Using online maps and other digital information, students will identify the physical factors that shape their bioregion, including associated climate, elevation, and topography. They will identify which factors have the greatest influence on a particular forest type and will discover some regions of California that have “hot spots” of plant diversity.

Using the Atlas of the Biodiversity of California, students will examine the terrestrial biodiversity of their region and will compare it to three other selected towns in Northern California. They will study patterns and find relationships between variables such as precipitation, elevation, and plant richness.

After reading and discussion, students will make a concept map connecting the different ecosystem services forests provide to people and the natural world.

Students will understand the relationship between forest structure and function by comparing typical characteristics associated with unmanaged old-growth Douglas-fir forest to those of managed secondary stands. As an extension, they will interpret a figure from a scientific paper that shows different degrees of impact to vegetation and the need to manage wildlife at different scales.

Students will understand the form and function of different internal and external parts of a tree through reading, investigation, and discussion. They will label and briefly define the main parts of a tree including xylem, phloem, cambium, sapwood, heartwood, and bark.

Students will model how natural and human-caused disturbances can have a deleterious effect on a forest food web by removing links according to given scenarios. Following that they will identify some of the tradeoffs that occur between generalists and specialists.

Learning Objectives: Student will be able to calculate the average growth rate for one or more local tree species using various “tree cookies.”  They will identify potential influential factors that may have affected the observed form of their samples such as suppression or high levels of precipitation.       

Students will learn how to calculate common tree measurements used at the stand level in forest management such as diameter breast height (dbh), tree height, and basal area. During an extension activity, they will calculate stand basal area (stand density) and will predict how stand density might influence tree mortality and forest structure given various scenarios.

Students will read about how carbon is cycled in a forest ecosystem where they will identify and explain how the main carbon sinks and sources occur. Following that they will draw a carbon cycle that incorporates living trees, dead trees, decomposition, forest fires, and combustion, among other things.

Students will calculate biodiversity indices collected in a laboratory exercise intended to predict plant biodiversity in different habitats. They will be able to explain why multiple sampling is necessary to accurately quantify biodiversity. As an extension they will interpret a figure showing adequate sampling using species-area accumulation curves created from data collected in three different stages of recovery following logging in coast redwood forests across Humboldt County.

Students will be able to identify and describe the key features used to identify nearby native trees. Using identification keys, they will identify the dominant conifers and other trees that live in their area and will collect leaf samples to be compiled into a tree booklet.

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