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Wisconsin’s School Forest Program

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
Gretchen Marshall

Gretchen Marshall

Forestry & Outdoor Education Specialist

Contact Gretchen with any school forest and outdoor education related inquiries…especially if you would like to connect with your local DNR forester or have questions about registration. Gretchen can be reached at 715-346-2633 or Gretchen.Marshall@uwsp.edu

Steve Schmidt

Steve Schmidt

Outreach Specialist

Steve assists school forest educators with questions, professional development, School Forest Awards, and site visits to properties. Steve can be reached at steve.schmidt@uwsp.edu

School Forest Resources

Use the buttons below to navigate the rest of the school forest website to find relevant information and resources for your local school forest programs.

About Wisconsin’s School Forests

Learn more about the Wisconsin’s School Forest Program’s history, and explore the registered School Forests around Wisconsin.

Getting Started / Registration

Learn more about the educational value that the School Forest Program offers, who is eligible to apply, and the registration process.

Developing Your School Forest Program

Developing your School Forest Program can be challenging. LEAF’s School Forest Program provides several tools to get you started.

Sustaining Your School Forest

LEAF provides several tools and resources you may find helpful as you think about programming to offer at your school forest.