Centennial Seeds to Sow

When the Wisconsin School Forest Program started almost 100 years ago in 1928 following the great cutover, Wisconsin students planted tens of thousands of trees. Those trees have grown and been managed by generations of foresters. Although long-lived, trees eventually age and decline. Seedlings from the state nursery help replace trees to supplement natural regeneration after sustainable harvest and natural decline. These seedlings also allow landowners to manage for specific goals such as improved wildlife habitat, converting marginal agricultural lands to forests, and replacing species such as ash that have succumbed to invasive species or disease.

Where do seeds come from? Thank that pesky spring pollen! Coniferous trees form seeds after pollen from male cones is carried by the wind to female cones, where the sperm cells in the pollen join with the ovule in the female cone and cause fertilization. The seeds develop for a year and then fall from trees or are scattered by animals that eat some of the seeds. All non-coniferous trees are flower-bearing and form seeds in fruits, such as acorns or walnuts, and even the winged samaras that helicopter from maples in the wind.

You and your students can play an important role in preparing to celebrate the Wisconsin School Forest Centennial in spring 2028 by helping ensure there are plenty of seedlings to go around! Seeds you collect this fall will be planted at the state nursery and grow into seedlings to be distributed back to forests around the state. At the same time, the students will learn tree biology and ecology and, in a good year, raise some funds for your FFA program, ecology club or school!

Peace of Mind in the Great Outdoors: Dealing with bugs

Permission slips are signed, the bus is reserved, students are excited, and your lesson plans are on point. You’re ready for a fun and educational day in the forest! But did you remember to plan ahead for mosquitoes and ticks? Because they are ready for you! Biting pests are a near certainty for spring trips in Wisconsin, and it’s important for the sake of your students’ enjoyment and health that you have a plan for how to manage them. 

Know your school's insect repellent policy.

Can teachers provide and help apply it for students, or is that not allowed? Can students supply and apply their own? If so, are there students with health concerns that need to be farther away when the spray is being applied? You also might have policies about what type of bug spray can be used. If natural repellents are preferred, there are recipes online for making your own. (A LEAF staff favorite concoction is 40 drops of eucalyptus essential oil and 40 drops of lemongrass essential oil in 8 ounces of water.) Regardless of what type of repellent is used, teach students not to spray it in their faces, and to wash their hands before eating. 

Proper clothing goes a long way in reducing bug bites and tick exposure.

Long sleeves and pants are a must in buggy areas, even on warm days. Hats help too, and even bug net face coverings might be in order. Perhaps your local hardware store or the PTA is willing to donate a class set of head nets. Though middle school students might be hard to convince, the good old trick of tucking your pants into your socks is a surefire way to help reduce tick exposure.

Weather plays a role in determining how bad the mosquitoes are.

Mosquitoes need standing water to breed, so recent rain means an increased likelihood of swarms. This also means mosquitoes will be worse in areas near ponds, swamps or bogs, so consider that when planning your outings. A strong wind can keep mosquitoes from sticking around long enough to bite, so use that to your advantage by spending more of your time in breezy areas, if possible. Cooler days are also less likely to be problematic. 

Don't skip the "tick check".

How you deal with bugs can become part of your school’s culture in a way that contributes to, rather than detracts from, enjoyment of your outdoor spaces. Since ticks can’t spread their bacteria unless they’ve been attached to skin for at least 24 hours, make the “tick check” an important part of returning to school after a trip. Some Wisconsin schools use their tick collection as a fun educational tool. One school has a competition between grade levels for who finds the most ticks, and another school graphs each day’s finds by actually taping the ticks to paper! Regardless of your approach to bug management, we wish you and your students joyful spring days in the forest!

NRF Fieldtrip: Visit Cadott School Forest with LEAF

Natural Resource Foundation (NRF) members are invited to join Steve Schmidt from LEAF on Thursday, July 17th, for a field trip to the 160-acre Cadott School Forest.

Led by Cadott School Forest educator Keith Becker, participants will hike a 3-mile trail along burbling creeks and through a covered bridge.

Participants will also learn about the nearly-100 year history of Wisconsin's School Forest Program and its importance to conservation.

This field trip is part of 278 field trips the NRF is offering this year exploring Wisconsin lands.

PLT's Explore Your Environment now available in Spanish

Project Learning Tree's Explora tu Ambiente: Guía de Actividades K-8 is available for purchase as an e-book for educators who prefer to have the entire guide in Spanish.

• Participants in our Step Outside online class can now choose between receiving their e-book in Spanish or in English.

• If you teach bilingual learners and need Spanish language student pages to go with the copy of Explore Your Environment that you already own, these student pages are now available as a free download.

Early childhood materials are also available in Spanish! The Familia & Amigos pages that accompany Trees & Me can be downloaded for free. For instructions on accessing these free downloads, to purchase an Explora tu Ambiente e-book, or to request information about training for these materials, contact Nicole at wcee-plt@uwsp.edu. 

There's still time: Plan your back-to-school trainings

For most of you this may be the last thing on your mind, but for others, particularly administrators and people in leadership roles, now is a good time to be planning for back-to-school season. It's not too late to schedule LEAF staff for back-to-school training workshops.

Teacher professional development days leading up to the first day of school are a very popular time for LEAF in-service training. Our professional development agendas include invigorating hands-on, outdoor activities that are great for setting the tone for a new school year, and time for curriculum planning is also built in.

If your school or district has learning goals that include teaching in and about Wisconsin’s forests, don't delay, schedule a back-to-school in-service from LEAF. Visit the Trainings by Request section of our Professional Development page to learn more about our customized training options, or contact us today to talk about what we can do for you.

Feedback is always welcome at leaf@uwsp.edu.

Contact Us! 

Have questions or need additional resources? Contact us at leaf@uwsp.edu. We are here to support educators and students with forestry opportunities.

Published for May 2025