Danika Strecko
Senior Education Manager, Project Learning Tree Canada
Why do forests matter?
They are renewable, reliable, regenerative, and restorative. They store carbon, help protect wildlife, and sustain communities by enabling diverse career opportunities and supporting mental and physical well-being. Forests provide environmental, social, and economic value, and are a critical way to combat climate change.
But not everyone understands all the values they provide.
Project Learning Tree Canada (PLT Canada) offers forest-focused educational resources to help increase children’s and adults’ understanding of forests and the importance of sustainable forest management. PLT Canada is an initiative of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI).
K-8 forest-focused activities
PLT Canada recently adapted the Trillions of Trees activity collection from PLT’s Explore Your Environment: K-8 Activity Guide for educators of youth in grades 3-5. The three activities invite learners to investigate the unique characteristics of different tree species and discover how best to plan, plant, and care for trees in their community.
Learn more about the Guide’s 50 hands-on, multidisciplinary activities to connect children to nature and increase young people’s awareness and knowledge about their environment by watching our short video.
Why trillions of trees?
There are approximately three trillion trees on Earth. Trees are invaluable assets to people and the environment. Climate change is one of our most pressing global challenges and everyone has the power to help be a part of the solution by planting trees and making sure they mature with proper care. This activity collection will help students understand how to plant the right tree in the right place and for the right reason.
Forest Literacy
PLT Canada’s Forest Literacy Framework is a free, bilingual resource that helps increase people’s understanding of forests and the importance of sustainable forest management– and empowers them to take actions that benefit forests and people.
The Framework offers 100 forest concepts, organized into four themes:
- What is a forest? Defining forests helps us appreciate their diverse ecosystems.
- Why do forests matter? Connecting sustainably managed forests to our everyday lives helps us understand their value.
- How do we sustain our forests? Detailing what goes into sustainable forest management shows us how it can meet the environmental, social, and economic needs of society.
- What is our responsibility to forests? Teaching about how we can be good stewards ensures that we can sustain forests for generations to come.
Forest literacy is critical for a green future
By gaining forest literacy, young people will acquire the tools and knowledge necessary to keep our forests sustained for future generations and be empowered to take actions that benefit people and the planet.
The Forest Literacy Framework translates the complex language of forests, trees, and sustainable forest management into concepts that everyone should know by the time they graduate from high school. From climate change to water quality and biodiversity, well-managed forests provide viable solutions to many of the world’s most important sustainability challenges. PLT Canada’s free English and French bilingual resource provides a framework that anyone working with young people in formal and informal settings (like parents, teachers, caregivers, and more) and working in Canada’s green sector can use to teach about forests and how we can become advocates for them.
Teach and learn about forests
PLT Canada is an initiative of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI).
