Resources for Activity 2: Cast of Thousands

Overview:
Students will explore the variety of life in a forest and will discover the importance of
biological diversity. They will take measurements, in much the same way as a forester does, to draw conclusions about the overall health of the forest.

Subjects: Biology, Environmental Science, Language Arts, Geography, Math, Social
Studies.

Student Pages
Forest Measurement Guide
Tree Damage and Signs of Disturbance
Inventory Recording Form
Soil Studies
Abiotic Measurement Chart

Additional Resources
The www.soils.org website provides a “state soils” directory where you can learn about the substrate profile of your particular state!

Urban and Community Forestry Website Connections
www.plt.org/cms/urbanforestry

Earth & Sky Radio Correlations
This activity can be supplemented with related Earth & Sky radio shows that you can download for use in your classroom. Learn about the PLT and Earth & Sky Initiative.

Related Earth & Sky Shows:
- Robert Bonnie Says Agreement Protects Both Wildlife and Landowners (2008) 
- Neil Sampson: 'We depend on forests every day' (2008) 
- Jo Pierce: 'Private forests mean income, and much more' (2008)  
- Jo Pierce’s Tree Farm Sustained with Careful, Long-term thinking (2008) 
- Robert Bonnie on Financial Incentives for Preserving Forests (2008)
- Neil Sampson Says Climate Change Speeding Flux of Forest Ecosystems (2008)  
- Sally Collins, with an Overview of U.S. Forests in the Early 21st Century (2008) 
- Sally Collins: 6,000 Acres of Open Land Lost to Development Daily (2008)