4-H

Natural Resource

Club

Forestry

Forestry

Prepared by Natalie Carroll, Professor, and Tyler Wilson, Graduate Student, Department of Youth Development and Agricultural Education, Purdue University. Copyright © Purdue University, 2013.

The overall goal of the forestry project is to enable youth to gain a lifelong appreciation of forests as sources of multiple benefits for society. The

Level 1 manual is intended for youth in 3rd through 5th grades and is designed to introduce youth to basic knowl-edge about trees and forests as well as specific skills and topics in forestry. Youth development outcomes of this manual include:

qDescribe and explain tree anatomy (leaf structures, crown types)

qOutline the variety of trees in nature (range of height and forms, types of seeds)

qIdentify different tree species qExplain 10 uses of trees for products we use in every-

day lifeqCommunicate with others about trees

The Level 2 & 3 Forestry manuals build on these core concepts and introduce more advanced topics that in-clude understanding the characteristics of different for-est regions, how to measure standing trees, the benefits of forests in urban and rural environments, uses of wood products, and understand competing values (aesthetic and economic) of trees.

Indiana 4-H Forestry manuals(Order from Purdue’s The Education Store: www.the-education-store.com)

qFollow the Path, Forestry 1 (#BU-08038)qReach for the Canopy, Forestry 2 (#BU-08039)qExplore the Deep Woods (#BU-08040)qNational 4-H Facilitator/Helper’s Guide (#BU-08041)qIndiana Forestry Project Leader’s Guide (online

only, #4-H-1008-W)

Invited Speakers Suggestions qIDNR District Foresters:

www.in.gov/dnr/forestry/4750.htm qPrivate consulting foresters, www.inwoodlands.org qSociety of American Foresters, Indiana: http://indianasaf.net/

qIndiana Master Naturalist Program, http://www.in-.gov/dnr/masternaturalist/

qFFA advisor who competes in the 4-H/FFA Forestry Career Development CDE

ResourcesqIndiana 4-H Forestry webpage: www.four-h.purdue.

edu/natural_resources/, click on forestry

qIDNR Project Learning Tree, www.in.gov/dnr/nrec/

q50 Trees of Indiana (The Education Store, #: 4-H-15-80)

qIDNR Kids Page, www.dnr.in.gov/kids

qIDNR Forestry webpage: www.in.gov/dnr/forestry/, has links to: District Foresters, state forests, DNR Kids Page, career information (and more)

qPurdue FNR video, Careers in Forestry, www.fnr.purdue.edu/images/PurdueFNR.wmv

qForests at Work - PBS’ Indiana Expeditions, www.wfyi.org/IndianaExpeditions/ForestsAtWork.asp

4-H/FFA Forestry Career Development Event Youth who like to compete with others might enjoy par-

ticipating in the 4-H/FFA Forestry Career Development Event (CDE). The Forestry CDE Objectives are:

qLearn about forest ecosystems, forestry manage-ment, and the utilization of forest products

qIdentify trees by leaves, seeds, and woods

qDevelop leadership skills and practice good study habits

qAppreciate and manage Indiana’s forest resources wisely

Teams compete in their Area CDE. Winning teams may advance to the Indiana Forestry CDE, generally held the second Saturday in December. Contact your county Ex-tension Educator for the date of your Area contest. In-formation to help you prepare a team for this contest is available at http://www.four-h.purdue.edu/Natural_re-sources/career.html. General information about the 4-H/FFA CDEs is available at: www.four-h.purdue.edu/cde/.

ActivitiesThe following activities were selected from the Indiana 4-H Forestry, Level 1 manual to introduce the study of trees

and forestry to your 4-H Natural Resources club. This manual was written using the Experiential Learning model. We recommend that you allow youth to do the activity (experience) as suggested in the manual, giving help as needed (see Budding Knowledge). Be sure to discuss the Talk it Over section (share, apply, and generalize).

Pages Activity Objective Materials Needed Time(min.)

Leafing Out

6-7Youth will learn (if they don’t already know) the difference between conifers and deciduous trees. We recommend that you collect example leaves with club members. Youth also label the parts of a decid-uous leaf (may need help).

Copy of page 6 for each youth. Page 7 can be copied or discussed with the group.

20

Meet “Your Highness”

8-9Youth identify major tree parts and use these terms and others in a crossword puzzle.

Copy of page 8 for each club member. Page 9 can be copied or discussed with the group.

30

Down in the Dirt

20-21Youth compare roots they collected from three dif-ferent habitats.

Plastic bag, shovel, bucket with water, and copy of page 20. Page 21 can be cop-ied or discussed.

30

Thirsty Trees

22-23

Youth observe the movement of water through a plant. Adding a few cups of food dye may help youth make observations. We recommend the activ-ity is set up in a club meeting and youth take their plants home and record their observations (page 22) between meetings.

Plant, scissors, cardboard square, pe-troleum jelly, 2 plastic containers, and copy of page 22. Page 23 can be copied or discussed with the group at the next meeting.

30

My Couch is a Tree?30-31 Youth will expand their knowledge of the many

products that we get from our forests by completing a word search.

Copies of page 30 for each youth. Page 31 can be copied or discussed with the group.

30

Fun in the Forest32-33 Youth will learn about Indiana’s State and National

(if you wish) forests. Use the map on the next page to indicate the location of our State Forests and Hoosier National Forests. Discuss any visits youth have made to a forest. Reference: www.in.gov/dnr/forestry/

State map showing state and national forests. Page 32 & 33 can be discussed with the group or copied. 15

FORESTRY

4-H-1008-W

Purdue extension

Leader’s Guide

7

Forestry Level 1

Chapter 1. Know Your TreesTalking Trunks – This activity shows how to examine tree trunk rings to find the age of a tree

and to learn how big the trunk was when the 4-H member was born [by counting as many rings as their age from the outside of the tree (bark) towards the center of the trunk]. The tree is 30 years old.

Leafing Out – This activity teaches differences between conifer needles and broad-leaf (deciduous) leaves. It also introduces the following information.

Meet “Your Highness” – This activity introduces the parts of the tree:

Hold On Tight! – This activity introduces the tree root system. Roots are very important to trees, because they supply water and minerals, and anchor the tree firmly in the ground.

Chapter 2: Know Your Forests

Home, Tree, Home – Youth need a resource book that lists tree ranges and forest types to complete this activity.

Bark Buddies – Youth categorize trees into four different types, then draw a map to show the types of trees that they found. The following is additional information about Indiana for-ests (from Dr. G. Parker, Purdue Department of Forestry and Natural Resources): about 87% (about 21 million acres) of Indiana was forest land before European settlement. Land was cleared to provide room for development and areas for agriculture. Lands used for timber production remain in a forested state through sustainable forestry practices that manage this renewable resource. Today there are about 4.1 million acres of forest land in Indiana. About three-fourths of all forested land is controlled by small, private, non-industrial forest owners with varying objectives for their land. However, current harvest patterns are such that average size and quality of trees harvested for forest products are declining. Responsible forest management is essential to ensure an ample supply of high quality wood products for future generations.

Answers and Suggestions

Parts of a Deciduous Leaf Tree Silhouettes

A. Apex A. ConiferB. Margin B. Needle-leafC. Base of blade C. DeciduousD. Base of leaf D. Broad-leafE. PetioleF. Blade

1. Crown 5. Trunk

2. Leaves 6. Bark3. Branches 7. Roots4. Twigs

8

Strait and Tall – Youth are to carefully observe and draw a tree.

In the Tree’s House – Youth think about organisms that live in the forest and how forests provide food, shelter, and space. Animals that they may find in a tree include birds, squirrels, and insects. Many animals use the forest. Youth may mention deer, raccoons, skunks, snakes, or other species.

Chapter 3: Forests Have Needs

Down in the Dirt – Youth dig roots from three different sites and compare them to see what differences they observe.

Thirsty Trees – This activity allows youth to observe transpiration, an important process in the water cycle. The “Branching Out” section asks youth to repeat the same process, but in the dark. Youth should hypothesize what they think will happen before they start.

Spotlight: Trees – Youth begin to learn about the importance of sunshine by covering some leaves with poster board or cardboard for a few days. They should report what the leaves look like before and after the experiment.

Makin’ Maps – Youth begin to learn how to read a topographic map. Topographic maps are available online at:

www.topozone.com http://terraserver.microsoft.com/default.asp

The National 4-H Forestry Invitational Web site is also given as a resource to use for learning to read a topographic map. This Web site is found at: www.aces.edu/n4hfi/.

Chapter 4: People Need Forests

Where’s the Water?– Youth will begin to understand the differences between water runoff from impervious surfaces (such as parking lots, roofs, etc.) and forested lands by measur-ing the amount of water collected from an impervious surface and a potted plant.

My Couch Is a Tree?– This word-find activity encourages youth to think about many differ-ent common products that depend on trees and forests. The answers to the Word Find are given in the Group Helper’s Guide (BU-08038), page 32.

Fun in the Forest – This activity requires research about Indiana state forests. Information is available online at www.state.in.us/dnr/forestry/.

Dec. 2013

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