Forest Literacy Framework

Four kids looking at leaves
 

“It’s critical that we, as a society, learn to see and understand these values. Building this awareness requires a broad approach that includes youth, consumers, advocates, economists, scientists, teachers, and many others involved in the forest and conservation sector. Understanding our connection to trees needs to start at an early age and grow throughout our lives”

Tara Topping
Secondary School Teacher, Ottawa, Ontario

“It’s critical that we, as a society, learn to see and understand these values. Building this awareness requires a broad approach that includes youth, consumers, advocates, economists, scientists, teachers, and many others involved in the forest and conservation sector. Understanding our connection to trees needs to start at an early age and grow throughout our lives”

Tara Topping
Secondary School Teacher, Ottawa, Ontario
 

A Guide to Teaching and Learning About Forests

PLT Canada’s Forest Literacy Framework translates the language of forests and sustainable forest management into concepts for everyone. The framework offers 100 forest concepts for Grades K-12, organized into four themes:

  • What is a forest?
  • Why do forests matter?
  • How do we sustain our forests?
  • What is our responsibility to forests?

Whether you are a teacher interested in connecting your kids to the trees in your schoolyard, or a forest professional looking for guidance on delivering a workshop – this framework helps to layout the knowledge and skills surrounding forests and related topics. The Forest Literacy Framework presents a conceptual structure to increase people’s understanding of forests and empower them to take actions that benefit forests and all of us.

Cover of theforest literacy framework

Download the complete Forest Literacy Framework or explore each section by:

 

Download


By Grade Level


By Hot Topics

A hand touching a small plant

Public Health

Forests and trees supply an abundance of ecosystem services that help in creating healthy living environments and in restoring degraded ecosystems.

Forest Concepts for Public Health

 

A bee collects pollen from a white flower

Climate Change

Climate change is one of our most pressing global challenges, and sustainably managed forests are among our most important tools for addressing it.

Forest Concepts for Climate Change

 

A tall building standing behind a small forest

Urban Forests

Urban forests provide key ecosystem services, like purifying water and air, that are essential to healthy human communities.

Forest Concepts for Urban Forests

 

Amy Rose stands in front of logs, wearing a hard hat and vest

Green Jobs

Green jobs are rewarding careers that also help instill a passion for the outdoors.

Forest Concepts for Green Jobs

 

A person fighting a wildfire

Wildfire

Vigorous and healthy forests are more likely to withstand the effects of wildfire.

Forest Concepts for Wildfire

 

A stream running through a forest

Indigenous Connections to Land

Indigenous Peoples are leaders in sustainable forest management and place-based traditional knowledge.

Indigenous Connections to Land


By Theme

Young people sit on a log in a forest and listen to an educator

Defining Forests

Understanding the relationship between forests and humans, and how forests make a difference in our lives.

Explore Forests as Ecosystems

 

A bird rests on a tree branch

Forests Matter

Understanding the importance of sustainably managed forests to humans, by making connections between forests and our own lives. 

Discover the Importance of Forests

 

Seedlings grow out of the soil

Sustainability

Understanding that our forests are sustained through a rich variety of agreements and collaborative partnerships that span private and public sectors.

Learn About Sustainably Managed Forests

 

A river running through a forest

Our Responsibility

Identifying ways to become stewards of the forests to help sustain them for present and future generations.

Take Action to Sustain Forests


More Resources

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