Farm Forestry: Trees at Work - Classroom and Fieldwork Activities for Secondary Level Students

Acknowledgements

Author:
Marion van Gameren, Earthlines environmental education consultancy

Project Co ordinator:
Trish Kevin, Private Forestry Development Officer, Victorian Landcare Centre

Design & Artwork: Small Dog Design

Thank you to the following people who provided input and comments on drafts:

Tim Anderson, Chris Roe, Greg Yantin, Leonie Brown, Alan Ford, Andrew Stewart, Don Jowett, Margaret Arthur, Michelle Butler, Tarnya Kruger, Celeste Heavey, Gayl Morrow, Karen Johnson, Rhowdey Bowman, Frank Hirst, Rowan Reid, Peter Stephens, James Stewart, Tim Anderson, Charles Hajek, Jim Mead, Graeme Anderson, Philippa Noble, Prue Borschman, Kathy Overton, Martin Clark and Ann Fagan.

Thank you to those who provided photographs: DPI Private Forestry photo collection, Ian McCann courtesy of Department of Sustainability and Environment/Biodiversity Natural Resources collection, Andrew Stewart, Rowan Reid, Don Jowett, Andrew Lang

Table of Contents

How to use this resource
Background
Curriculum links for Farm Forestry - trees at work
Loan kit of activity and fieldwork materials

• 1. Finding out about trees and how they affect me
  Statewide activities
  • Activity 1a: What has a tree ever done for me?
    • Information sheet 1a: What do trees do for me?
  • Activity 1b: Benefits of trees on farms
    • Information sheet 1b: Benefits of trees on farms
    • Resource sheet 1b: Benefits of trees on farms
  • Activity 1c: Timber samples
    • Information sheet 1c: List of tree species in timber sets
    • Worksheet 1c: Timber species (A)
    • Worksheet 1c: Timber research proforma (B)
  • Activity 1d: Timber products and sources
    • Worksheet 1d: Timber products and sources
    • Resource sheet 1d: Some timber products
  • Activity 1e: Working trees
    • Information sheet 1e: Working trees
    • Worksheet 1e: Working trees
  • Activity 1f: Careers with trees
    • Worksheet 1f: Careers involving trees and timber
• 2. Where does the timber I use come from?
• Statewide activities
  • Activity 2a: Mapping forests and timber sources
  • Activity 2b: Change in forest cover
    • Information sheet 2b: Change in forest cover
  • Activity 2c: Future timber supplies
    • Information sheet 2c: Global market trends for timber
    • Worksheet 2c: What's happening to the world's timber supply?
  Regional activities
  • Activity 2d: Mapping local forests and plantations
  • Activity 2e: Wombat State Forest – a case study trend in timber management?
    • Information sheet 2e: Wombat State Forest – Piloting a new way for managing forests
• 3. What is farm forestry?
  Statewide activities
  • Activity 3a: What is farm forestry?
    • Worksheet 3a: Farm forestry
    • Information sheet 3a: Farm forestry In Victoria
  • Activity 3b: Where is farm forestry occurring in Victoria?
    • Resource sheet 3b: Priority maps for North Central catchment
  • Activity 3c: Comparing plantation and Forest Grown Timber

• 4. How can farm forests help sustainable management?
• Statewide activities
  • Activity 4a: Local timber and land use issues
    • Info sheet 4a: Land use changes in Victoria and their impacts
  • Activity 4b: Trees and global warming – a modern role for trees
    • Information sheet 4b: Trees and global warming
  • Activity 4c: How many trees are needed to absorb your greenhouse emissions?
    • Information sheet 4c: How many trees?
  • Activity 4d: Farm trees for biodiversity
    • Resource sheet 4d: Photo Comparison
    • Resource sheet 4d: Simple strategies to add biodiversity to farm forestry
    • Information sheet 4d: Simple strategies to add biodiversity to farm forestry
  • Activity 4e: Strategies for farm forestry
    • Information sheet 4e: Strategies to encourage farm forestry
• 5. Making it real - Investigating some farm forestry sites
  Statewide activities
  • Activity 5a: Farm forestry case study example
    • Information sheet 5a: Yan Yan Gurt West farm
  • Activity 5b: Farm Forestry Case Studies
    • Case study 1: Information sheet 5b: ‘Glen Isla' Farm
    • Case study 1: Information sheet 5b: Map of ‘Glen Isla'
    • Case study 2: Information sheet 5b: Yan Yan Gurt West farm
    • Case study 3: Information sheet 5b: Jowett's farm
    • Case study 4: Information sheet 5b: Mooney's farm
    • Case study 5: Information sheet 5b: Arthur's farm
  • Activity 5c: Farm Forestry case studies - Virtual visits
    • Worksheet 5c: Questions for virtual visits to farm forestry sites
  • Activity 5d: Designing for farm forestry
    • Information sheet 5d: Characteristics of some farm forestry species
  • Activity 5e: Planning a farm forestry site
    • Information sheet 5e: Characteristics of some farm forestry species
  Fieldwork activities
  • Activity 5f: Fieldwork – visit to a farm forestry site
    • Fieldwork sheet 5f: Site information
    • Instruction sheet A: Taking measurements of trees
    • Fieldwork data sheet A
    • Instruction sheet B: Taking measurements of trees
    • Fieldwork data sheet B
• 6. What role does farm forestry have in our future?
  • Activity 6a: Farm forestry in our landscape
    • Worksheet 6a: Farm forestry in our landscape
  • Activity 6b: Is farm forestry a form of sustainable management?
  • Activity 6c: Living sustainably with trees

How to Use This Resource

The Farm Forestry – trees at work resource for secondary schools provides a wealth of activities and information to assist teachers and students investigate farm forestry. It provides a real life application of the issues involved with using a renewable but limited resource. Trees have long been a resource used by people but more recently farm forestry has emerged as a new form of growing, cropping and using trees. This has come about in response to changes in market forces and environmental degradation affecting farms, together with community demands on and for the environment.

Case studies provide real life applications of practical ways some farmers are responding to economic, environmental and social pressures on their farms, working lives, family lives and the community.

A loan kit of support materials is available and provides resources such as timber samples, reference materials, poster set and fieldwork tools for the activities described in Farm Forestry – trees at work.

Activities can be selected to form a unit of work or individual activities selected to investigate aspects of resource use, environmental issues, land management and farm forestry.

These materials help students investigate real life ways that farm forestry can:

• extend the range of farm products and jobs
• help protect soil, water and air resources
• support biodiversity (native plants and animals)
• contribute to the sustainable use and management of rural landscapes
• affect people's views about farming

Organisation

The 28 activities within this resource are organised into six sections:

1. Finding out about trees and how they affect me
2. Where does the timber I use come from?
3. What is farm forestry?
4. How can farm forests help sustainable management?
5. Making it real - Investigating some farm forestry sites
6. What role does farm forestry have in our future? Within some sections, activities are grouped as:
   • Statewide activities
   • Regional activities

The 28 activities grouped within each section in this resource typically have an Information sheet, Resource sheet or Worksheet to assist teachers and students.

Background

Farm forestry helps students explore a new way of looking at trees – a resource that has been used by people since we lived in caves. The world has changed a lot since then! This unit investigates ways farm forestry can contribute to the sustainable use of resources in today's environments.

Over the centuries, humans have caused changes on a global level to the world's natural forests, natural systems and landscapes. Increasing human populations and decreasing areas of natural forest have led to a recent global shortfall in timber resources. In addition to this global supply and demand challenge, agricultural land has been showing signs of degradation such as erosion and salinity. And human activities are impacting on the global climate by releasing more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Attitudes to farming and forests changed in the later part of the 20th century. In the 21st century Australia's state and federal governments are implementing programs to reduce wasteful consumption of resources. These include fostering greater sustainability in forestry and revegetation of cleared land to reduce environmental degradation. This is where farm forestry fits in.

There is now more understanding of the role of trees in providing environmental services such as cleaning air and water, reducing erosion and providing for biodiversity.

Curriculum Links for Farm Forestry - Trees at Work

Victorian Essential Learning Standards

This unit of work supports the following Victorian Essential Learning Standards for Levels 5 & 6

Key Understandings

Key understandings of this unit include:

• Forest cover/ecosystems have been decreasing on a global level.
• Trees and forests have many different uses.
• People's uses of trees and forests have changed over time.
• Farming practices and choice of crops have changed over time.
• There is currently a supply and demand resource issue with timber
• Tree crops can be grown on farms (farm forestry).
• Farm forestry can contribute a number of values to a farm, and to a region.
• Farm forestry can be an example of sustainable management, providing environmental, economic and social benefits.

Student Focus Questions

Sample focus questions include:

1. Finding out about trees and how they affect me
   • What timber products do I use?
   • What other benefits do trees provide me/the community?
2. Where does the timber I use come from?
   • Which forests areas of the world, Australia, Victoria provide me with timber?
   • Where do different timbers come from?
   • Will we be able to continue getting all the timber we need?
   • Are timber supplies running out?
   • Will there be increasing demand for farm forestry timber (compared to forest timbers)?
3. What is farm forestry?
   • What is farm forestry?
   • How does farm forestry differ from other forms of forestry?
   • Where are farms, farm forests and natural forests located within Victoria and in my region?
4. How can farm forestry help sustainable management?
   • What will happen if global forests cannot meet human demand for timber?
   • What natural and human processes influence forests and farms?
   • What impacts can poor farming activities have on the environment?
   • How can farm forestry benefit the farm, catchments and regions?
5. Making it real - Investigating some farm forestry sites
   • What influences the choice of farm forestry species for a particular farm/region?
   • What factors influence the uptake of farm forestry?
6. What role does farm forestry have in a sustainable future?
   • How can farm forestry contribute to the sustainability of a farm and the sustainable use of environments?
   • What role can I play in using trees sustainably?

Loan Kit of Activity and Fieldwork Materials

A loan kit of materials is available for some of the activities and fieldwork.
This kit is available for loan from the Victorian Landcare Centre Creswick.
  For bookings: Phone 5345 2200, Fax 5345 2795, PO Box 3 Creswick, 3363.
The school will need to pay return postage costs.

Contents of farm forestry curriculum support kit available for loan