WSST Conference 2020

Be part of a new civic science effort to mobilize your school site as a learning tool! The WDNR Urban Forestry program and LEAF, Wisconsin’s K-12 Forestry Education Program, are teaming up with teachers to conduct tree inventories on school grounds and display them on the Wisconsin Community Tree Map, a compilation of tree inventories from around the state. Tree inventories are used for many purposes, particularly to assess tree benefits, schedule maintenance, identify health risks, identify planting locations and for education and research. Students work in groups to access the tree map via a smart phone or other device and collect tree data on species, size, condition and location of the trees and then can assess diversity, calculate tree benefits, and more. Different resources are also made available from the DNR, PLT, and LEAF. With the tree inventory, students can learn more about the trees and forest ecosystems around them, becoming more intimately familiar with the places and spaces in which they live. Get on board to explore the Wisconsin Community Tree Map and its many data features to engage in place-based learning at your school site with your students and receive corresponding PLT NGSS aligned activities.