Consider the trees in your school grounds and neighborhood. What do you notice? A feeling of calm and relaxation? Wildlife habitat? Shade? You might be surprised at the variety of benefits we get from urban forests. Researchers categorize the urban tree benefits to humans into three dimensions: harm reduction, like curbing air pollution and heat exposure; restorative benefits, such reducing stress and improving mental condition; and capacity-building, like motivating active living and strengthening immune systems.

Urban forests provide ecosystem benefits too, like removing pollution, reducing stormwater runoff, and sequestering carbon. All of these benefits are measurable, and you can get your students involved in this quantification through platforms like the Wisconsin Community Tree Map and iTree.

Tree identification and tree measurement tools from LEAF will help you get started. If you request a WI Community Tree Map account, you can help your students input data about trees on your school grounds and make a meaningful contribution to knowledge about urban trees throughout Wisconsin. If you need a little support in your inventory endeavors, sign up for our online class, Using the Wisconsin Community Tree Map as an Educational Tool, which includes modules about tree benefits, data collection, data analysis, and the creation of an urban forestry lesson to use with your students.

If you want to maximize your opportunities for teaching and learning in the urban forest around your school, the resources from LEAF’s School Grounds Program might have just what you need. From lessons designed to implement just outside your door, to more complex school grounds enhancement resources or information about one-on-one support, LEAF is here to support you in your journey.

In our November 2023 LEAFlet, we previewed Wisconsin student forestry events - Science Olympiad, Envirothon, and Future Farmers of America Career Development Events (FFA CDE).

With those competitions concluded, we wanted to take a moment to congratulate the winners as well as all participants, parents, teachers, coaches, bus drivers, volunteers, administrators, and others who worked to make these events the amazing learning experiences that they are.

Wisconsin Science Olympiad

This year, this event included a Forestry event that tests students’ general forestry knowledge and tree identification. Students competed as part of a larger team, and tests in other subjects are added together for a total team score. The state competition was held in April at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

Envirothon is a natural resources team event with field skills and written tests in Forestry, Soils & Land Use, Wildlife, and Aquatic Ecology. Students also prepare a Current Issue team presentation based on a new environmental scenario each year. The competition was held in April at the Wisconsin Lions’ Camp in Rosholt.

The forestry winners were:

• High School - Ladysmith High School
• Middle School – Fox River Academy Middle School FFA

The FFA Forestry CDE includes field skills practicum, tree ID, forestry equipment ID, tree disease ID, as well as general forestry knowledge. Students take the written tests individually and the field skills are completed as a team. The state event is held at the UW-Madison Arboretum in April.

The team winners were:

• 1st Place - Marshfield
• 2nd Place - Granton
• 3rd Place - Owen-Withee

Individual winners were:

• 1st Place - Riddik Weber - Bay Port
• 2nd Place - Lucas Walker - Stanley-Boyd
• 3rd Place Connor Tieman - Thorp, Wyatt Dorshorst - Marshfield, Garrett Krause - Alma

Tree ID Kit

Time to squeeze a little Tree ID in at the end of the school year or in your summer school programming? LEAF’s Tree ID kit includes everything an educator needs to confidently work with students to master the skills of identifying trees that are native to Wisconsin.