LEAF's Wisconsin K-12
Urban Forest Lesson Guide
Why
Urban Forest?
Download
Urban Guide NEW!
Guide
Supplemental Resources
Urban
Forest Issues WEBQUEST
Urban
Forest LINKS
Many people can't picture what it is, even though they see it every day. In Wisconsin, more than 70 percent of people live in cities, villages, and urban townships. An urban forest is all of the plants and animals in a city, village, or town. Trees in yards, along streets, and in parks all are part of an urban forest. The importance of urban forests is often overlooked. LEAF' Urban Forest Lesson Guide supplements our LEAF educational materials. It focuses on Wisconsin's urban forests and the people who live in them.
Urban
forests are an important resource in Wisconsin.
They provide benefits like storm water retention, energy
use reductions, carbon sequestration, as well as aesthetic values.
As with the LEAF Conceptual Guide to K-12 Forestry Education in
Wisconsin, an Urban Forest Conceptual Guide was needed to guide the
development of the K-12 Urban Forest Supplement educational
materials. The LEAF Conceptual Guide to K-12 Urban Forest Education
identifies the important ideas, or concepts, that students in
Wisconsin should learn by the time they graduate from high school,
and at what grade level those concepts should be taught. View the
Conceptual Guide to K-12 Urban Forest Education in Wisconsin
(PDF)
NEW!!
You can view and download the
Urban Forest Lesson Guide (6 MB PDF)
Guide Supplemental Resources
Urban
and Rural Forest Photographs (PDF)
5-8
Lesson 3: Species Cards (PDF)
Urban Forest Issues WebQuest
A WebQuest is an educational activity in which learners research information, mostly using sources on the internet. WebQuests often ask learners to take on a "role" or a specific issue to research. A WebQuest has a specific set of components, including goals for learning, and is not just a list of links to other websites. The WebQuest technique has the benefit of always being current in the information students learn. It can also be used with many age levels of learners, which increases its usefulness. This WebQuest is designed to be used as part of Lesson 3 of the 9-12 Unit of the LEAF Urban Forest Lesson Guide.
WebQuest
Lesson
(PDF)
WebQuest
Lesson Rubrics (PDF)
WebQuest Facilitator: Sarah Gilbert - sgilbert@uwsp.edu Please contact Sarah to report problems with the WebQuest, provide feedback, or suggest web links that would be good additions.
Direct students to begin the lesson here: Start WebQuest
Urban Forest Links
Urban Forestry Education Resources
Urban Forest Tree Identification
Urban Forestry Education Resources
American Forests - CITYgreen Environmental Education
www.americanforests.org/productsandpubs/citygreen/school.php
The CITYgreen program uses GIS mapping to teach students about the
forest around them. The site includes information on how to get the
software and lesson plans.
Cornell Lab of Ornithology - Urban Bird Studies
www.birds.cornell.edu/programs/urbanbirds/
This website outlines programs that students can be part of to
monitor birds in urban areas. There are also pictures and
descriptions of birds youll likely see in urban areas.
Urban Forestry Laboratory Exercises
www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/uf/lab_exercises/cover.htm
www.na.fs.fed.us/Spfo/Pubs/uf/lab_exercises/lab_exercises.pdf
(PDF)
Urban forestry lessons for elementary, middle, and high school
students. Hands-on data gathering exercises that lead students to
make judgments based on analysis and synthesis of gathered data.
Developed at the Morton Arboretum with funding from the U.S. Forest
Service.
Natural Inquirer - Urban Forest Edition
www.naturalinquirer.usda.gov/NIEducators.cfm?act=viewIssue&issue=9
Designed as a middle school science education journal, each article
tells about research conducted by scientists in the USDA Forest
Service. All of the research in the journal is concerned with
nature, trees, wildlife, insects, outdoor activities and water.
Urban Forest Tree Identification
UI Plants
http://woodyplants.nres.uiuc.edu/
A database on woody landscape plant identification, culture and
usage for the Midwest, including native and introduced species and
their major varieties and cultivars. Search by common or scientific
name. Images and information on habitat, leaves, buds, stems,
flowers, fruits, fall color, bark, and culture.
LEAF Dichotomous Tree Key
www.uwsp.edu/cnr/leaf/Students/tree_id.aspx
On-line tree identification key for native Wisconsin trees. Choose
from a series of images to identify a given tree or a use a mystery
sample provided.
Urban Forestry Facts/Benefits
TreeLink
www.treelink.org/linx/factoid.php
This site lists factoids about the benefits urban forests provide.
University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign -
Human-Environment Research Laboratory
www.lhhl.uiuc.edu/
This site provides summaries of research done about urban forest
benefits to people.
National and State Urban Forestry Programs Urban and
Community Forestry
www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/urbanforestry/ucf.htm
The United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service St. Paul
Field Office general information site for urban forestry.
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources - Urban and
Community Forestry
www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/forestry/UF/Index.htm
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources site for urban
forestry.
More Urban Forestry Resources
NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC.COM - MapMachine
http://plasma.nationalgeographic.com/mapmachine/
This National Geographic website allows you to find maps of your
city at street level.
The National Arbor Day Foundation - Tree Pruning Guide
www.arborday.org/trees/pruning/
This site has an interactive section on tree pruning.
Tree Owners Manual for the Northeastern and Midwestern
United States
http://na.fs.fed.us/pubs/detail.cfm?id=9573
Comprehensive publication on tree ownership from
the USDA Forest Service.
Utilities
Wisconsin's utility companies offer information on their websites about tree trimming, tree selection, tree planting, community involvement, and even how to get woodchips!
Wisconsin Utilities or We Energies
www.we-energies.com/forestry/
Wisconsin Public Service
www.wisconsinpublicservice.com/home/treetrimming.asp
Alliant Energy
www.alliantenergy.com/docs/groups/public/documents/pub/p014667.hcsp
Madison Gas and Electric
www.mge.com/environment/trees/