Urban Forests

A Supplement to Florida's Project Learning Tree

The vast majority of Florida teachers and youth live in urban forests. While some of the PLT activities are well suited to being used in urban areas, few of them convey the many benefits of urban forests to city residents. This is a companion document for educators who have the PreK-8 PLT Activity Guide. This supplement helps youth see their community’s urban forests as significant, valuable, and worth sustaining. It is based on three themes: urban forest ecology, benefits of an urban forest, and strategies for improving urban forest health.

All of the new lessons incorporate Florida’s Sunshine State Standards and most promote science-based investigations on school grounds. A committee of natural resource professionals and educators reviewed this document for factual and educational accuracy.

This 79-page document provides educators with background information and identifies 28 PLT activities that already work well in urban areas; 19 PLT activities that can be adapted with suggestions to be more applicable to an urban space; 6 urban forest extensions to existing PLT activities; and 6 new urban forest activities.

Urban Forests Supplement (download)

In order to view the supplement you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader, the industry-standard uniform document exchange software that comes preloaded on most computers these days. If you don't have Acrobat Reader loaded, you can at download it for *free*.

Awards and Recognition

  • Reviewed and accepted for inclusion in the National Environmental Education Directory.
  • Gold Award for Excellence and High Distinction for Youth and Teacher Education Program by Southern Regional Extension Forestry (2007)
  • Communication Award for Long Publication by the Florida Association for Natural Resource Extension Professionals (2006).

Urban Forestry Activity Additions

Search the National PLT database to find urban forestry resources to enhance existing PLT activities.

Urban Forestry Resources

 

Florida Division of ForestryThis material has been prepared with USDA Forest Service Urban and Community
Forestry grant funds received through the Florida Division of Forestry and resources
from the School of Forest Resources and Conservation and the College of Agriculture
and Life Science at the University of Florida and International Paper Company.