CARING FOR OUR FORESTS -A Legacy of Stewardship

a Mathematics unit for 6th-8th grade by Debra Pelkey
Woodstock Union Middle School, Woodstock, Vermont

First and foremost this is a middle level mathematics unit appropriate for use in grades 6 through 8. The lessons are written to meet the demands of a 42-minute class period and multiple math classes. As a standards-based statistics unit, the key topics of study are: frequency tables and line plots, constructing and interpreting bar graphs, broken line graphs and scatter plots, surveys and sampling and in general the organization and visual presentation of data. This series of lessons was instructed as part of an interdisciplinary unit based upon the study of local forests. Written in partnership with the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park, the focus of the instruction brings students to a better understanding of the historical use as well as future use of this now public land. With a substitution of data used, the unit could be adapted to other forest related sites.

The focus of the forest element is forest management and the science of forestry. Students come to understand the critical role mathematics plays when it comes to knowing the forest. The original worksheets are the result of much research. All of the data, tables, and charts supplied to the students came from the Vermont Department of Natural Resources and the National Park Service.

As a central element of the unit is learning how and why foresters count trees, local experts were called upon to share their knowledge with students. The county forester and the park resource manager conducted workshops and guided the students through their culminating activity, a circle sweep plot survey at Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park. Three field trips to the park, one of which was their field study, were critical pieces of the learning experience.

In the end students should have a deeper appreciation of how foresters use data, the importance of interpreting this data, and why it is necessary to present this information in meaningful ways. A suggestion for a related community service project is also included.

The essential and guiding questions which bring focus to this unit are:
Understanding Forest Management
Who counts the trees?
Why do they count the trees?
How do they count the trees?

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