This quarter-length course meets all benchmarks of the Interdependence Among Living Systems substrand of the Minnesota Academic Standards in Life Science while focusing on Minnesota forests. Topics include: tree anatomy and physiology, tree identification, forest ecology, silviculture, forest protection and management. During this course, students will completing a variety of assignments ranging from completing research on forests in Minnesota to exploring trees and forest ecosystems in their local communities. Students also have the opportunity to engage in discussions about current events that deal directly with forestry and ecology.

Course materials: Online readings from a variety of sources; other selected web sites. Students will need to provide some common household supplies including colored paper, markers, and several grocery supplies that are easily found. Before a student can enroll in a MNOHS science course, MNOHS must receive a permission form signed by a parent or guardian (if the student is under 18).

Standards met: This course can be paired with Biology Survey and any other quarter-length biology course, or with Biology B and Food Science, to help students meet the biology graduation requirement. It meets some of the standards and benchmarks in the following strands of the 2009 Minnesota Science Standards for Grades 9-12: The Nature of Science and Engineering; Life Science. 

Credit: 0.25

Honors Opportunity: No

Prerequisites: None