MICHIGAN FORESTS FOREVER TEACHERS GUIDE

FORESTRY and NATURAL RESOURCE       INTERNET LINKS

The following list consists of resources that teachers may find useful in finding reliable content for curriculum development.  In some cases, curricula are already packaged and available for free or for a fee.  This page will be the most difficult to maintain, as websites come and go.  If one of the following links fails, or has become obsolete, please contact Bill Cook at cookwi@msu.edu or 1-906-786-1575.  If your favorite natural resources classroom website is not listed, please let Bill know and he can add it to the list.

American Forests - National Register of Big Trees, tree information, tree planting, and more.  Promotes sustainable forestry.

American Forest Foundation is the parent organization of Project Learning Tree, the American Tree Farm System, the Institute for Journalism and Natural Resources.

American Forest & Paper Association  This website has a lot of information about forest industry and America's forests.   It includes a section especially for kids and educators.

CD-ROMs for Forestry & Natural Resources – Teri Heyer of the U.S. Forest Service North Central Forest Experiment Station Field Office in St. Paul, Minnesota has reviewed many CDs and has posted information about some them on the station website. Information includes cost, ordering and a brief commentary.

Center for Agricultural & Environmental Research & Training, Inc., Environmental Resources Lesson Plan Library CD-ROM, click on the “products” link, Product No  3256 - $159.95.  This CD-ROM features 145 ready-to-use lesson plans covering major agriculture education topics. Each plan is correlated to National Academic Standards. The lessons include student learning objectives, recommended resources, vocabulary terms, summary of content and teaching strategies, quizzes, transparency masters, and lab activities. They are accessed through Adobe Acrobat Reader® and are cross-platform compatible. Each lesson can be customized to fit local program needs.

Conservation Districts - in the phone book under county name and "Soil & Water Conservation District" or "Conservation District", these districts often employ foresters and wildlife biologists that provide on-the-ground advice and management assistance. These  resource professionals are available for classroom programs.   They are part of a Cooperative Resource Management Initiative (CRMI) funded by the Michigan Legislature.

Educational In Nature is a classroom oriented website from Georgia-Pacific that focuses on grades 4-6.  Many of the classroom activities can be adapted to middle school and, of course, the background material is good for curriculum development at any grade level.

eNature.com, an on-line database of plants and animals. Nice reference resource.  A lot of not-so-relevant elements, too.  Chocked-full of advertising.

Forest Health information can be obtained from a variety of sources.  A few of the good sites are:
U.S. Forest Service Forest Insect & Disease Leaflets
MSU CAT Alerts
Exotic Forest Pest Info System
Michigan Invasive Plant Council
Gypsy Moth Research
Forest Insect Kit, for a hundred bucks you can purchase a kit.

ForestInformation.com has background material that teachers will find useful for understanding forests and forestry.   These is not a collection of ready-made activities, however.

Forestry Images has a growing collection of images about forestry, forest health, silviculture, and other topic areas. 

F.R.E.E Network (Forest Resource Environmental Education)
Their mission is to improve the public's understanding of natural resources and how forest resources can be managed to meet environmental and societal needs now and in the future.   This resource is brought to you through the University of Minnesota Department of Wood and Paper Science.

International Paper's "Down to Earth" practical look at environmental issues and trends

Kellogg Biological Station is located in southwest Michigan, operated by Michigan State University. Their mission is to develop programs in research, education and extension directed toward a comprehensive understanding of the interdependence of natural and managed terrestrial and aquatic systems, and the conservation of natural resources.

Kremp Florist Guide to Photosynthesis contains links that might be classroom-friendly.  It's a commercial site which has gathered various links.  Like many sites about plants and photosynthesis, the notion of respiration in plants is barely mentioned. 

Michigan DNR has a website, that if you dig deep enough, you can find good curriculum material for the classroom.  However, the site is set-up to host tourists, hunters, and fishers, and NOT resource managers or teachers.  The "LAPS" program can also be accessed from this site, but is designed more for early elementary education and lacks resource management information.

Michigan Historical Society has lumbering history in "Teacher Stuff" on the web site. Sample class activities and projects. Lots of other good material, too.

Michigan United Conservation Clubs is a non-profit organization devoted to the protection and enhancement of Michigan's natural resources through education and promotion of quality outdoor recreation.  On the top of their home page, there is tab for "Conservation Education" that is worth looking at. 

NASA Visible Earth has a lot cool images for students and information about earth science.

Online School of Plants: From Seed to Flowers has a bank of information about plants, from botanical and physiological perspectives.  A good source of information for plant biology teachers.  Has brief and concise discussions. 

Paper U
Brought to you by TAPPI (Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry), this website has resources available to teachers for classroom use and a lot of information about paper.

Plants Database is from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.  It has a good collection of images and information about wide variety of plants.  However, you have to know what you're looking for.  It is NOT an identification resource.  You can search the database by common or scientific name.

Project Learning Tree is a program of the American Forest Foundation. A nationally recognized tool for classroom environmental education.  Many exercises are available for classroom room.  Involves training.

Project Wild has many classrom activities and exercises designed to get students to explore the outdoor world through wildlife.  An excellent national program.  Involves training.

SEEK - Sharing Environmental Educational Knowledge.  This large web site assembles much of the Environmental Education centers, schools, programs, etc. for the State of Minnesota.    A great tool from Minnesota!

Soils and Substrates section of the Virtual Library, complied by Julia Heiskanen.   Subsections:  Facts and Basics, Books and Journals, World Soils Data, Labs and Organizations, Other Soil Related Resources, and Assorted WWW sites.

Tree & Plant Images from the University of Wisconsin is a collection of image sets that contain many species.  However, to use the images sets you have to know what you're looking for.  This is not an identification key!

Tree Identification Key for the Upper Peninsula covers over 70 species of forest trees and forest shrubs in an easy-to-follow set of dichotomous keys.  There are also range maps, species lists by county, and other resources.  For a broad geographic region, try the National Arbor Day Foundation Key.

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Nine refuge units, three federal fish hatcheries, and several service units are located in Michigan.  Part of the U.S. Department of Interior

U.S. Forest Service - Ottawa, Hiawatha, Huron-Manistee
Three national forests are located in Michigan.  Part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 
Also, the National Forest Foundation provides general information about our national forests. 
The USFS also has a pretty good education resource with their magazine "Natural Inquirer". 
The USDA National Agricultural Library has a resources in their "Science For Kids" website.

U.S. National Park Service
The NPS has four units in Michigan; Isle Royale National Park, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Keweenaw Historic Park, and the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.   Part of the U.S. Department of Interior.

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	This website was developed and created by Michigan State University Extension for the teachers of the State of Michigan.

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