2013 FORESTRY – TRAINING HANDOUT
KAREN L. LANCOUR
National Rules Committee Chairman – Life Science
DISCLAIMER - This presentation was prepared using draft rules. There may be some changes in the final copy
of the rules. The rules which will be in your Coaches Manual and Student Manuals will be the official rules.
 BE SURE TO CHECK THE 2013 EVENT RULES for EVENT PARAMETERS.
 THE NATIONAL TREE LIST may be found at www.soinc.org under Event Information. States
may modify the list for State and Regional Tournaments. Check your state website.
TRAINING MATERIALS:
 Training Power Point presents an overview of material in the training handout
 Training Handout presents introductory topic content information for the event
 Sample Tournament has sample problems with key
 Event Supervisor Guide has event preparation tips, setup needs and scoring tips
 Internet Resource & Training Materials are available on the Science Olympiad website at
www.soinc.org under Event Information.
 A Biology-Earth Science CD, the National Audubon Society Field Guides to North American Trees
(East Region and West Region) as well as the Division B and Division C Test Packets are available
from SO store at www.soinc.org
NATIONAL TREE LIST:
This national tree list has been set up by families. It is based upon the National Audubon
Society Field Guide to North American Trees. (East Region and West Region). Page numbers for Audubon
Field Guides are on the Official List. State and regional competitions may use modified lists provided by the
state director.
THE COMPETITION :
 Taxonomic Scheme of the 2013 Official Science Olympiad Tree List is used in competition
 The National (or State) Tree List will be used for taxonomy questions.
 Identification, tree anatomy & physiology, reproduction, habitat characteristics, ecology,
conservation, biogeography
 Process Skills: observation, inferences, data and diagram analysis
FAMILIES OF TREES: The tree lists are arranged by families. The families have general
characteristics for all of the species within the family. Pay attention to these characteristics!!
General tips on arrangement are:
1. The Audubon Field Guide is arranged according to the family arrangement
within the Orders of Trees and Shrubs.
2. Gymnosperms are followed by angiosperms with dicots first and then monocots.
3. Species are arranged alphabetically within the family by scientific name.
4. Color plates are arranged by leaf color key, flower color key, fruit and cone key,
and autumn leaf key.
5. Each specie listing has plate numbers for photos within the color plates and
a text section explaining description, habitat, and range of the species.
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GENERAL MORPHOLOGY:
Tree – woody plant with an erect perennial trunk at least 3 inches in diameter
and a total height of at least 13 feet at maturity with a definitely formed crown of foliage.
Shape – overall tree shapes include pyramidal, conical, columnar, spreading, vase-shaped,broad, and
rounded.
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Leaves – leaves can be needle-shaped, scale-shaped, or broad and flat.
Broad leaves can be simple or compound and are arranged along the branch in an opposite,
alternate, or whorled pattern.
Leaf shapes include linear (grasslike), lanceolate (lance-shaped), oblanceolate
(reverse lance-shaped), round, ovate (egg-shaped), obovate (reverse egg-shaped),
oblong, elliptical (oval), and spatulate (spoon-shaped).
The edges of leaves can be without teeth (entire) or toothed. The edges may also be wavy,
turned under, or deeply divided into parts or lobes.
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Leaf Types:
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Leaf Morphology
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Flowers – flowers have sepals which are usually green and leaf-like, petals with are brightly colored,
stamens (the male reproductive structures) and pistals (the female reproductive
structures.)
Most tree flowers are bisexual, but some are only one sex. The two sexes can appear on
separate trees or on different locations on the same tree.
Some flowers are born singly but more commonly they are clustered.
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Fruit – the fruit may be a berry, drupe, pome, multiple fruit, aggregate fruit, acorn or other
nut, key (samara), achene, pod, capsule or follicle.
Simple fruit can be dry or fleshy. If it develops from several pistals, it is an aggregate.
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ECOLOGICAL RELATIONSHIPS:
Major types of forests – their specific habitats, soils, and climate conditions.
Northern Forests – spruces, firs, pines, tamarack, paper birch, quaking aspen
Pacific Coast Forest – western hemlock, redwood, Douglas fir, western red cedar
Western Mountain Forests – ponderosa pine, lodgepole pine, Engleman spruce, Douglas fir.
Northeastern Deciduous Forests – eastern hemlock, American beech, red oak, basswood,
sugar maple beech, maples
Central Forests – tuliptree, sycamore, shagbark hickory, white oak, Ohio buckeye
Southeastern Forest – Loblolly pine, shortleaf pine, longleaf pine, mockernut hickory,
live oak.
Subtropical Forest – red mangrove, black mangrove, cabbage palmetto
Unforested Areas – desert, grassland, tundra
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Tree Ecology:
Growth requirements - trees belonging to the same group or family may have different
growth requirements as temperature, moisture, and soil types. Some grow in pure
stands but many grow in association with other species of trees.
Environmental impacts of trees – their role in the stability of their ecosystems.
Things they provide and problems created by misuse and natural factors as forest fires.
Interspecies relationships – relationship with other trees and plants and the animals
within their ecosystem. Some animals are very specific about the type of tree
they require within their ecosystem.
Role within their ecosystems – place within the food chains and food webs of
their ecosystems.
Economic impact - lumbering, erosion prevention, oxygen production, wildlife habitats,
food sources, shade.
Uses for the various parts of a tree – wood types and uses, bark, leaves, fruits, seeds,
roots,
Mode of dispersal of their seeds – cones vs. flowers, fleshy fruits, wind, water, animal
transport.
Benefit of Trees to the Environment
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Carry on Photosynthesis - use carbon dioxide, water
and sun energy to produce oxygen and carbohydrates to benefit all of us
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Prevent erosion - roots help keep soil in place

Improve Air Quality – absorb harmful pollutants through the pores of leaf surfaces as nitrogen dioxide,
sulfur dioxide, ozone, and carbon monoxide (estimates conclude that 100 trees remove up to five tons of
CO2, 400 pounds of ozone, and 300 pounds of small particulate matter)
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Remove CO2, ozone, small particulate matter – trapped and filtered by leaves and branches
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Help with global warming – remove greenhouse gases
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Keep us cool – Provide shade and by transpiration through leaves that releases moisture into the air
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Trap rainwater - One hundred mature trees catch approximately 250,000 gallons of rainwater each year

Help keep water quality high – trees clean water as it passes through their roots on its way into the
groundwater supply
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Challenges to Forest Populations:
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Fragmented Forests – small patches of woods don’t provide enough food or protection from predators
and housing developments breakup forest habitats
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Harvesting issues – methods used to harvest trees from a forest affect help of tree populations
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Exotic Species – can cause serious damage because of their lack of natural enemies to keep their
populations in check
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Atmospheric threats – acid rain and airborne pollutants can weaken trees making them more
susceptible to insect infestation and disease and acid rain can interfere with absorption of soil nutrients
stunting tree growth
PREPARING FOR COMPETITION
Field Guide
 Study the organization of the field guide
 Note that the page numbers of the Audubon Field Guides are on the Official Tree List
 Tab the field guide with very small useful tabs so it is not cluttered and can be easily used
 Notice how the Family characteristics come first and then the species arrangement is alphabetical
 Practice using the Field Guide to identify specimens or photos
 Practice under timed conditions to prepare for competition
Study Binder
 The most effective resources are the ones produced by the students.
 The process of producing the resources is a major learning tool.
 Have a copy of the rules in your binder
 Have a copy of the lists (birds, fossils if applicable) in your binder
 Prepare and organize materials by major topic divisions.
 Place materials from many different sources into your topic divisions
 Reduce the size of pictures where possible to get more information on a page.
 Color code information to help you locate or emphasize key items.
 Put pages in sheet protectors – two per protector to save space.
 Use tabs to separate sections.
 Label tabs so items can be located with ease.
Power Point Slides - make power point slides for trees and use them so you can use them to study
Flash Cards – make a set of flashcards with pictures on the front and information on the back
Actual Specimens – collect and preserve actual specimens of leaves – put data on the back so
you can use them for study. See the section following on collecting and preserving leaves
Timer – prepare practice stations and use the timer to improve efficiency of your teamwork skills
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COLLECTING AND PRESERVING LEAVES
Collecting Leaves
1. Only collect leaves on a sunny day and after dew has dried.
2. Collect good leaves, leaves that have not been damaged by insects, diseases or the sun.
3. Always collect more than one leaf. Collect a small branch full. That way, you will be sure to get a good
representative of the tree.
4. When removing specimens from the tree, it is best to use pruning shears so that you minimize your impact on
the tree.
5. If you are working with a compound leaf, try to get the whole leaf.
6. When removing a specimen from a tree that has opposite arrangement, try to remove two or four leaves with
their position on the stem intact.
7. Press the leaves within an hour after collecting or before they dry out.
Pressing Leaves - it is important to remove as much moisture from the leaves as quickly as possible.
1. Do not fold the leaf.
2. Place each leaf, or several leaves between 2 layers of absorbent paper as paper towel or
newspaper.
3. Press the leaf or leaves between absorbent papers in a large book or leaf press.
4. Place extra weight on the large book or tighten the leaf press strap to squeeze out the
moisture.
5. Allow several days for pressing.
6. If time permits, change the paper towels on the leaves after the first couple days of pressing.
Mounting Leaves
1. Mount the leaves and place in sheet protector of a photo album or between acetate or cellophane sheets.
Another option is to laminate the leaves.
2. Label the specimens with scientific name, common name, date of collection, name of collector, location,
notes about identification – put the information on the back so you can use the specimen for study like a
flashcard
3. Arrange leaves by species within families.
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PREPARING COMPETITION RESOURCES
 Learn the trees so resources will be used as little as possible. The most successful teams
use very limited resources in competition.
 Use notes for material you want to use that is not in the Field Guide or on the Tree List
 Check the event parameter so you know what is allowed in the competition.
 Since the events are timed, organization of materials is essential for the most
effective use of the materials during the competition.
 Organize materials on each page to maximize available space
 Cut and paste items to organize materials more effectively on a page.
 Write notes in margins or with pictures.
 Color code information to help you locate or emphasize key items.
 Use front and back of the page.
 Place the page in a protective sleeve or laminate it so it won’t get wet or damaged.
TIPS FOR COMPETION
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Dried leaves may look different from live leaf or a photo of the leaf - it’s texture may change with drying
Try to identify the specimen to the family and then decide what species it is
Use common sense when answering not identification questions
Be careful to spell Scientific names and common names correctly
Work as a team and use your teamwork skills to finish the requested tasks
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