Also Try Hiking Lesson Plans Saving Forests (Donn) Provides lessons, links, and activities related to forests. Saving Rainforests (Donn) Provides lessons, links, and activities related to rainforests. News China Starts World's Largest Reforestation Effort (Guardian Unlimited) "After decades of logging that has left large swathes of the country looking like a desert wasteland, China embarked Tuesday on a $12 billion, 10-year program to plant 170,000 square miles of trees - an area roughly the size of California." "It is the largest reforestation project ever, forestry officials said, suggesting only an unprecedented effort can stop the expanding deserts, chronic droughts and deadly flooding blamed on wholesale logging." 5-02 Fires - National Fire Plan (Washington Post - Goldstein) "The administration, which has promoted a variety of land policies that have antagonized environmentalists, is hoping to capitalize on the heightened anxiety that has spread this season, along with the fires, across the western United States." "Specifically, the administration official and White House documents released tonight said that Congress should change land laws so government agencies could permit long-term 'stewardship contracts' with private companies, which would be permitted to keep wood products in exchange for thinning trees and removing brush and dead wood." "Environmentalists immediately characterized Bush’s proposals as misguided and unnecessary, because western governors have worked with conservation groups to finalize a new 10-year strategy to prevent wildfires and reduce the threat they pose to people and property near the edge of forests." 8-02 Fires - National Fire Plan (Washington Post - Llanos and Johnson) "The administration, which has promoted a variety of land policies that have antagonized environmentalists, is hoping to capitalize on the heightened anxiety that has spread this season, along with the fires, across the western United States." "Specifically, the administration official and White House documents released tonight said that Congress should change land laws so government agencies could permit long-term 'stewardship contracts' with private companies, which would be permitted to keep wood products in exchange for thinning trees and removing brush and dead wood." "Environmentalists immediately characterized Bush’s proposals as misguided and unnecessary, because western governors have worked with conservation groups to finalize a new 10-year strategy to prevent wildfires and reduce the threat they pose to people and property near the edge of forests." 8-02 Seed Project to Preserve Species (PlanetArk.org) Describes the British project to save many species of plants from extinction by development of a huge seed bank. 11-00 Tropical Forests 100 Times More Economic Than Alternatives (Ananova.com) "A study has found wild ecosystems are around 100 times more economic than ones converted to human use." "The study by the American Association for the Advancement of Science also found half of an ecosystem's economic value is lost when it is converted to human use." "The case studies looked at included the logging of a Malaysian tropical forest and a tropical forest in Cameroon converted to agriculture and commercial plantations. They also looked at a mangrove system in Thailand converted for shrimp farming, a Canadian marsh drained for agriculture and a Philippine coral reef dynamited for fishing." 9-02 Papers Africa - Covers the Trek of Michael Fay Along the Congo River Basin (National Geographic) "For 15 months Wildlife Conservation Society biologist J. Michael Fay hiked across central Africa (map)—1,200 miles (2,000 kilometers) through dense forests and remote villages—to Africa’s Atlantic coast." 9-02 Africa - Top Rainforest Project in the World (CountryReports.org) "At this week's United Nations meeting on sustainable development, held in South Africa, Gabon announced that it would soon create 13 new national parks on roughly 10,000 square miles of land." "When these parks are up and running, Gabon will leap from last to first in an important environmental category: As a percentage of total land mass, this will be the largest park system in the world." Also covers the travels of Michael Fay, conservationist. Visitors sometimes misspell as Fey. Gabon is sometimes mispelled as Gabbon. 9-02 Alternatives to Old Growth Wood (Rainforest Action Network) Suggests ways to help reduce the use of old growth wood. 9-01 Animals - Cloud Forest Animals (CloudForestAlive.org) Provides pictures and interesting descriptions of animals that inhabit the cloud forests of Central America and the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor. Includes, for example, the spider wasp, guan, olingo, toucanet, howler monkeys, gray fox, viper, fruit bats, bananaquit, cyclosa spider, solitaire, skink, spectacled owl, ant lion, thrush, tink frog, nocternal katydids, chunk-headed snake, anole, trogon, spiny lizard, oropendolas, marine toad, coati, two-toed sloth, mottled owl, army ants, deer, redstarts, and screech owl. 2-01 Description of a Rainforest (Kellogg Canada) Describes the different ingredients of rainforests. 9-01 Description of a Rainforest (Persistent Vision and Foley) Describes the different ingredients of rainforests and introduces key terms. Uses a field trip format for presenting the materials. 9-01 Description of a Rainforest (Rainforest Action Network) Describes or defines rainforests. 9-01 Fires - National Fire Plan (FirePlan.gov) Provides federal plans to manage forest fires. 8-02 Fires - Science of Wildfire Management (National Interagency Fire Center - Hall) Provides basic information about the need for fuel, oxygen, and heat in order to have a fire. 8-02 First Trees (ABC News) Provides a description of the first known tree, the Archaeopteris. 12-00 Forest Decline Causes (IUCN) Provides some of the causes for the decline in forests globally. 5-00 Forest Factsheet (PopulationAction.org) Provides facts about our loss of forests and what needs to be done. 9-01 Forest Lessons, Resources, and Outcomes (British Columbia Ministry of Education) Provides discussions, outcomes, and lessons on physics for the 11th and 12th grade levels. The materials are called an Integrated Resource Package. 2-01 Forest Protection (World Wide Fund for Nature) Provides information on the deforestation of the planet. 1-01 Forest Protection More than Doubled (CNN) Describes new federal regulations that protect 58.5 million acres, "roughly one-third of the national forest system from road building and commercial logging." This was later suspended by the Bush administration. 1-01 Forests Reduce Global Warming (World Resources Institute) Forests absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it in plants. Forests store about 40 percent of our carbon dioxide. Deforestation accounts for an equivalent of 25 percent of the emissions from fossil fuel combustion. 1-01 Global Patterns for a Sustainable Planet (Sustainable Development Information Database) Provides global patterns on key issues, such as deforestation, pollution, global warming, and water conservation. 12-00 Global Patterns of Forests (World Resources Institute) Provides maps and factsheets regarding forests and deforestation globally. 1-01 Greenpeace Provides information on activities and programs of Greenpeace, an organization committed to preserving forests. LaDuke, Winona (Seattle Times) Provides a profile of Winona LaDuke, candidate for Vice-President for the Green Party in 2000, known for her advocacy for preserving forests for future generations. Leave No Trace Logging - Advocates Against Logging Public Forests (National Forest Council) Argues against logging public forests. 1-01 Native Activists and the Future (Massa and Cascadia Planet - LaDuke) Provides statements from Winona LaDuke about "White" views of the environment compared to the Native views. She also discusses the difference between Native Activists and Environmentalists. Rainforests - The Value (Raintree Nutrition) Provides a description of the benefits of rainforests. 12-00 Rainforests Are Full of Life (Rainforest Action Network) Provides reasons for keeping our rainforests and describes the rate of destruction. 12-00 Saving Forests (PBS - Bill Moyers Reports Earth on Edge) Discusses how forests, not just timber, can be promoted in ways that make sense economically. 11-01 Saving Forests of the World (Forests.org) Provides a search engine just for conservation topics, such as forests, rainforests, biodiversity, and climate change. Also provides discussions, papers, sources, and more. 3-00 Saving Soil and Trees While Fighting Hunger (Washington Post) "Dr. Pedro Sanchez loves dirt. The prize-winning soil scientist says that poor quality soil is the cause of many of the evils that plague poor countries, from hunger and poverty to environmental devastation caused by slash-and-burn farming." "...Sanchez has helped teach 150,000 small-scale African farmers how to boost grain production by bettering their dirt — that is, by replenishing soil nutrients with nitrogen from native vegetation and phosphates from rocks." "As a result, those farmers can feed their families without having to burn more forests to get fertile land." 8-02 Seeds for Diversity (Journey to Forever) Describes projects to save the diversity of plants on our planet. 12-00 Solar Cooking Facts (SolarCooking.org) Provides basic facts for efficient solar cooking and boiling water. (Water can also be made safe by heating it to only 150 degrees for 20 minutes, pasteurizing it rather than boiling it.) Solicitations - How to Remove Your Name from Phone and Mail Advertising Lists (NativeForest.org) Provides you with information to remove your name from mail and phone solicitations. Explains the limitations and conditions of removal. Other junk mail may also be reduced. 2-00 Solutions for the Environment (Awesome Library - Adams) Provides a summary of key activities necessary to reduce air and water pollution, reduce the rate of global warming, and more. 1-01 Tree Production of Oxygen (Captain Jack Communications) Claims that an acre of Christmas trees produce oxygen for 18 people. Does not provide the source for the claim. 12-00 Trees, Water, and Soil (Journey to Forever) Shows how loss of trees destroys the topsoil and how the topsoil can be built again. 12-00 Wood as Fuel (World Resources Institute) Provides a summary of the known role that woodfuel plays in relationship to deforestation and poverty. 1-01 Projects Adopt a Tree (ILoveThatTeachingIdea.com) Provides a project to help children appreciate trees through getting to know one tree well. 2-02 National Wildlife Federation Provides programs to protect endangered habitats, wetlands, endangered species, and more. Rainforests (AtoZKidsStuff.com) Provides over a dozen projects for appreciation of rainforests. 1-02 Rainforests - Yagua Indians (Earthwatch.org) Provides a simulation for children to have a better appreciation of a different culture. 1-02 Saving Rainforests (GreaterGood.com) Displays a map showing how the rainforests are disappearing between the years of 1990 and 2011. Provides opportunities for schools to conduct online fund raising. Also supports other projects, such as protecting the rainforests. 7-00 Solar Cooking Design for Villages (SolarCooking.org) Provides the design for a very effective solar oven, using foil, cardboard, and plastic. Solar Cooking Designs for Villages (SolarCooking.org) Provides a variety of designs for a very effective solar ovens, using primarily foil, cardboard, and plastic. Tree Activities (Minnetonka Public Schools District 276) Provides 18 activities for students to study trees. 12-00 Tree Care in Cities (TreeLink.org - TreePeople) Provides instructions on the care of trees in cities. 12-00 Tree Destruction - Asian Longhorned Beetle (American Forests) Describes one of the most destructive insects (for trees). 9-01 Tree Planting (American Forests) Provides information on tree planting. Research suggests that urban areas need at least 40 percent coverage of trees for good quality of life. Trees reduce pollution, keep water in the soil, provide oxygen to the air, and provide shade from the sun during the summer to reduce air conditioning costs. 9-01 Tree Planting (Times of India) Describes a program to increase the number of trees available in Mumbai, India. Gives information on how much trees provide oxygen to the air. 12-00 Tree Planting - Climate Change Calculator (American Forests) Shows how many trees are needed to counterbalance your use of fossil fuel energy. 7-02 Tree Production of Oxygen (CPPA) Estimates how much oxygen a tree produces in a day. 12-00 Tree Production of Oxygen - Ancient Trees Changed the Atmosphere (Spacer.com) Provides the result of research that found trees to be the cause of a large change in the Earth's atmosphere by increasing the oxygen. 12-00

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