the demands we place on our forests will overwhelm the forest's natural ability to provide them.
Finally, we hope the materials provide an easy-to-use, easy-to-understand, and easy-to-implement resource for the classroom. Your suggestions are always welcome
The Maryland Forests Forever Teacher's Guide is also contained within the CD (Follow this link to download the pdf version of the Teacher's Guide.) The Guide contains support materials and assessments for classroom or individual use for each activity section of the CD. Activity correlations to the Maryland State Content Standards for grades 6-8 are also given. The Guide also references a number of Project Learning Tree activities to enhance and reinforce the concepts contained in the CD and has active web and e-mail links throughout.
A glossary of forestry terms is also included on the CD and in the Guide.
The CD also has a direct link to the this webpage to allow teachers and students easy access to resource links to help them access further information about Maryland's forests and forestry. The links section will be continually updated as new sites are reviewed and approved as sources for information.
Want your children or grandchildren to learn more about Maryland's forests, its forest resources and the thousands of different forest products that better our lives?Copies of the Maryland Forests Forever CD are available from the Maryland Forests Association (MFA). Grant monies and donations enabled MFA to secure enough copies to place them in middle school science and social studies classrooms across the state. Additional copies are available while supplies last. Copies can be obtained by contacting MFA as directed below. Cost for the CD is $10 (which includes shipping and handling). The Teacher's Guide, which is embedded in the CD, is also a free download that can be used to further acquaint you with the CD and its activities.
To order your copy of the CD, send a note listing your Name, US Postal Service Mailing Address, and daytime Telephone number with a check payable to the Maryland Forests Association for $10. Limit one copy per person. Please allow 1-2 weeks for processing. Contact the MFA office with any questions.
