Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2007 with funding from Microsoft Corporation http://www.archive.org/details/forestryinnatureOOunitrich .JUU^. &K S^- 1210 Issued September 29, 1909. U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS— SPECIAL CIRCULAR. A. C. TRUE, Director. OF THE COLLEGE CF^ FORESTRY IN NATURE STUDY. ISSUED BY THE OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS IN COOPERATION WITH THE FOREST SERVICE. [GlFFORD PlNCHOT, FORESTER.] WASHINGTON: GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 19 0 9. AGRIC. DEPT. LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL. U. S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Experiment Stations, Washington, D. C, September i, 1909. Sir : I have the honor to transmit herewith a manuscript prepared by the Forest Service for special distribution among teachers at the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition. In view of the large interests of the Northwest and of the whole country in forest conservation and in the methods of forest replacement, and the growing interest of public-school teachers in these matters, it seems desirable to present this tentative plan of elementary instruction in the subject to the attention of teachers for the purpose of drawing out their criticisms and suggestions with reference to it. With the understanding that the results of such suggestions shall be embodied in more permanent form in future bulletins by this Office, I therefore recommend the immediate publication of this manuscript as a special circular of this Office. Kespectfully, A. C. True, Director. Hon. W. M. Hays, Acting Secretary of Agriculture. 2 FORESTRY IN NATURE STUDY. The development of forestry and^mjture study in this country has been practically contemporaneous. A generation ago little was known of either; to-day the one has come to occupy an important place in national life, the other an essential part in school life. Both, however, are still young in this country but growing rapidly, and are ever stretching out to new and wider fields — forestry, that all may realize its importance to the nation's welfare; nature study, in a constant search for suitable material to work upon. As a result of these tendencies forestry and tree study are every year becoming more prominent in nature-study courses, and very properly so, for they are preeminently adapted to such use. Dr. Clifton F. Hodge defines nature study as " learning those things in nature that are best worth knowing, to the end of doing those things that make life most worth living." The purpose of nature study is to inculcate a love and an appreciation for the beauti- ful and wonderful in nature and to train the mind to acuteness in observation. Few things fulfill the requirements of these definitions so well or contribute so fully to the accomplishment of these aims as does the forest. In the forest can be found a wealth of material; it is one of the most sublime and useful of nature's institutions; it is replete with myriad forms of vegetable and animal life; the forest itself, as a whole, is living and active; it is full of the won- derful and the beautiful ; it is teeming with interest at every season of the year ; and it is accessible to almost everyone. The forest offers almost unlimited opportunity for botanical study, and the tree holds the advantage over other plants in that it is never out of season and can sustain the child's interest for an indefinite time. While the individual trees furnish excellent material for study, it is the forest as a whole, with its vital influences on the life and well- being of mankind, its effects upon the water, the soil, the rain and the snowfall and the winds, and upon the various forms of animal life — in short, it is the relation which the forest bears to all else in nature that should prove especially attractive to the nature-study teacher and the source of greatest delight and most useful knowledge. To interest the child in the forest is an easy task. The mystery and strength of the woods have always appealed most strongly to the 337239 3 4 v • ' +/i\ FORESTRY IN NATURE STUDY. child,; ahdvainb;£g the dietished tales in children's literature are the svories of the forests and 'their inhabitants. The outline which follows is for the most part a compilation of the successful experience of successful nature-study teachers. The prac- tical lines along which it has been evolved should merit for it a wide application. It is not proposed that the entire outline should be introduced by any one school, but that suitable portions of it be adapted to the needs and conditions of each school and utilized as part of the regular nature-study course. Field excursions and actual work among the trees are of far greater value than mere class-room exercises and add much pleasure and healthfulness to the study. Trips to the woods should be made in winter as well as during other seasons. It is in winter, when the trees are stripped of their foliage, that the forest best imparts its secrets. Particular stress should be laid upon school nurseries and planta- tions. It is through these that the most practical lessons can be learned and permanent interest awakened. Planting trees on Arbor Day, or on any other day, is likely to do more harm than good unless the planting is properly done and the trees taken proper care of there- after. In the school nursery the requisite knowledge and interest can be gained. Gathering and planting seeds, tending the little seedlings, establishing and caring for the plantation, and seeing it thrive under proper management, must serve as valuable object lessons which will leave their impressions through life. The problem of having the gardens cared for during the months of vacation can be met by the formation of a volunteer club from among the chil- dren for that purpose. Many schools have found that the plan works well with school gardens, and it should be equally successful with tree work. The Forest Service of the Department of Agriculture will gladly furnish, without cost, outlines of a plan for school nurseries and plantations, and publications for use as text-books. Photographs may also be found very useful in the work suggested, and these can be supplied at small cost. NATURE STUDY. First Grade. Fall Term. Have the children bring in autumn leaves and mount them on cardboard. Teach them to distinguish a few common trees of the neighborhood by their leaves. Have simple drawings of leaves made or have leaves cut out of paper. Winter Term. Simple lessons on the usefulness of trees in nature; for example, they furnish homes for birds, animals, and man. The tree as a living thing, and as a good friend. Shapes of trees in sight from the school-room windows. Songs and stories of trees. FORESTRY IN KATURE STUDY. 5 Spring Term. General lesson on the effect of spring in the life of the tree. Observe in what order trees of the neighborhood put forth their foliage. Draw and paint pic- tures of leaves. Sow seeds in soil and on water, observing carefully the various stages of germination and growth. Second Grade. Fall Term. Have the children bring in seed pods, nuts, cones, etc., and mount good speci- mens. Trace, draw, or paint them. Show how trees are preparing for winter by dropping their leaves and covering their buds. Winter Term, Call attention to winter buds. Place twig, of maple if possible, in water and observe development of buds. The woods in winter. Stories. Pictures of woods in winter (snow scenes), lumber camps, sleds, sugar making, trapping. Spring Term. Development of winter buds, the coming of blossoms, catkins, leaves, etc. Have maple twigs brought to school. Tell how spring causes sap to flow in the tree. Place a twig in colored water and after a day or two split it and observe how the colored liquid has risen and in what part of the wood. Third Grade. Fall Term. Have the children bring in as many kinds of tree leaves as possible, and make simple classification by shape, margin, and veining. Study and paint a few specimens of leaves, fruit, and seed pods. Distinguish as many hardwoods as possible by leaves, nuts, seed pods, etc. Seed production and distribution. Winter Term. Take up the study of evergreens; pines, cedars, holly, live oak. Have twigs and cones brought to school. Observe cones and their structure. Stories of the pine tree, the Christmas tree, the fir tree, etc. Tell that evergreens are always covered with foliage. The needles remain on the tree for two years or more, while new leaves appear every spring. (Silvical Leaflets 1 to 24, 26 to to 37, and 39. Forest Planting Leaflets 57, 60, 65, 67, 68, 70, 72, and 73, Forest Service. ) Spring Term. Study of leaf structure. Study of tree, flower, foliage, and fruit, from a botanical standpoint. Plant some willow cuttings in wet sand and see whether they will develop roots. Place twigs of different trees in jars of water and watch results. (Forest Service Circular 96.) Fourth Grade. Fall Term. Study the life of an individual tree in its most elementary aspect from the seed to its final use by man ; its struggle for life against birds, insects, rabbits, frost; as a baby tree; as a mother tree; birds making their nests in its boughs. How a tree heals its wounds. Stories about trees. (Farmers' Bulletin 173 and Farmers' Bulletin 134, pp. 26-31.) Winter Term. Take up a further study of evergreens. Have drawings made of cones and winged seeds. Study arrangement of needles, leaves, or scales on the twig. Draw blackboard studies of evergreens. Show the characteristics of foliage and cones of different species. (See third grade, winter term.) O FORESTRY IN NATURE STUDY. Spring Term. Draw and color pictures of blossoms. Take trips into the woods; study the ground under the trees and note the structure of this forest floor; the thick canopy of leaves above ; the long, clean trunks ; how closely together the branches grow; how dark and cool it is in the forest. The forest as a whole. Begin to list time when seed of each species is ripened. (Farmers' Bulletin 173, Farmers' Bulletin 134, pp. 24-26, and Farmers' Bulletin 358, pp. 35-37. Year- book Separate 329.) Fifth Grade. Fall Term. Begin study of the life of the tree. First the three parts— crown, trunk, and roots. Show the picture of the whole tree, of the root system, of the trunk. Observe the roots of an upturned tree in the neighborhood, if possible, or note root growth exposed by the cutting away of an embankment. Explain the office performed by each part in collecting, digesting, distributing, and assimi- lating food, and in other functions of the tree's life. Tell how sap ceases to flow as winter approaches, and its effect on the foliage and growth of the tree. Reproduction; how pollen is distributed. Cut seeds open and examine their structure. Continue listing time of seed ripening. (Farmer's Bulletins 173 and 134, pp. 21^31.) Winter Term. The structure and growth of the tree. The annual rings of growth. The inactive, strong heartwood; the weaker, active sapwood. The inner and outer bark and their functions in the life of the tree. Food ascends in sapwood, is digested in the leaves, and descends on the inner side of the inner bark. The medullary rays and their use. Show pictures of cross-sections of trees and, if possible, cross-sections of the trees themselves. Explain " grain " of different woods. Show Hough's "American Woods." Take these subjects up in connec- tion with woodworking. Start the class keeping records of when the different trees perform their various life functions; in late winter record when the buds begin to swell. These observations should be kept up for an entire year. Apply to the U. S. Forest Service, Washington, D. C, for instructions and blanks for recording these phenological observations. (Farmers' Bulletin 173.) Spring Term. How the tree breathes. Transpiration : Invert a glass, as a bell jar, over an active plant; the moisture will condense on the glass. Trees in bloom. Ob- serve them in yards, on streets, in parks and woods. Study flowers of the wil- lows, horse chestnut, black locust, linden, maple, common hazel, cottonwood. Fertilization ; reproduction ; reproduction by sprouts. Record the time of burst- ing of buds, of blossoming, leafing out, ripening of fruit, etc., and recommend that the work be continued after school has closed for the summer. (Farmers' Bulletin 173. Forest Service Circular 96.) Sixth Grade. Fall Term. Resume observing time of performance* of functions of tree life and collect data recorded by pupils during vacation. Record time of ripening and falling of seeds, change in color of leaves, etc. Growth and distribution of seed. Have a collection made of seeds of the various trees in the locality, and placed in cabinet. (Forest Service Bulletin 29.) Winter Term. The tree in winter. Box elder and scarlet oak in their winter condition; pines and pine forests; pine forests and forests of deciduous trees compared. rrir.!™ s>lnoc< i-n+n +y,n