connecting wood and the forest Overview Often we take wood products for granted, perhaps because they are so common in our lives. Sometimes focusing on concrete examples makes it easier to make connections between ourselves and distant sources of origin. Objectives Starting with familiar items in everyday use around us, students are encouraged to investigate the connections between themselves and distant forests. Procedure Students start by identifying wood products. To help provide ideas, a list of a few such products follows: Paper products--books, calendars, computer paper, money, newspapers, magazines, wallpaper, cards, pictures/hangings, toilet tissues, bags, boxes, etc. Other products--wheelbarrows, sleds, skis, shoes, fences, gates, pencils, tool handles, cellophane, rayon, varnish, charcoal, bats, hockey sticks, chopping blocks, signs, basketball courts, decoys, toothpicks, chopsticks, railroad cars, toys, boats, etc. Furniture--chairs, tables, shelves, drawers, counter tops, lamps, musical instruments, clocks, bowls, etc. Construction--floors, ceilings, walls, window frames, shingles, doors, moldings, stairs, etc. As an option, obscure or unusual wood products can be emphasized. After a list is developed, students can form small groups, each choosing a product to investigate. They can do one of the following: Trace the history of the item, describing its importance over time, and if applicable determine what was used before wood for that function. Determine the origin of the wood used in the product (forest type and location(s) in the world), and describe some of the plant/animal associations in that forest type including the importance of the tree species that produced the wood. Or, Research the entire manufacturing process that produced the wood product, starting with the method of logging, and including the economic and environmental impacts. Optionally contact students from a school in a region of the world that produces the wood material, for local information and perspective. References/Links The appropriate section(s) of this web site can be used as a starting point. Detailed information can be accessed through the links in the resource section on web sites of government, industry, and environmental organizations. Encyclopedias, periodicals, and printed references listed in this site's bibliography can also be used. return to the teachers' area