NATIONAL FOREST WEEK 2016
TRUE NORTH, STRONG AND GREEN: CELEBRATING CANADA’S FORESTS!
NATIONAL FOREST WEEK ACTIVITY GUIDE
Age Group: Grade 5
TEACHER BACKGROUND INFORMATION
What would the world be like if all the forests in the world were depleted?
How are humans dependent upon the forests? How has that dependency
changed since the 1900s for the forest products industry? What can we do
to ensure that the forest industry will continue to thrive for future
generations?
Trees are a renewable and natural resource. Like any resource if it is not
managed properly, the forest will not return to its natural capacity. In
order for trees to benefit our lifestyle and economy, they have to be
managed in a sustainable manner for both forestry and non - forestry
products and activities.
While there has been a decline in the newsprint industry, other industries
are relying more and more on wood in the manufacturing process (pellets,
lumber and value-added products like laminated beams). The trend
continues toward building structures with wood that had once relied on
steel and concrete (building codes now
allow wooden structures to be built as
high as six stories).
Understanding the current and future
requirements for wood allows Forest
Managers to sustainably manage the
forest accordingly (i.e. plant required
species, thin out needed areas, and
monitor and protect the forest from
insect, disease and fire).
Objectives:
• Students will be able to
list ways in which
Canadian lifestyles depend
upon forest products.
• Students will recognize
trees as a renewable
resource.
Vocabulary Words:
Renewable
Products
Economy
Lifestyle
Deforestation
Sustainable Forest
Management (SFM)
ECONOMIC VALUE
Although Newfoundland and Labrador’s productive forest is small compared to the other provinces, it does
provide economic return. The provincial forest industry is valued at $336 million annually and directly employs
over 2350 men and women, in pulp and paper, sawmilling, harvesting and value-added enterprises.
The forest industry employs people who plant trees, monitor their growth, and manage the forest - from people
who harvest and truck the resource to secondary processing facilities like sawmills and pulp mills and to people
who are involved in the manufacturing of products like newsprint, lumber, flooring, furniture and other value
added products.
In Newfoundland and Labrador, the entire tree is normally used in processing; however, branches and other
woody debris are often left on the forest floor to decompose. The fibre from this debris will eventually return to
organic matter and release nutrients back into the soil. Branches and tops may also contain seeds that will one day
become our future forest. Prior to the early 1990s, wood shavings, sawdust, bark and slabs were left at sawmill
sites with no economic value. This situation has changed today and residue is now being fully utilized for wood
pellets, briquettes, animal bedding, and hog fuel.
OTHER VALUES
In addition to providing forest products, our native forests provide many indirect benefits. Forests are an
important part of several provincial and national parks and provide beautiful watersheds and recreation
opportunities to all residents of Newfoundland and Labrador. Our forests also provide critical habitat for ruffed
and spruce grouse, moose, rabbits, black bear, and other wildlife and plant species. Not only do they give us fuel,
food, and wood products, they provide many intrinsic values.
Our job is to help trees grow healthy and strong, to protect them
against disease and injury, and to ensure they are sustainably managed.
When we do our job well, we enjoy all the benefits of trees - and the
trees benefit too.
NATIVE TREES OF NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR
The trees of Newfoundland and Labrador consist of deciduous and
coniferous.
There are 21 species of trees native to NL:
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Deciduous: American Mountain Ash, Balsam Popular, Black
Ash, Choke Cherry, Mountain Alder, Mountain Maple,
Mountain White Birch, Pin Cherry, Showy Mountain Ash
Speckled Alder, Trembling Aspen, White Birch and Yellow Birch.
DID YOU KNOW?
In a lifetime, the average
person uses the wood
produced by 300 mature
trees. In a year, the average
Canadian citizen uses 91 kg
of paper, 224 board feet of
lumber, and hundreds of
other forest products that
all come from trees!

Coniferous: Balsam Fir, Black Spruce, Jack Pine, Tamarack, White Pine, and White Spruce.
TREES: RENEWABLE RESOURCE VS. DEFORESTATION
What does it mean to be renewable? To renew means to begin again, to restore or revive. Trees are a renewable
resource because you can use them and yet grow a new crop to ensure you have more trees for the future. This is
different from our other natural resources like silver and gold, oil and gas. Once these are gone, they are gone for
good. Renewable resources depend on people. We need to conserve, protect and sustainably manage trees to
ensure the renewable cycle continues.
Deforestation is the permanent clearing of forests to make way for new, non-forest land uses. It is the permanent
removal of trees from the forest by either clear-cutting or by natural disaster (fire, insect damage or flooding). In
Canada, deforestation is generally the removal of trees to provide land for the purpose of urban development,
(construction of homes, offices, parking lots, roads and highways) resource extraction (mining) and agriculture. In
Newfoundland and Labrador, commercial and domestic harvesting of our trees is not considered a source of
deforestation. In fact, there are laws, regulations and policies in place that ensure all areas harvested on public
land must be reforested by either replanting or natural regeneration. On average, there are eight million trees
replanted each year in the province.
Canada has some of the most stringent laws in the world for protecting forest cover and ensuring sustainable
forest management.
NATIONAL TREE DAY
On March 2, 2011, a private members motion received consent from the House of Commons to declare the
Wednesday of National Forest Week as National Tree Day. National Tree Day is an opportunity for all Canadians to
appreciate the great benefits that trees provide us - clean air, wildlife habitat, reducing energy demand and
connecting with nature.
If you’re looking for inspiration on how to celebrate National Tree Day in your class or school, here are a few
suggestions:
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plant a tree;
write a story, produce a play or skit about trees;
read a book about trees;
invite a Forester or Conservation Officer into your classroom to talk about how trees grow;
organize a class on tree pruning, tree identification and tree planting;
organize a tree identification hike; and/or,
encourage your town, community or school to host a National Tree Day celebration.
HOW TO HOST A NATIONAL TREE DAY CEREMONY
Below are some ideas on hosting a National Tree Day in your class or school:
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provide welcome remarks by an elected official or community leader;
provide a few remarks about the importance of wise stewardship and the contribution made by trees;
plant a tree together;
read a brief history of National Tree Day;
make a National Tree Day Declaration;
sing songs, read poems or present a play about trees;
recognize individual and group commitments to future forest stewardship project; and/or,
provide seedlings for those who want to plant a tree in their own yard.
NATIONAL FOREST WEEK ACTIVITIES
The following activities have been put together to help guide you through National Forest Week. Follow them in
order, or pick and choose any that meet your class’s needs:
ACTIVITY 1: NATIONAL FOREST WEEK BULLETIN BOARD
In preparation of National Forest Week, cover a bulletin board with paper and a border. Students create the
appropriate border for the bulletin board (perhaps a variety of wood products such as different kinds of paper cut
into strips or patterns or a border of paper cartons, leaves, etc.). Be creative!
ACTIVITY 2: CREATING A LEAF COLLECTION
Take your class on a nature walk or scavenger hunt collecting a variety of leaves, twigs and flowers. Place the
leaves and flowers in a plant press or large book with tissue paper for a week. Use the samples to decorate your
National Forest Week bulletin board.
Participate in a teacher-led class discussion and identification of leaves based on the shapes of the leaves.
ACTIVITY 3: HISTORY BRAINSTORM
Lead a class discussion on ways the people of Newfoundland and Labrador used wood in the year 1900? How do
people use wood products today?
ACTIVITY 4: THINGS MADE FROM TREES BULLETIN BOARD
Homework or in-class activity:
Have students search for photos of items made from trees. Challenge them to search for unusual products. Put all
the pictures brought to school, drawn, or cut from magazines on the bulletin board and discuss each product.
Many will be surprised when things like chewing gum, printing ink, and shatterproof glass show up on the board.
ACTIVITY 5: GROUP DECISION MAKING
Divide the class into groups of three or four. The task is to focus on the “Things Made from Trees” bulletin board.
Have each group determine which five products are the most important? Each group must decide and agree which
items they would eliminate. Each group should come up with arguments to why they feel those five items are the
most important. Each group then presents its decisions to the class. During the activity, the groups will remove all
eliminated items, leaving only the chosen items on the board. The following questions may help stimulate
thinking:
1)
2)
What would happen if suddenly all the products that remain on the board were unavailable?
Would this product’s disappearance affect any of the essentials necessary for survival as, for example,
food or shelter? What things are truly necessary for survival?
Is the product’s current use wasteful? Why? Should the use be eliminated? What would the impact
be if it were?
Could we find a substitute for this forest product? Is the substitute made from a renewable or nonrenewable raw material? What would be the environmental and economic impact of the substitute?
Would it use more or less energy to produce than the original forest product?
3)
4)
ACTIVITY 6: NAME THE TREE THAT IS BEST SUITED TO THE PRODUCT
The main native tree species in NL are:
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Balsam Fir
Black/White Spruce
Paper Birch (White Birch)
Yellow Birch
Tamarack
Trembling/Quaking Aspen
Have students research each tree species focusing on the properties of the wood. Have them look for general uses
of the wood.
Of the following products, which would be more suitable?
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Paper
Hardwood Floor
Cabinets
Firewood
Fence Posts
Christmas Tree
ACTIVITY 7: POUNDS AND POUNDS OF PAPER!
How much paper do you use in your school? Here’s an activity with surprising results:
a)
b)
Have each student weigh all the paper in his or her desk (books, notebooks etc.) on a postage scale.
Add each student’s total for a grand total for the class.
Divide the total by the number of student to find the average weight of paper per student.
c)
d)
e)
Multiply the average weight by number of students in school. What is grand total for your school?
Calculation: A 16 inch diameter tree used in paper production yields approximately 700 pounds of
paper.
How many trees did your school consume? How many trees did your class consume?
ACTIVITY 8: WOOD FINDING TOUR!
Get permission from a store manager and make a class visit to a local department store, or use a mail-order
catalog in the classroom. As a preliminary step, the class should make up a survey sheet for recording information.
Divide the class into teams of three or four students and ask each team to name one of its members as recorder.
The recorder will log team observations on its survey sheet. Assign each team to a particular department in the
store or a section of the catalog. Students are to identify and record as many items as they can that use wood or
forests and the environment.
ACTIVITY 9: NATIONAL FOREST WEEK POSTER CONTEST!
Have your students participate in the Forest Services’ National Forest Week Poster Contest. Grade 5 students from
around Newfoundland and Labrador are invited to submit posters that show their love and understanding of our
forest resources. For more details, visit our website: http://www.faa.gov.nl.ca/forestry/nfw/index.html
For further information on National Forest Week or the National Forest Week Poster Contest, feel free to contact
your local Forest Service District Office, or the Forest Service Public Relations.
Public Relations Specialist
Newfoundland and Labrador Forest Service
Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agrifoods
P.O. Box 2006, Fortis Building Corner Brook, NL A2H 6J8
Tel: 709.637.8011
Email: [email protected]
Notice: This activity guide was adapted from Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands Arbor Day Poster Contest, Teachers Guide to Arbor
Month resources.