Global Connections:
Forests of the World
Activity 1
Making the Global Connection
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Objective
 Identify ways that forests are important to
people and other living things.
 Develop and conduct a survey of family and
friends to learn what others think about their
connection to the world’s forests.
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Searchable Key
Words
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
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ecosystem services
forest commodity
forest product
world’s forests
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Background
Activity 1
Activity 1 –Making the Global Connection - Background
Am I connected to the forest?
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Activity 1 –Making the Global Connection - Background
Yes, we are…
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Activity 1 – Making the Global Connection: Background
Forests cover 30%
of the world’s land area
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Activity 1 - Making the Global Connection - Background
Major role of forests
1. Carbon cycle
2. Oxygen cycle
3. Nitrogen cycle
4. Soil stabilization
5. Gene storage
6. Regulate temperature
7. Regulate rain fall
8. Provide wood and fiber
9. Watershed protection
10. Habitat for animals and
plants
Image: http://climateofourfuture.org/thirsty-trees-drink-carbon-dioxide-instead/
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Activity 1 - Making the Global Connection - Background
Vocabulary
Watershed : The land area that delivers runoff water and
sediment to a major river or stream and its tributaries
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Activity 1 - Making the Global Connection - Background
Vocabulary
Habitat: The area that provides an animal or plant with
adequate food, water, shelter and living space
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Activity 1 - Making the Global Connection - Background
Vocabulary
Image: http://www.fws.gov/invasives/volunteersTrainingModule/invasives/plants.html
Ecosystem: The interacting system of a biological community
and its nonliving environment;
the place where those interactions occur
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Activity 1 - Making the Global Connection - Background
Vocabulary
Image: http://www.financial4x.com/products/commodity.html
Commodity: A good or service that is exchanged for
money
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Activity 1 - Making the Global Connection - Background
Forests Provide
Goods
Services
Wood Products:
Fuelwood,
Roundwood
Sawnwood
Removing air
pollutants
Carbon
storage
Nonwood forest
products:
Fiber
Food
Medicines
Cork
Resins
Watershed
functions
Regulate
weather
Create soil
Cycling
nutrients
Provide habitat
Maintain
biodiversity
Recreation
Employment
Water:
Drinking
Irrigation
Fodder:
Food for
animals
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Activity 1 - Making the Global Connection - Background
The value of wood
Nearly half the people on Earth
use wood as fuel for cooking and heating
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Activity 1 - Making the Global Connection - Background
Wood Use
Furniture
Tools
Paper
Building material
Packaging
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Activity 1 - Making the Global Connection - Background
Nonwood products…
Do you use these products?
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Activity 1 - Making the Global Connection - Background
Using the internet, find what tree or forest is
connected to the product below.
cork
maple syrup
mushrooms
natural rubber
bamboo
nuts
chicle
heart of palm
cola
ginseng
cocoa
honey
natural cosmetics
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Activity 1 - Making the Global Connection - Background
Human and trees:
psychological connections
• Recreation
• Ecotourism
• Relaxation
• Therapy
• Spiritual connections
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Activity 1 - Making the Global Connection - Background
Recreation
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Activity 1 - Making the Global Connection - Background
Ecotourism
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Activity 1 - Making the Global Connection - Background
Relaxation and therapy
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Activity 1 - Making the Global Connection - Background
Spiritual connection
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Doing the activity
Activity 1
Activity 1 – Doing the activity
Now, time to work!
We will develop and conduct a survey to
learn what others think about their
connections to the world’s forest
Question:
Make a list:
___________________
In what ways is your life
affected by forests?
___________________
___________________
___________________
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Activity 1 – Doing the activity
In what ways is your life affected by forests?
Class list:
Effect from:
___________________
____
___________________
____
___________________
____
___________________
____
___________________
____
Is this an effect from a local forest or from a forest
in another part of the world?
Label your list with either:
▲ Local forest
 Forest in another part of the world
Activity 1 – Doing the activity
Group discussion:
In what ways are we
connected to forests all
over the world?
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Activity 1 – Doing the activity
Let’s do a survey!
Question:
What do your family and friends believe about their connections to forests of the world?
Tool:
Write you own survey questions
or
Use the Forest of the World Opinionnaire (page 35) as a guide to create your own questionnaire.
Procedure:
•
•
•
•
Small groups for a brainstorm about questions on your survey.
Choose 2 or 3 of the best questions.
Test your questions with other students or teachers.
Revise it if necessary.
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Activity 1 – Doing the activity
Writing your own survey questions:
Possibilities of survey questions?
 Yes/No
 Multiple-choice
 Open-ended
 Combination
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Activity 1 – Doing the activity
Your survey questions:
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
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Activity 1 – Doing the activity
Revising your questions:
 Are there any duplicates that can be eliminated?
 Is there an appropriate number of questions?
 Is there a suitable variety of question forms?
 What order of questions would be best?
 Is there anything else the survey needs?
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Activity 1 – Doing the activity
Do the survey!
Deadline: _________
Sample size: _________
(How many completed surveys do we need?)
Who will compile the results?________
Who will make the charts and graphs?_______
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Activity 1 – Doing the activity
Survey results discussion:
 What does this survey tell us about what people think
about the forests of the world?
 Did any of the responses surprise you? How?
 Which aspects of forests were the most important and
least important to the people we surveyed?
 How did their responses compare with those of the
class?
Document your conclusions with appropriate
charts and graphs.
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Assessment
 Write a few paragraphs about what you
learned from developing the survey and
from evaluating the survey results
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Enrichment
Activity 1
Activity 1 – Enrichment: Interview
Interview with non-local resident
Meeting with a resident from another region of the country or
another country:
Questions:
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What memories do you have of the forests?
What did they look like?
How did those forests compare to forests here?
How did your family use the forests?
What attitudes did people have about forests compared to attitudes
here?
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Activity 1 – Enrichment: Technology
Using Technology
Use a graphing calculator or other technology tool to graph
and analyze the results of the survey.
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Activity 1 – Enrichment: Careers
Research Careers
• Surveys are a technique used in a number of
professions.
• Explore different ways that people might use
surveys on the job.
• Search magazines or newspapers for stories
that involve survey results or compare different
online survey tools.
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Resource
For additional sample survey questions, see
the “Perceptions of Forests” issue of the
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
of the United Nations’ international journal
of forestry, Unasylva 54, no. 213 (2003/2)
http://www.fao.org/docrep/005/y9882e/y9882e00.htm
.
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