Internet Links

American Forests - National Register of Big Trees, tree information, tree planting, and more. Promotes sustainable forestry.

American Forest Foundation is the parent organization of Project Learning Tree, the American Tree Farm System, the Institute for Journalism and Natural Resources.

American Forest & Paper Association This website has a lot of information about forest industry and America's forests. It includes a section especially for kids and educators.

Berit's Best Sites for Children is a collection of many topical materials, including some that might be used for environmental education.

CD-ROMs for Forestry & Natural Resources – Teri Heyer of the U.S. Forest Service North Central Forest Experiment Station Field Office in St. Paul, Minnesota has reviewed many CDs and has posted information about some them on the station website. Information includes cost, ordering and a brief commentary.

Center for Agricultural & Environmental Research & Training, Inc., Environmental Resources Lesson Plan Library CD-ROM, click on the “products” link, Product No 3256 - $159.95. This CD-ROM features 145 ready-to-use lesson plans covering major agriculture education topics. Each plan is correlated to National Academic Standards. The lessons include student learning objectives, recommended resources, vocabulary terms, summary of content and teaching strategies, quizzes, transparency masters, and lab activities. They are accessed through Adobe Acrobat Reader® and are cross-platform compatible. Each lesson can be customized to fit local program needs.

Conservation Districts - in the phone book under county name and "Soil & Water Conservation District" or "Conservation District", these districts often employ foresters and wildlife biologists that provide on-the-ground advice and management assistance. These resource professionals are available for classroom programs. They are part of a Cooperative Resource Management Initiative (CRMI) funded by the Michigan Legislature.

Educational In Nature is a classroom oriented website from Georgia-Pacific that focuses on grades 4-6. Many of the classroom activities can be adapted to middle school and, of course, the background material is good for curriculum development at any grade level.

eNature.com, an on-line database of plants and animals. Nice reference resource. A lot of not-so-relevant elements, too. Chocked-full of advertising.

ForestInformation.com has background material that teachers will find useful for understanding forests and forestry. These is not a collection of ready-made activities, however.

Forestry Images has a growing collection of images about forestry, forest health, silviculture, and other topic areas.

F.R.E.E Network (Forest Resource Environmental Education)
Their mission is to improve the public's understanding of natural resources and how forest resources can be managed to meet environmental and societal needs now and in the future. This resource is brought to you through the University of Minnesota Department of Wood and Paper Science.

Fungi Website from Tom Volk at the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse. An excellent resource for teachers with ready-to-go activities. Click on the "teachers and professors" link down the home page.

Kellogg Biological Station is located in southwest Michigan, operated by Michigan State University. Their mission is to develop programs in research, education and extension directed toward a comprehensive understanding of the interdependence of natural and managed terrestrial and aquatic systems, and the conservation of natural resources.

Michigan DNR has a website, that if you dig deep enough, you can find good curriculum material for the classroom. However, the site is set-up to host tourists, hunters, and fishers, and NOT resource managers or teachers. The "LAPS" program can also be accessed from this site, but is designed more for early elementary education and lacks resource management information.

Michigan Forest Resource Alliance is a the parent organization for the development of the Michigan Forests Forever Project. MFRA has other education programs and materials. The toll-free telephone number is 1-800-474-1718.

Michigan Historical Society has lumbering history in "Teacher Stuff" on the web site. Sample class activities and projects. Lots of other good material, too.

Michigan United Conservation Clubs is a non-profit organization devoted to the protection and enhancement of Michigan's natural resources through education and promotion of quality outdoor recreation. On the top of their home page, there is tab for "Conservation Education" that is worth looking at.

NASA Visible Earth has a lot cool images for students and information about earth science.

Paper U
Brought to you by TAPPI (Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry), this website has resources available to teachers for classroom use and a lot of information about paper.

Plants Database is from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It has a good collection of images and information about wide variety of plants. However, you have to know what you're looking for. It is NOT an identification resource. You can search the database by common or scientific name.

Project Learning Tree is a program of the American Forest Foundation. A nationally recognized tool for classroom environmental education. Many exercises are available for classroom room. Involves training.

Project Wild has many classrom activities and exercises designed to get students to explore the outdoor world through wildlife. An excellent national program. Involves training.

SEEK - Sharing Environmental Educational Knowledge. This large web site assembles much of the Environmental Education centers, schools, programs, etc. for the State of Minnesota. A great tool from Minnesota!

S.K. Worm from the National Resource Conservation Service answers many questions about soil and topics related to soils.

Soils and Substrates section of the Virtual Library, complied by Julia Heiskanen. Subsections: Facts and Basics, Books and Journals, World Soils Data, Labs and Organizations, Other Soil Related Resources, and Assorted WWW sites.

Temperate Forest Foundation is an educational group which gathers, analyzes, and communicates scientifically credible information to the public on social, economic, and ecological issues related to forests, forestry, forest products, and natural resources. Teachers are a special focus group of the TFF with materials and resources are available. They also hold outstanding teacher education workshops each year.

Tree & Plant Images from the University of Wisconsin is a collection of image sets that contain many species. However, to use the images sets you have to know what you're looking for. This is not an identification key!

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Nine refuge units, three federal fish hatcheries, and several service units are located in Michigan. Part of the U.S. Department of Interior

U.S. Forest Service - Ottawa, Hiawatha, Huron-Manistee
Three national forests are located in Michigan. Part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Also, the National Forest Foundation provides general information about our national forests.
The USFS also has a pretty good education resource with their magazine "Natural Inquirer".
The USDA National Agricultural Library has a resources in their "Science For Kids" website.

U.S. National Park Service
The NPS has four units in Michigan; Isle Royale National Park, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Keweenaw Historic Park, and the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Part of the U.S. Department of Interior.

	This website was developed and created by Michigan State University Extension for the teachers of the State of Michigan. The website is maintained by the Delta-Schoolcraft Independent School District in support of the Michigan Forests Forever CD-ROM from the Michigan Forest Resource Alliance.

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Please provide comments to Bill Cook: cookwi@msu.edu or 786-1575