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Forestry Tour for Florida Educators
Did You Know...
…there are over five thousand everyday products that come from wood, its fiber and by-products?
…Wood is the only raw material that is at the same time renewable, recyclable, biodegradable, durable, versatile, energy efficient, and beautiful.
…In almost every state, including Florida, forestry ranks among the top 10 employers.
…Each year in Florida three trees are planted for every tree harvested?
…a tree 100 feet tall and 16 inches in diameter is required for every citizen of the United States for the wood and paper products we consume? |
You're Invited...
Each June the forestry community
offers educators an in-depth view of forestry in
Florida to show how sustainability is a key component
for the forestry profession.
A wealth of knowledge and experience is available to
participants:
- Discover first hand where products you use
every day come from.
- Learn about environmental issues
and how foresters work to meet the needs of the community
and the environment.
- Participate in hands-on activities
that will assist you in connecting what you see with the
curricula in the classroom.
Who: |
Florida educators who teach environmental or social studies, science, math, multi-disciplinary
classes or related topics. |
Where: |
Northeast Florida, with lodging in Fernandina Beach. |
When: |
June 16-19, 2009 |
Cost: |
FREE to Participants – Cost covered by sponsors. |
Benefit: |
The ideal adventure to link teachers to the
forest! An opportunity to learn about forestry in an
unbiased setting while earning 30 CEU hours. |
Apply: |
Deadline to apply is March 13, 2009. Download application (pdf). |
Contact Us:
For more information or to request an application-
Shaun Stewart, Florida Division of Forestry
Telephone: 352/ 754-6865
Email: stewars@doacs.state.fl.us |
“The emphasis on conservation, sustainable forestry, and public benefit are much more extensive than I ever thought.”
Robert Hoki – Vanguard High School
“I was armed and ready with my environmental views to play ‘The Lorax.’ Instead, I was introduced to a group of landowners, foresters and professionals from the mill industries who are knowledgeable about the environment and are primarily concerned with the sustainable development of forests.”
Angela Breza-Pierce – Lawton Chiles High School
 As a consumer, you have a vested interest in learning how
your needs are being met while protecting the diversity,
productivity and health of the forest ecosystem. As a teacher,
you have an interest in passing along the most accurate
information to your students.
The tour is designed to provide the maximum experience
possible in a very short time frame, leaving the hotel
by 7 a.m. and returning around 9 p.m., with catered meals
being provided at stops on the tour. By the end of the
3 days, we will have walked several miles through public
and private forests and toured a variety of mills
Registration and Orientation
Applications are accepted in advance to help fit participants
to sponsors. Registration and orientation are held Tuesday
afternoon in order to give participants a chance to visit
and enjoy Fernandina Beach and allow for an early start
Wednesday morning. For teachers arriving by air, a shuttle
service from the airport is provided by the Florida Division
of Forestry.
Accommodations
Forestry Teachers Tour participants are lodged at the
Hampton Inn & Suites in Fernandina Beach, Florida.
Roommate assignments help keep tour costs down and encourage
interaction between participants. Participants are transported
from one stop to the next on an air-conditioned charter
bus.
We typically assign roommates to help keep down tour
costs and to encourage interaction between tour participants.
The facility has a continental breakfast bar where teachers
meet for breakfast. Spouses and family members are not
permitted on the tours.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should the participants be elementary, middle or high
school teachers?
Educators of all levels are encouraged
to attend. Preference is given to teachers of environmental
studies, science, biology and related topics.
Who selects the teacher?
Teachers are most often selected by local sponsors.
A prospective participant’s reason for attending
is considered in the selection process. Sponsors are usually
a paper or lumber company, consultant forester, equipment
company, or landowner.
Who pays for the teacher's hotel room and food during
the tour?
Sponsors pay all the costs; some sponsors select a
particular teacher, others sponsor a meal. Every sponsor
belongs to the forestry community.
What do teachers need to bring with them?
Participants will receive a packing list of necessary
and suggested items. The dress for all activities is casual
with the majority of the time spent outdoors and visiting
mills.
Insect repellant and sunscreen, as well as personal protective
equipment (earplugs, safety glasses, hard hats) are provided
by sponsors. Comfortable walking shoes are strongly recommended.
As a rule of thumb teachers should pack:
- Long pants and closed-toe shoes (required safety items
at mills)
- Sun glasses
- Cameras
- Hat or other protection from the sun
- Any special needs, such as a specific sunscreen or
insect repellant
How much hiking/walking is required?
Most landowner tours involve stops with very little
walking. Mill tours are on foot, and there may be several
within one day, but there are breaks between tours and
stops along the way.
We hope you will find
this to be an
educationally rewarding experience.
Partners in the Florida Forestry Tour for
Educators:
Division
of Forestry
Florida
Forestry Association
Rayonier
Osceola National
Forest
Georgia-Pacific
Corporation
Smurfit-Stone
Container Corporation
Florida
Project Learning Tree
International Paper
Institute
of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS)
Dee Dot Timberlands
Contact Us for more information or to request an application
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