Adopt-a-Forest

Checklist for Potential Adopted Forest

 Take the following steps to Adopt-a-Forest:

1. Look for small tracts of forest land within a short walk or bus ride from the school. For assistance with the search, contact a city forester or arborist, the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, city or county parks department, or county Agricultural Extension Service.

2. Examine each tract of forest and seek positive answers to all of the following questions:

a.  Is the forest free from major hazards (e.g., bluffs, pits or old wells, abandoned buildings, garbage, extensive berry patches, barbed-wire fences, etc.)?
b.  Is the forest accessible? Can students walk around it and enter it and move about with relative ease within it?
c.  Will the owners give permission for students to periodically enter the forest for purposes of study?
d.  Will owners agree to limits on their liability for injuries or accidents suffered by students using the property?
e.  Is the forest free from threats to the personal safety of students who go there to study?
f.  Is there a supportive surrounding community that would welcome and participate in volunteer projects to restore and improve the forest?

3. Evaluate forests to determine which best suit the educational agenda. Identify essential and desirable criteria, and apply criteria in matrix to make a comprehensive assessment.

4. Prepare a written curriculum plan detailing how the forest will be used for purposes of study.

5. The school Principal and science Teacher(s) should meet with the owner of the forest and discuss plans for adopting the forest. Develop a written agreement or memorandum of understanding to govern the use of the forest.

6. The science class should prepare an informational brochure/flyer and distribute it to the community surrounding the forest to explain what they will be doing to study the forest. Students should emphasize how they have taken responsibility to become community stewards for the forest.

7. The science Teacher(s) implement the curriculum plan.