Outreach

AHUG holds numerous Forest Awareness Forums for elementary students within the AHUG region. The students are given the opportunity to participate in four projects.

Paper-Making

The paper-making project teaches the students science and history while they enjoy a hands-on experience in making paper from wood pulp supplied by a local paper mill. The process involves mixing the pulp with water to make a slurry that is then filtered. The water is vacuumed out in order to form a round piece of paper. The history of writing materials used through the centuries is explained.

Forest of Many Uses

The Forest of Many Uses activity gives the students an opportunity to examine pictures of items that include or come directly from wood or trees. The students have an opportunity to share their discoveries and learn about many products that contain derivatives or additives from wood, as well as, recognizable products we use in our everyday lives. Every “Tree for Itself” has been added as a part of this activity. How a tree grows and what it needs to grow is reviewed. Also, what happens if there are not enough nutrients, water, or sunlight? The students are then asked to become a tree in the forest and they are given the opportunity to compete for nutrients, sunlight, and water. Some continue to grow while others are affected by the drought, disease, and overcrowding. Both math and science concepts are incorporated.

Tree Cookie

In this workshop, the students are able to examine large “tree cookies” (slices of trees). This session teaches the students how a tree grows and what the different width of rings signify. They learn that a wide ring was an indication of a dry, slow growing year. They are also able to relate to certain historical facts that had occurred within the age of the tree. They identify their birth years, parent’s or teacher’s birth years and other dates of interest to them.

There’s a Future in Our Forest

This station educates students about the many career opportunities available within the wood industry. Each career is broken down into a topic of interest including math, science, outdoors, machinery, and computers. Photos of individuals performing tasks related to various careers are passed out to students and then reviewed. We discuss the career description, its primary topic of interest, education requirements, and the career’s importance to the wood products industry.

Click the Image Below to check out the 2015 WoodMobile