What s in a Tree? Resource Report: Words to know: Next Generation Science Standards

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1 Resource Report: In this one-minute video clip from Georgia-Pacific, Chuck Leavell, a Georgia tree farmer and a member of The Rolling Stones rock band, discusses the importance of sustainable forestry to ensure that trees thrive for generations to come. Next Generation Science Standards Human Impacts on Earth s Systems, 5-ESS3-1 Individuals and communities work to protect Earth s resources and environments. For example, when a tree is cut down we can work to ensure that as much of the tree as possible is used. The bark is used to create energy and also is used for landscaping, wood chips become paper, and sawdust and wood shavings are used to make particleboard. Influence of Science, Engineering and Technology on Society and the Natural World, 3-5-ETS-1 People s needs and wants change over time, as do their demands for new and improved technologies. In the forestry industry, one example of improved technology is the development of lasers that provide precise cuts and enable us to use as much of every tree as possible. Words to know: conservation: planned management of a natural resource to prevent exploitation, destruction or neglect natural resources: resources in the environment that are useful to people, including soil, water, air, forests, coal, iron, minerals and natural gas sustainable: a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged sustainable forestry: the production of timber using environmentally sound practices that protect soil, water and wildlife and that ensure that we will have forests in the future tree farm: a place where trees are planted as seedlings, nurtured and managed until they are harvested. A tree farmer uses the renewable resource of trees wisely and carefully to ensure we have forests for future generations.

2 Introducing the Lesson: 1. Earth has a limited amount of natural resources. Explain to students that some of these resources are renewable and others are nonrenewable. Ask your class, What is the difference between renewable and nonrenewable resources? (Renewable resources are ones that can be used and replaced. Nonrenewable resources are ones that cannot be replaced.) 2. Explain that when you try to keep a resource from being wasted, you conserve that resource. Ask students, What are some ways that you conserve resources? (Students answers may cover everything from riding bikes instead of driving to save gasoline, using both sides of a sheet of paper or turning off the water when brushing teeth.) 3. Trees are renewable resources. Ask students, What are some of the products we get from trees? What are some of the other benefits of trees? (Products include sources of food; paper and wood products; sap for syrup, gum and soap; and bark for bulletin boards, corks and landscaping. Benefits may include roots holding soil in place, wind barriers, absorption of carbon dioxide, production of oxygen, shelter, shade and beauty.) Did you know? Georgia-Pacific works to make sure no part of the tree is wasted. Chips and wood waste from sawmills and plywood plants supply pulp and paper mills and plants that make hardboard.

3 Tree mendous Reforestation Next Generation Science Standard Earth and Human Activity, 5-ESS3-3 Individuals and communities work to protect Earth s resources and environments. Estimated Lesson Time: 45 minutes Words to know: deforestation: clearing a forest of trees nonrenewable resources: natural resources that can t be replaced once they are used, including petroleum, natural gas, coal and uranium reforestation: replanting or naturally regenerating an area that previously had trees Teacher Preparation: Gather the materials needed for the class experiment. Materials for each pair: 30 toothpicks large foam plate renewable resources: natural resources that can be replaced, including trees, water and soil sustainable: using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged sustainable forestry: the practice of managing a forest for different uses, including timber production and recreation, using environmentally sound practices that protect soil, water and wildlife and that ensure that we will have forests in the future Introducing the lesson: 1. Discuss with students what they know about renewable resources, including the fact that renewable resources such as trees, water and soil can be replaced once they are used. Then ask students the following questions: o Now that you know what renewable resources are, what do you think nonrenewable resources are? (Nonrenewable resources cannot be replaced once they are used.) o What are some examples of nonrenewable resources? (Answers might include coal, iron and petroleum.) 2. Next explain to students that, even though trees are a renewable resource, we still have to use them responsibly so that they will be around for future generations of people and wildlife. Ask these questions: o What does sustainable mean? (Able to be maintained at a certain level.) o What is sustainable forestry? (The practice of managing a forest for different uses, including timber production and recreation, using environmentally sound practices that protect soil, water and wildlife and that ensure that we will have forests in the future.)

4 Steps: 1. Provide each student pair with 30 toothpicks and a large foam plate. 2. Ask the pairs to stand the toothpicks upright in the plate to represent trees in a forest. 3. Assign each pair one of two labels sustainable forests or unsustainable forests. 4. Read each step of the Forestry Scenario aloud. Have the students within each pair take turns cutting down the allotted number of trees by removing the toothpicks from the plate. 5. Next have the partners sort their remaining trees into groups of five. Explain that groups will get one bonus toothpick for every group of five trees remaining. 6. Allow time for the pairs to continue making trips into the forests until the unsustainable forests have no more trees. (Note: The sustainable forests will always have 30 trees due to responsible cutting, planting and regeneration.) 7. Discuss the activity s results. Encourage students to write about the importance of sustainable forestry. Forest Facts: Georgia-Pacific promotes sustainable forestry so that there will be abundant, healthy diverse forests in the future. Georgia-Pacific supports all of the recognized forest certification organizations, including the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, the Forest Stewardship Council, the Canadian Standards Association, American Tree Farm System and the Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification. Did you know? Georgia-Pacific works in support of wildlife and habitats around the country. For example, the company is working to bring back the American Chestnut near the Georgia-Pacific Big Island, Virginia, operations. The tree was nearly wiped out by a fungal disease in the 1900s. But working in partnership with The American Chestnut Foundation, Georgia-Pacific has planted over 500 saplings. The company has a 20-year commitment to monitor and manage the test plot.

5 Forestry Scenario Sustainable Forest Trip One: 1. Your forest has 30 trees. 2. Five are cut down. 3. Now you have 25 trees left in the forest five groups of five. 4. You receive one new tree for each group of five. Plant five new trees. Trip Two: 1. Your forest has 30 trees. 2. Five are cut down. 3. Now you have 25 trees left in the forest five groups of five. 4. You receive one new tree for each group of five. Plant five new trees. Unsustainable Forest Trip One: 1. Your forest has 30 trees. 2. Ten are cut down. 3. Now you have 20 trees left in the forest four groups of five. 4. You receive one new tree for each group of five. Plant four new trees. Trip Three: 1. Your forest has 16 trees. 2. Ten are cut down. 3. Now you have 6 trees left in the forest one group of five (plus one extra tree). 4. You receive one new tree for each group of five. Plant one new tree. Trip Two: 1. Your forest has 24 trees. 2. Ten are cut down. 3. Now you have 14 trees left in the forest two groups of five (plus four extra trees). 4. You receive one new tree for each group of five. Plant two new trees. Trip Four: 1. Your forest has 7 trees are cut down. 3. Now you have no trees left in your forest.

6 The Story of Paper How many different kinds of paper have you used today? From cardboard boxes to notebooks, paper is all around us. Each type of paper is made a little differently. In general, to make paper, trees are cut and transported to a mill. At the mill, a debarker machine removes the bark from each log. The log is converted into wood chips. The wood chips are put into a pulp digester, where steam and chemicals break them down into a wood fiber mixture. The mixture, called pulp, is cleaned and sent to the paper machine. A pump sprays a thin layer of paper pulp, which is mostly water, onto a moving wire screen. The screen can be as large as 20 feet wide and can travel at speeds of 60 miles per hour. Water is drained and the pulp fibers become paper. The damp paper is fed onto rollers that press and dry it. The paper is then rolled up, cut and turned into different paper products maybe even the piece of paper you re holding right now. Name Directions: Read the selection. Number the sentences from 1 to 9 to show the order the events occur. The wood chips are cooked with chemicals to make a wood fiber mixture called pulp. The pulp is fed into the paper machine. The damp paper is pressed and dried. Trees are cut into logs and transported to the mill. Wood chips are created from leftover wood. The pulp fibers dry together. The paper is rolled up and converted into paper products. Did you know? Each time paper is recycled, its fibers get shorter and eventually won t hold together. That s why there s always a need for new wood fiber in the papermaking and paper recovery cycle. Next Generation Science Standard 5-ESS3-1 The bark is removed from each log.

7 The Story of Paper Answer Key 4 The wood chips are cooked with chemicals to make a wood fiber mixture called pulp. 5 The pulp is fed into the paper machine. 7 The damp paper is pressed and dried. 1 Trees are cut into logs and transported to the mill. 3 Wood chips are created from leftover wood. 6 The pulp fibers dry together. 8 The paper is rolled up and converted into paper products. 2 The bark is removed from each log.