Mysteries of the Boreal Forest

Why do trees grow tall? How many trees does it take to build a house? Are trees important to streams? These are just a few of the questions posed as a challenge to students in ‘Mysteries of the Boreal Forest’, an educational kit that has been produced and distributed by the Lake Abitibi Model Forest since 2000.

The objective of ‘Mysteries’ is to provide a resource that stimulates student interest in the stewardship of their forest resources, and also gives them a broad understanding of the issues involved in resource management. This objective is achieved by the publication in that it is a true educational tool that can be readily used by teachers to reach the goals prescribed in their curriculum.

There was solid support for this project through the Model Forest Network in Canada. In 2000, the Network Translation Committee provided a financial contribution that enabled ‘Mysteries’ to be translated into French. The document is now available as English-French bilingual, and the possibility of producing a Spanish version was explored. Since its production and printing, hundreds of requests for copies from a broad cross-section of model forest audiences have been issued to the LAMF office, with a significant number of these requests coming directly from industry. Copies of Mysteries of the Boreal Forest were a major contribution by the LAMF to the Eastern Canadian Teachers’ Tour in 2000 and 2001 at the Canadian Ecology Centre near Mattawa Ontario.  Although initial distribution only included Ontario, publications are now being spread across Canada and internationally.

The publication of Mysteries of the Boreal Forest stands as a major Phase II achievement for the LAMF. Partners for this project included members of the Lake Abitibi Model Forest, the Canadian Model Forest Network and the District School Board Ontario Northeast.