Teach

Teacher and Volunteer Resources

The NFW-BC Coalition provides a range of referenced educational materials for teachers and free handout materials for students year-round. We will send the materials, for free, upon completion and submission of the request form.

The coalition, through an agreement with the Forest Nursery Association of BC, also provides tree seedlings to teachers and forest professional volunteers for use as handouts to the students. Contact the coalition about seeding requests, or click the link for a list of nurseries.

BC tree and wood teacher resource

The coalition has produced a Teacher Resource Kit as a tool to provide teachers or volunteer forest classroom educators with a package of material to base a lesson plan upon regarding the main BC trees for Grade 4-5 classes. 

Although the kit focuses on this level of instruction, there is information that could be used for other elementary class levels.

• Download the Teacher Resource Kit.

Online education

A sampling of educational materials produced by instructors and institutions in BC:

• Virtual Forest Tour in Pacific Spirit Park, by Dr. Nina Hewitt (Department of Geography, Faculty of Science, UBC). Hewitt created the video in spring 2020 as a substitute for in-person field trips for the UBC Geography course: Our Changing Environment: Climates and Ecosystems. Hewitt also produced an augmented reality app version of the tour.

• Dr. Patrick Culbert (Faculty of Forestry, UBC) created a series of forest-walk videos  on the UBC FRST350 (Foundational Field School) YouTube Channel. The videos cover a wide range of forestry topics. The first is an introduction by Dr. Culbert.

• Hélène Marcoux, BCIT Forest and Natural Areas Management faculty member, produced a series of Youtube videos called “Interviews with Plants,” including one on Pacific ninebark (Physocarpus capitatus). 

BC forests

• A Walk in the Forest (3.12’ video)

A Walk in the Woods – Willow River Demonstration Forest

• Chapter 1 – Coniferous Trees (2:09′);
• Chapter 2 – Deciduous Trees (3:56′);
• Chapter 3 – Wildlife (2:27′);
• Chapter 4 – Nutrition (1:30′);
• Chapter 5 – Succession (1:50′);
• Chapter 6 – Management (2:16′);
• Chapter 7- Fire (4:28′).

What foresters do

• BC’s Forests Require Special Care – Professional Reliance and Forest Professionals (4.23’ video) 

First Nations and forests

• • Definition of Indigenous (2.26’ video)

Safety

If you’re planning a trip outdoors, leave a trip plan. AdventureSmart, a national prevention program for Canadians and visitors who participate in outdoor recreational activities, offers an app to help plan your outdoor excursion, as well as a other safety information and a video to help you plan a safe trip.

Forests and climate change

• Tackling climate change – use wood (5.34’ video)  
• Forest products are part of the climate change solution (2.12’ video)
• Genomics in Society, a collaborative UBC initiative with the purpose of developing multimedia online educational materials tailored to the BC high school science curriculum, with a specific focus on connections to Indigenous heritage, community, and traditional knowledge.
• How carbon flows through forests and wood (PDF).

Tree seed production for regeneration

• Seed selection and climate change adaptation (2.55’ video)
• BC seed orchards (2.05’ video)

Other resources

Tree and wood identification

• Tree Identification lesson (PDF file)
• Tree Identification lesson support notes (PDF file)
• Tree Identification lesson answer sheet  (PDF file)
• Trees and Wood: An Identification Resource Guide in the U.S.

Forest birds

• Introduction to bird identification – wings, beaks, feet, songs (21.48’ video) 
• Merlin Bird ID, Cornell University, bird identification using basic information, such as size, colour, location;
• BirdNET, Cornell University, features app to record, analyze, and identify birds by sounds;
• eBIrd, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, bird identification and the ability to create checklists;
• All About Bald Eagles (article);
• Bird migration in the western hemisphere.

Forest animals in the winter

• Scavenger Hunt: Preparing for Winter Forest lesson (PDF file)
• Scavenger Hunt: picture guide lesson (PDF file)
• Hibernation adaptation introduction lesson (Power point file)

Field day example

• • 100 Mile House (used byTara Dzenis and others)
  • Nelson
  • Port Alberni
  • Prince George

Promotional materials

• • To obtain the various promotional items, download and complete the Handout Materials Request Form BCNFW 2022.
  • Download the Federation of BC Woodlots-NFW Colouring Book ((, 11,664 KB).