The Division of Forestry Education Program’s mission is to facilitate and encourage objective education concerning the natural environment and its management with an emphasis on preparing educators to deliver accurate information to their audiences with effective techniques. By continuing to invest time and educational resources into each generation of Indiana citizens, we promote public knowledge of the importance of responsibly, sustainably managed forests and all Indiana’s interconnected natural resources.
- Project Learning Tree
Project Learning Tree (Project Learning Tree (PLT) is an award-winning international environmental education program designed for teachers, nonformal educators, home-school educators and others who work with students from pre-Kindergarten through grade 12. Sponsored by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, PLT provides educators with interdisciplinary educational activities and lesson plans that can be incorporated into their existing curricula. The Indiana PLT program is coordinated by the Division of Forestry and offers professional development workshops for educators looking to infuse natural resource education into their classrooms or programs. Visit the IN PLT web page for more information on professional development opportunities and resources. - Arbor Day in Indiana
Arbor Day in Indiana celebrates the importance of planting trees every year on the last Friday in April. During winter, the Division of Forestry sends a letter to all Indiana school principals offering the opportunity to plant an Arbor Day tree for their schools. A tree seedling is also offered to every third-grade student in the state. Those who request a seedling receive their tree and planting instructions the week before Arbor Day. The division’s Community & Urban Forestry program also hosts the annual Poster Contest for fifth-grade students in celebration of Arbor Day.
- Forests of Indiana Curriculum Supplement
Geared toward fourth-graders, the Forests of Indiana Curriculum Supplement presents forest inventory data in an interesting, understandable way, and provides educators with information and lesson ideas. It is easy for students to use and contains additional resources and assessment tools for their teachers.
- Indiana Expeditions: Forests At Work
This award-winning PBS special, Indiana Expeditions: Forests At Work, investigates the science behind forestry from the lab to field. The video follows foresters into Indiana’s woodlands to learn how management helps keep Indiana’s forests healthy and productive. Whether it be an urban forest in the middle of a city or a 25,000-acre state forest, the science of forestry helps maintain the trees we depend on for the very air we breathe. The entire video can be viewed on the WFYI website.
- Wood on Wheels
Indiana Woods on Wheels is a traveling interactive exhibit that provides information about the Hoosier state’s most renewable resource, our forests. Visitors will feel as if they have been transported to the woods as soon as they enter—the interactive displays will immerse the senses while covering key topics in forestry. Navigating through the exhibit takes visitors from learning about the benefits of forest management and how it supports Indiana’s native wildlife to the history of Indiana’s forests and the many industries that rely on our magnificent hardwoods to produce the products we all know and love.Woods on Wheels has a target audience of 4th- 6th grade students but includes information for high school students eager to explore forestry career options, landowners needing expertise, policymakers looking to inform their decisions, educators, and fact-seeking members of the public. Along with having beneficial information for all within the exhibit, our Woods on Wheels forester will be there to answer questions, offer more in-depth information, and provide science-based forestry lessons to students!
- Natural Resources Teacher Institute
The Natural Resources Teacher Institute (NRTI) is a weeklong, immersive professional development workshop designed to provide teachers with the knowledge, skills, and tools to effectively teach their students about forest ecology and forest management in Indiana. Participants will earn 30 or more Professional Growth Points and receive a stipend upon documentation of implementing a curriculum project in their classroom. For more information and to apply, visit the NRTI web page.
