NEW HAMPSHIRE SFI IMPLEMENTATION COMMITTEE

Forests of New Hampshire Teacher Tours

Using Project Learning Tree to help teachers learn about sustainable forestry and how to encourage students to pursue forest sector careers

Why this Project Matters

In recent years, environmental educators have raised concerns about youth becoming increasingly detached from the natural world—a trend that leaves young people less prepared to appreciate and conserve our environment. This detachment is also an equity issue, with some communities lacking access to outdoor spaces and the many green careers associated with natural resource sustainability.

Forests of New Hampshire Teacher Tours will give teachers ways to help students understand the important role forests, and those who manage them, play in maintaining our shared environment when it comes to benefiting wildlife, conserving clean water, supporting sustainable economies, and maintaining opportunities for recreation. The tours, a component of Project Learning Tree (PLT), an initiative of SFI, do this in a number of ways, including by using local forests as outdoor classrooms. This project will also encourage students to consider green careers in forestry.

How the Project Is Engaging Teachers and Youth to Appreciate the Benefits of Sustainable Forestry and Opening Up Green Careers in the Forest Sector.

Teachers will receive 30 hours of continuing education credits for participating in a four-day workshop. During the workshop, they will learn about the PLT curriculum and how to incorporate it into their own curriculum. Company representatives from the New Hampshire SFI Implementation Committee will work with teachers to foster a better understanding of sustainable forest management and forest products manufacturing. Teachers will also be exposed to the different disciplines and career paths that lead to green careers like wildlife management and other natural resource management positions in the forest sector. The workshop will provide teachers with the information they need to provide students with introductory skills and experience that will be recognized by post‑secondary programs.

SFI’s Contribution

The SFI Community Grant Program is supporting this project. PLT’s wealth of expertise and resources available through New Hampshire PLT will underpin the project. The SFI network, managed through the New Hampshire SFI Implementation Committee, will help grow meaningful relationships between the state’s forest sector and teachers.

How this Project Builds SFI Community Engagement

The project will help teachers develop a support network of forestry professionals who they can turn to for help to provide ongoing information for students interested in pursuing a career in the New Hampshire forest sector. Teachers will receive a roster of workshop participants, which also includes a listing of participating SFI companies, forestry professionals, and contact info for New Hampshire Timberland Owners’ Association staff. Teachers will be able to use this information to follow up on specific questions about advising students interested in green careers.

Partners

This partnership includes educators, natural resources professionals, and SFI‑certified organizations.

• Project lead: New Hampshire SFI Implementation Committee
• Sustainable forestry Initiative
• Florida SFI Implementation Committee
• New Hampshire Project Learning Tree
• USDA Forest Service
• Madison Lumber
• RJ Chipping and Nine Dragons Paper Company (SFI-certified company)

Related Information

New PLT Curriculum Introduces Youth to Green Careers

American Forest Foundation—From Nature’s Perspective

Environmental Education Association of Illinois—Immersive Education Event Helps Teacher Teams Integrate Environmental Science Education

Northern California Society of American Foresters—Teachers Across California Gain Valuable Forest Science Knowledge

Pacific Education Institute—Forestry-Based Stem Professional Development for Teachers In Washington State

About the New Hampshire SFI Implementation Committee

SFI responds to local needs through SFI Implementation Committees at the state, provincial, and regional levels. These committees work with local, forestry, and professional associations, universities, government agencies, landowner groups, conservation groups, and many others to promote SFI standards as a way to broaden the practice of responsible forestry and achieve on-the-ground progress. Since 1995, SFI-certified organizations have contributed nearly $75 million to support local programs through SFI Implementation Committees. This includes logger and forester training to reach the thousands of independent contractors that are the key to the quality of forest harvesting operations. In New Hampshire, the SFI Implementation Committee annually contributes more than $22,000 to local non-profits in support of environmental education and logger and forester training. In addition to its educational support the committee also supports forestry research through grants to the Hubbard Brook Research Foundation.
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