4-H Forestry Project
For Kids and Teachers

Forestry and Natural Resources are fascinating study for young people. Forests have a natural attraction for youngsters and the aim of this site is to provide ideas and resources to aid 4-H agents, youth and teachers in exploring forests, forestry and forest products. There is a wealth of forestry information and resources available. So let's get started!

One easy way for youngsters to learn about forests, by doing projects, is as part of a local 4-H club. 4-H Forestry is active in Mississippi with project publications and competitive events from the county level to state and nationals. 4-H foresters learn about tree biology, forest management systems, how to plant trees, the size and value of our forests and lots more. There's a 4-H club near you. Contact your local county 4-H agent to join. Just want to explore 4-H in Mississippi? Jump to the 4-H home page and take a look for yourself.

The new "Forests of Fun" national 4-H forestry curriculum (released in 2005) is the first for Forestry since 1979. Foresters, educators, curriculum specialists, county Extension agents and volunteer leaders from around the country collaborated to create the new curriculum.

The "Forests of Fun" curriculum enables youth to gain a life-long appreciation of forests as sources of multiple benefits for society. These publications and the supporting website (http://4hccsprojects.com/forestry/) provide research-based information and activities to guide volunteer leaders and stimulate youngster's natural interest in forests.

The curriculum is available from your state 4-H office and from the 4-H Cooperative Curriculum System (4-HCCS) through its website at www.n4hccs.org.

Annually, about 86,000 Mississippi youngsters are in 4-H activities, many of them in Conservation and natural resources clubs. Each year competitions are held in forestry. Here's how it works:

* 4-H county clubs are actively working on forestry projects and learning about forests throughout the year. They are making leaf collections, practicing tree measurement, learning about tree biology and forest management practices, collecting seeds, growing seedlings, collecting publications, and lots more.

* In the spring, counties hold their local 4-H forestry competitions to see which teams of 4-H foresters will move on to higher competition. Junior 4-Hers (8-13 years old) advance to the district competitions and senior 4-Hers (14-19 years old) advance to the state forestry competition. They compete in tree identification, tree measurement, forest insect and disease identification and forestry knowledge.

* In June, state and district forestry competitions are held and winners determined. The senior state champion 4-H Forestry team wins the Acorn Trophy and the right to represent Mississippi at the National 4-H Forestry Invitational held in August at Jackson's Mill State 4-H Conference Center in West Virginia. This is an all-expenses-paid trip for the champion team and their coaches.

* After the competitions 4-Hers go back to project work and the cycle starts again.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I get started in 4-H Forestry?
What projects can I do in Forestry?
What about careers in Forestry and Forest Products?

Publications

MSUcares 4-H Youth Publications

Other 4-H Forestry Information

The following list will help you to explore forestry further:

For Teachers and Kids
The Teacher's Conservation Workshop and Project Learning Tree are projects sponsored by the Mississippi Forestry Association in Mississippi. The Teacher's Conservation Workshop is an educational opportunity for teachers to earn college credit toward recertification during the summer while learning about Mississippi's forests. Scholarships are also available to help support your study.
Project Learning Tree is a curriculum that uses the forest as a vehicle to help students learn how to solve problems and think critically.

The Wood Magic Science Fair
The Wood Magic Science Fair is an exciting program to teach 5th graders about the properties of wood and uses of forest products in our lives. The Wood Magic Science Fair Trailer visits schools and events. Maybe your class could go to the fair. To inquire about scheduling the WMSF trailer for your area, contact Britton Hatcher at 662-226-6000.

The Mississippi Forestry Association
The Mississippi Forestry Association has a standing Youth Forestry Committee that promotes youth learning about forests. The committee gives a Youth Forestry Award each year and seeks to help educators teach sound forestry to the next generation of Mississippians. MFA also has nearly 64 affiliated local county forestry associations. These CFAs are active in local communities and are eager to help local teachers. Check the MFA web page to see if your county has a CFA and start working together. There are also some good forestry links on this site.

The National Arbor Day Foundation
has a section on "Teaching Youth About Trees" and lots of information about tree planting and arbor day programs.

National 4-H Forestry Invitational Website

Study Aids

A set of PowerPoint presentations have been developed to help 4-Hers study for the Mississippi 4-H Forestry competition. The presentations may be viewed as PDF or may be downloaded to your computer as PowerPoint.

4-H Forestry Project Overview PDF || PowerPoint
4-H Forestry Diseases Study Guide PDF || PowerPoint
4-H Forestry Diseases Test PDF || PowerPoint (Blank score sheet || Answers)
4-H Forestry Insects Study Guide PDF || PowerPoint
4-H Forestry Insects Test PDF || PowerPoint (Blank score sheet || Answers)

Tree Identification Links

Resources on the World Wide Web that can help your 4-Hers learn to identify trees by leaves, bark, flowers, fruit, and other characteristics. Here are some tree identification sites we've located:

  • Identification of Common Trees of Iowa is a web site that has a dichotomous key for identifying trees. The key leads the user through a series of questions about the tree's characteristics, eventually ending at a color photo of the identified tree. This site also has 72 species of trees available and informative forest terms, and explanations of how trees grow.
  • Trees of the Pacific Northwest at Oregon State University gives a key to common conifers in the Pacific Northwest
  • Dendrology Homepage at Virginia Tech has a wealth of tree identification information to help students learning their trees. The site includes a key for identifying trees, a tree of the week, fact sheets on trees, and more. A Great Site.

Forest Insects and Disease ID Links

These are resources on the World Wide Web that are useful to help 4-Hers learn tree insects and diseases. These links are a good starting point for your study of forest insects and diseases.

  • Insects on WWW is a wonderful site for insects at Virginia Tech and is designed for beginners. You can select the "Forest" option and find hundreds of insect images. You can even hear insect sounds! Another good site.
  • Shade and Forest Insects. This is the forest insect section of the Entomology at Clemson University web site. For insect lovers this is a neat site with good color photos. This site also has many good "bug links".
  • Forest Pest. This site shows some of the most important forest insects and diseases of Ohio.

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