A school forest is land registered through the state community forest program and owned or controlled by a public or private school and used for environmental education and natural resource management. School forests are exceptional outdoor classrooms.
The Wisconsin School Forest Program serves as a resource for all school forests in the state. The program is coordinated by Gretchen Marshall, the Wisconsin School Forest Education Specialist, who is part of the LEAF Program. The school forest program and the Wisconsin School Forest Education Specialist position are the result of a partnership between the Department of Natural Resources – Division of Forestry and the Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education in the College of Natural Resources at UW-Stevens Point.
Questions? Contact Gretchen or Steve.
Services provided to school forests include:
- Guidance and consultation in developing school forest programs and their education plans
- Connecting schools with forest management resources
- Networking and providing information for educators
- Professional development for educators, administrators, and natural resource managers
- Information about funding sources and education resources
- School forest awards for individuals or organizations involved with their school forests