Forests Are More Than Just Trees

Objectives:

• To identify at least three benefits of the living forest.

• To define the different layers in a forest and some animals that can be found in each
layer.
• To understand deforestation and why it is a serious problem.
• To become familiar with the following trees and know how they are used by today's
society:

American Elm
Box Elder
River Birch
Silver Maple
Sugar Maple
White Oak
White Pine
Shagbark
Hickory

Activities:

Students will each receive a "Forests Are More Than Just Trees" study guide.
Eco-Test questions will be taken from the guide.

Before the Eco-Test, a short presentation about forestry will be presented.

Study Questions:

1. What are the various things a forest manager must manage a forest for? How would
this make his/her job difficult?
2. Name the various forest layers and explain what each does.
3. What is "deforestation" and what problems/benefits does it create?
4. Which tree species are best used in construction? furniture? fence posts? Which
species benefits our society the most?
5. Which tree species grows best in moist woods? dry woods?
The Abilities of a Tree

(*Many original materials were developed by Grand Island teachers June Miller and Nancy
Meyer, including this lesson from "1981 Grand Island, Neb., Arbor Day Elementary School
Teaching Guide.")

Trees are living, breathing creatures. The fact that trees are, in many ways, like intelligent beings
may come as somewhat of a surprise to you. This can be explained clearly as follows:

1. A tree eats. Its tiny hair like roots beneath the earth's surface are always on the
hunt for such elements in the soil as nitrogen, calcium, phosphorus, potassium,
iron, copper, zinc, and magnesium.

2. A tree drinks. A generous supply of water is required for carrying nutrients from
the soil through the "digestive system" of the tree.

3. A tree digests its food. A tree has a digestive tract. Like a plumbing system, it
functions as elements from the soil flow through microscopic ducts in the
sapwood from the tiniest of root hairs to the most distant of leaves where tree
food is formed on contact with sunlight and C02. The food is then carried through
the tree to build up layers of cells in the cambium (the inner skin or growing
tissue). Tree growth and root development result.

4. A tree breathes. Like all living matter, a tree requires air. A hard, packed soil at
the base of the tree will cut off the tree's breathing. Supplies of oxygen and carbon
dioxide vital to the manufacture of food are absorbed through the soil by the
roots, as well as from the atmosphere by the leaves.

5. A tree reproduces. The tree is capable of rearing its own family. Many seeds have
wings that, with an assist by winds, carry them to points away from the parent
tree. There, soil and sunlight sufficiently permit new, fast growth.

6. A tree "talks." Listen to trees the next time the leaves rustle in the wind. Thomas
Hardy confirmed this when he wrote, "At the passing of a breeze the fir trees sob
and moan the ash hisses the beech rustles."

7. A tree sleeps. In the winter months, when deciduous trees lose their leaves and the
growing processes of evergreens slow down, a tree is getting its rest.

8. A tree has healing powers. A scar, if properly treated, will always heal as long as
the tree is alive and growing.
Did You Know

These interesting facts about trees?

*Aspirin comes from willow trees.

*Oaks are struck by lightning more than any other trees, while beeches are struck least
often.

*Ginkgo trees have the straightest branches.

*George Washington wore hand-carved wooden teeth.

*Each year, insects, diseases, windstorms and wildfires consume as much wood as people
do.

*An acre of trees produces enough oxygen to keep 18 people alive for a year.

*1,182 species of trees grow naturally in the U.S.

*When the Pilgrims arrived in America, 937 million acres were covered with forest.
Now, only 5.4 percent of forest remains.

*Chaining a bicycle to a tree can chip off its bark and lay the tree open to disease.

Izaak Walton League of America

Forests Are More Than Just Trees

Forests cover about one-third of the United States. Of these forests, the Corps of Engineers
manages 50,000 acres of timbered land. The rest are managed by other Federal and state
agencies and by private ownership.

Today, many forests are managed to meet many different needs. Some have large wilderness
areas that are managed to emphasize conditions that occur naturally. But most forests are
managed for specific uses, such as timber, recreation, hunting, and fishing. In their jobs forest
managers try to meet people's needs for forest products and recreation. At the same time, they
protect the living places called HABITATS of plants and animals by planting and harvesting
trees, improving wildlife areas, and preventing accidental fires.

Forests are special places where many kinds of trees, plants, and animals interact with each other
in many complex ways. Plants use sunlight to make food needed by animals. Animals, in turn,
help the plants by pollinating flowers, distributing seeds, controlling insects, and aerating the
soil. There are countless examples of these living connections between plants and animals.
Consider, for instance, the way squirrels bury acorns that later grow into oaks. The seeds later
grow into trees, which in turn, feed and shelter other squirrels.

Now think about how the oak grows from a tiny seedling to a majestic tree with a trunk wider
than your outstretched arms.

Indeed, let's think about how a whole forest starts from bare ground, grows, and changes. Like
all living things, a forest grows in stages; its physical structure changes over time. It goes from
bare ground to shrubs and small trees, and then from young forest to mature forest. At each stage
of growth, the forest supports different sizes and kinds of trees. As the forest slowly changes,
different kinds of animals move in as others move on to more suitable areas.

Every stage of a forest's growth is important to wildlife. Just as the living tree helps support the
forest, the dead tree also does its part. For instance, a forest filled with young trees is not good
for the woodpecker. The woodpecker prefers to peck away at dead or diseased trees, searching
for insects hiding underneath the soft bark or in the dead wood. Woodpeckers also raise their
young in the holes of dead, broken-topped trees called snags. Snags are important for a forest's
DIVERSITY. Diversity means the variety of plants and animals that live in a forest. Without
snags, for instance, a forest will have few woodpeckers. Likewise, without marshes, a forest will
have few ducks.

A forest can grow and change naturally or it can be changed by people. During the early
development of America, European settlers cleared much of the forested land for pastures and
cropland they needed to produce food. But the settlers also benefited from the forest's gifts: fish
and game for table and clothing, wood for their homes and furniture and, of course, for firewood.
Animals responded in different ways to these habitat changes. Rabbits, quail, deer, and other
animals that could adapt to farm settings began to flourish. But other animals didn't fare so well.
Some, such as wolves and cougars, were pushed out by the steady growth of the early
settlements and towns. Still other animals became extinct. One reason being that they slowly lost
the kinds of forested areas they needed to live; that is, they lost their habitat.

Toward the beginning of this century, people began to realize that the growing scarcity of trees,
as well as the decline and disappearance of certain animals, was becoming a problem. This led to
new ideas-forest management and wildlife management. Rather than just cut trees down, people
began to plant and even farm them. Today, nearly a hundred years after the first forest
management efforts began, forest and wildlife management are well established fields. These
two fields have clearly shown the need to protect forest and wildlife resources, not just for the
sake of trees and wildlife. By properly managing this natural heritage, we also can keep our air
and water clean and provide natural places for us to enjoy now and in the years, to come. One
thing we see in the changes of the forests is that many kinds of wildlife have very special living
requirements. Thus, if a forest is to support a variety of wildlife, it must have all the different
kinds of places and foods those animals need. But because many forests do not have these varied
spaces and foods, people must work to protect, manage, and even create wildlife habitats. This
basic principle of helping create the habitats those certain animals need, can be used to
encourage countless plants, mammals, birds, and reptiles.

Forest trees and other plants take in carbon dioxide and provide oxygen. Plants are also
PRODUCERS that is, they're the source of food for the animals, or CONSUMERS. The forest
also includes DECOMPOSERS, such as fungi and bacteria, which break down dead material,
turning it into soil and nutrients. LAYER UPON LAYER: If you look closely at the forest
system, you'll see that it is made up of many layers. These layers provide places for the forested
animals to nest, feed and carry out their other activities. Starting with the roof and working
down, the main layers of the forest are the CANOPY, the UNDERSTORY, and the FOREST
FLOOR. The branches and leaves of the tallest trees make up the canopy layer. Growing under
the canopy and adapted to living in the shade are shorter trees and shrubs that make up the under
story. Ferns, grasses, wildflowers, seedlings, logs, leaves, lichens, and mosses are all part of the
forest floor. Think of two animals or insects that live in each of the layers.

In that old rotting log, tiny seeds may grow, dropped there by animals or carried by wind and
water. Some tiny seeds become big trees with roots that grow deep into the ground. Roots, too,
have a special role to play. Besides supporting trees and shrubs, they absorb water and nutrients
from the soil. As a tree grows, its trunk gets thicker and thicker. Each year's growth adds a new
ring of wood; often time that is how foresters tell the age of trees.

There are many different types of forests, each with its own combination of plants and animals.
CONIFEROUS forest's trees bear seeds in cones and have needle-like leaves. Evergreens and
pines are the most common trees found in the Coniferous forest. You will find many birds in the
Coniferous forest because the trees provide good cover. DECIDUOUS 'forests are made up of
trees that lose their leaves in the fall. Most of the trees such as the colorful maples and oaks are
the ones we notice because of their brilliant hues. Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin are made up of a
MIXED, forest containing both CONIFEROUS and DECIDUOUS trees.

Forests are facing a lot of problems today. For example, acid rain and other forms of pollution
are damaging and, in some cases, even destroying many forests around the world. Uncontrolled
fires, which destroy thousands of acres of forests each year, are another problem. But one of the
most serious threats to forests worldwide is DEFORESTATION. Deforestation is clearing away
of forested lands for pastures, farmlands, and, other development. Much of the deforestation
that's occurring today is happening in the tropics, in areas such as the rain forests of Central and
South America and Asia. And it's occurring at an incredible rate. In the past century, about half
of the world's total acreage of tropical rain forest has been cleared away.

The reasons for deforestation in the tropics vary. For example, a lot of forests are being cleared
for subsistence; farmers farm the land for a couple of years and then are forced to move on after
the land has lost its productivity. Huge tracts of forests are also cleared by cattle ranchers who
convert the land to pasture.

Scientists aren't sure what the long-term effects of tropical deforestation will be, but many think
that it could seriously affect the Earth's climate. Others point out that by destroying these forests,
we're losing a huge potential source of medicines, foods, and other products that benefit people.
Of course when the tropical forests go, the incredible diversity of plants and animals that live
there will be destroyed. (Many scientists think that the tropics have thousands of plant and
animal species that we don't even know about yet. Forests are more than just trees. They provide
a valuable and varied resource. Everyone must work together to manage our forests for the
benefit of all.
*Forest Hotel –

Woodlands are like a multi-level hotel. Beneath the woodland floor is the basement, containing
tunnels and burrows which serve as the home to a variety of unique animals. The woodland floor
may be covered by mosses, fungi, and low-growing wildflowers. The next level of the "forest
hotel" may consist of a thick growth of shrubs and vines. Smaller trees make up the understory
layer of the hotel, and the penthouse suite is the high canopy, which forms the green ceiling of
the woodland.

Each of these layers supports a variety of wildlife dependent on woodland plants. Each spring,
the woodland seems to come to life one layer at a time as lower levels of the forest hotel become
green and bloom before the higher levels leaf out and block out sunlight.

*The Forest Hotel and Woodlands information obtained from “Iowa Woodlands” by Iowa
Association of Naturalists.
 Individual Tree Identification Information*

*Tree Information Obtained From:

FOREST TREES OF ILLINOIS

by Robert Mohlenbrock and

A NATURAL HISTORY OF TREES OF

EASTERN AND CENTRAL NORTH AMERICA by

Donald C. Peattie

Students, you should attempt to locate the above-mentioned books or any other tree identification
books to help you in understanding the following tree descriptions. Locate pictures of these trees,
check out field guidebooks and identify the trees in your home or schoolyard. The following
information is only a guide to get you started; you may wish to add your own notes on these
pages.

AMERICAN ELM
(Ulmus americana L.)

Other Name: White Elm

Growth Form: Large tree up to 80 feet tall, trunk

diameter up to 4 feet: crown broadly rounded or
sometimes flat-topped, usually with drooping
branchlets.

Bark: Light or dark gray, furrowed, at maturity

breaking into thin plates.

Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades oval to elliptic,

pointed at the tip, strongly asymmetrical at he base,
up to 6 inches long and about half as wide, coarsely
doubly toothed along the edges, the upper surface
dark green and smooth, the lower surface pale and
either softly hairy or smooth, leafstalks very short,
usually yellow,

Wood: Heavy, strong, pale brown.

Uses: Flooring, farm implements, shipbuilding, frequently planted as an ornamental and as a

shade tree, but greatly diminished in number by the Dutch Elm disease.

Habitat: Bottomland woods, along streams.

BOX ELDER
(Acer negundo L.)

Other Name: Ash-leaved Maple.

Growth Form: Medium tree up to 60 feet

tall; trunk diameter up to 4 feet; crown wide
spreading.

Bark: Light brown, ridged when young,

becoming deeply furrowed with age.

Leaves: Opposite, pinnately compound, with

3-7 leaflets; leaflets elliptic to ovate, up to 4
inches long, about half as broad, pointed at
the tip, tapering or rounded at the sometimes
asymmetrical base, smooth or usually
coarsely toothed along the edges or even
shallowly lobed, light green and smooth on
the upper surface, paler and smooth or hairy
on the lower surface.

Wood: Light weight, soft, close-grained, and white.

Uses: Paper pulp, interior finishing, furniture.

Habitat: Moist woods.

SUGAR MAPLE
(Acer saccharum Marsh)

Other Name: Hard Maple.

Growth Form: Medium to large tree up to 80 feet tall:

trunk diameter up to 3 feet; crown broadly rounded,
with many branches.

Bark: Gray to dark brown to black, becoming furrowed

and scaly.

Leaves: Opposite, simple; blades up to 5 inches long,

nearly as broad or a little broader, palmately 3 to 5-
lobed, the edges of the leaves sparsely and coarsely
toothed, dark green and smooth on the upper surface,
green or paler on the lower surface and usually smooth,
or sometimes hairy on the veins; leafstalks up to 3
inches long, smooth and sometimes hairy. The leaves turn brilliant shades of yellow and orange
in the autumn.

Wood: Heavy, strong, close-grained, light brown.

Uses: Furniture, interior finishing, cabinets; maple sugar is derived from the sap; frequently
grown as an ornamental.

Habitat: Moist Woods.

RIVER BIRCH
(Betula nigra L.)

Other Name: Red Birch

Growth Form: Up to 75 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 2 feet;

crown irregularly rounded.

Bark: Curling, shredding, brownish-pink to reddish-brown.

Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades rhombic to ovate, coarsely

doubly toothed, paler and densely hairy on the lower surface, up
to 3 inches long, acute at the tip, truncate or tapering to the base,
the leafstalks woolly.

Wood: Strong but light, pale brown.

Uses: Wood is used for furniture; sometimes planted as an

ornamental.

Habitat: Along rivers and streams; bottomland woods.

Distinguishing Features: The shaggy, peeling reddish-brown bark readily distinguishes this tree
from any other in Illinois, as does its rhombic, doubly toothed leaves.
WHITE OAK
(Quercus alba L.)\

Growth Form: Large tree up to 100 feet tall; trunk diameter

up to 3 feet; crown very broad, with stiff, horizontal branches;
trunk relatively short and rather tick.

Bark: Gray or whitish with gray patches, shallowly furrowed.

Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades usually with 7 or 9 lobes,

the lobes rounded and not bristle-tipped, the sinuses varying
from shallow to deep, the upper surface green and smooth, the
lower surface paler and smooth, up to 10 inches long, up to
half as wide, turning red in the autumn; leafstalks up to 1 inch
long, rather stout, smooth. Leaves on the same tree may vary
considerably.

Fruit: Acorns borne 1 or 2 together, with or without a stalk, the nut oblong, up to 3/4 inch long,
green to greenish-brown, often minutely hairy.

Wood: Heavy, hard, strong, durable, coarse-grained, pale brown.

Uses: Interior finishing, cabinets, general construction, fence posts, fuel, tight cooperage (barrel
making).

Habitat: Moist woods, wooded slopes, dry woods.

WHITE PINE
(Pinus strobus L.)

Growth Form: Tall tree well over 100 feet tall in some regions of
the United States; trunk diameter sometimes in excess of 3 feet;
crown pyramidal.

Bark: Brown, divided into broad ridges by shallow fissures.

Leaves: Needles in clusters of 5, very flexible, up to 5 inches long,

blue-green.

Fruit: Cones oblong, curved, drooping, up to 8 inches long, each

scale comprising the cone lacking any prickles; seeds narrowly
oblong, up to 1/4 inch long, with a wing up to 3/4 inch long.

Wood: Light in weight, soft, light brown.

Uses: Interior finishing, construction. Habitat: Moist woods, wooded slopes.

SHAGBARK HICKORY
(Carya ovata)

Growth Form: Medium to large tree up to 80 feet

tall; trunk diameter up to 3 1/2 feet; crown rounded,
with some of the branches often hanging.

Bark: Gray, separating into long, shreddy scales

giving the trunk a shaggy appearance.

Leaves: Alternate, pinnately compound, with 5-7

leaflets; leaflets ovate, obovate, or less commonly
lance-shaped, usually short pointed at the tip, tapering
to the base, up to 10 inches long, up to 5 inches wide,
finely toothed along the edges, with the tip of each
tooth with a minute tuft of hairs, green or yellow-
green and smooth on the upper surface, paler and
smooth or somewhat hairy on the lower surface.

Fruit: Spherical or occasionally punching bag

shaped, up to 2 inches across, the husk yellow-green
to reddish-brown, up to 1/2 inch thick, splitting all the
way to the base, the nut 4 angled, nearly white, the
seed sweet.

Wood: Heavy, hard, light brown close-grained.

Uses: Tool handles, fuel; the nuts are tasty.

Habitat: Low, shaded woods.

Distinguishing Features: The Shagbark Hickory is distinguished by its shaggy bark, its usually
5 large leaflets, and its large winter buds.
SILVER MAPLE
(Acer saccharinum L.)

Other Name: Soft Maple

Growth Form: Medium to large tree up to 100 feet

tall; trunk diameter up to 5 feet; crown usually
broadly rounded.

Bark: Gray or silvery, smooth at first, becoming

loose and scaly or even somewhat shaggy when old.

Leaves: opposite, simple; blades up to 8 inches

long, nearly as broad, deeply palmately 5-lobed, the
edges of the leaves sharply toothed, pale green and
smooth on the upper surface, silvery-white and
usually smooth on the lower surface, except in the
leaf axles; leafstalks smooth, up to 5 inches long,
often reddish.

Fruit: Borne in pairs, composed of a curved wing

with a seed at the base, green or yellow, up to 3
inches long.

Wood: Hard, close-grained, pale brown.

Uses: Furniture, sometimes grown as an ornamental, but the branchlets are brittle.

Habitat: Wet soil.

OTHER COMMON TREES OF IOWA ILLINOIS