Forest Watch
Forest Watch is an environmental education program developed and run by the Complex Systems Research Center at the University of New Hampshire (UNH). The program is designed to introduce both teachers and their students to field, laboratory and satellite data analysis methods for assessing the health of local forest stands. Forest Watch conducts workshops that help K-12 teachers introduce their students to hands-on techniques for evaluating the health of white pine (Pinus strobus), a bio-indicator for tropospheric ozone damage. Through Forest Watch, students become actively involved in meaningful scientific research, as students and teachers set up permanent sampling plots in a forest stand and conduct several ecological and biophysical measurements using scientific protocols. The data students collect is a valuable resource for UNH researchers.
Forest Watch has two main objectives: 1) to introduce teachers to techniques that allow students to assess environmental conditions of forest stands and tree species over time; and 2) to provide data to research scientists in order to assess the regional impacts of air pollution on forested species. In conducting ecological site assessments, students are introduced to several science disciplines, including botany, biology, chemistry and physics, as well as some nonscientific disciplines. Professional development workshops are offered to teachers around the New England region.
CONTACTS: Barry Rock, Program Director, or Mike Gagnon, Program Coordinator, Complex Systems Research Center, Morse Hall, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824, Phone: 603-862-1792, Fax: 603-862-0188, Email: forestwatch@unh.edu.