4-H Forestry Resources
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.
- Forest Pests. This site shows some of the most important forest insects and diseases of Ohio.
Publications
News
There’s always something new happening in the world of Extension. This time, the spotlight is on a new workshop: “From Micro to Macro: Growing Ag Literacy.”
Before we get into the specifics, you might be asking, “what is ag literacy and why is it important?” (Photo by Kevin Hudson)
Housing start fluctuations and an abundance of timber are limiting the ceiling on stumpage prices in Mississippi now, but expect the market to improve when sawmills begin stocking up for winter.
We are excited to shine a spotlight on the Mississippi Forestry Association! They just concluded their annual meeting in Biloxi. Hurricane Nate almost interrupted, but the event was pulled off without a hitch!
Success Stories
Ray Henderson’s love for the outdoors began in his youth with learning by doing in 4-H Forestry. He won the State 4-H Congress competition, went to nationals, and placed fifth. After he aged out of the youth development program, he pursued a career with the U.S. Forest Service, and he volunteered in the 1990s as a coach for a few 4-H Forestry teams in Wayne and Greene Counties.
Patrick Lemoine has been guiding young people for nearly two decades. As a volunteer with the Mississippi State University Extension Service 4-H youth development program, he’s coached numerous 4-H forestry, poultry, and livestock teams to victories. But his 2019 Rankin County 4-H forestry team’s second-place win at the National 4-H Forestry Invitational in August was one of his proudest accomplishments.
Harry Dendy of Clinton first joined the Mississippi State University Extension Service 4-H Youth Development program in Chickasaw County 62 years ago, when he was 10 years old. Forestry was his main project area.