Join us in celebrating the International Day of Forests that takes place annually on 21 March, raising awareness of the importance of all types of forests.

When teaching about forests we often look at tropical rain forest, boreal, Mediterranean or mangrove forests in general and less often about those that exist in Britain.

Forests and areas of woodland have a very important part in supporting both our environment and the lives of people who depend on them. Trees help to provide clean air and essentially act as the ‘lungs’ of the Earth absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen.

They help to stabilise the ground and prevent erosion which in turn protects hilly landscapes from erosion and resulting flooding.

Forests also provide a rich biodiversity and home for countless plants and wildlife. Deforestation is therefore a major concern. It results in the destruction of habitats and opens areas to the threat of flooding and erosion which can impact on where and how people live.

Activity – be a woodland detective!

Using this Woodland detective activity sheet ask pupils to identify the meaning of the different words which describe woodlands in Britain. They can research using the internet or a dictionary. They are also asked to find examples of these using either the Magic Map website or a range of OS maps.

Magic Map: Interactive mapping at your fingertips

The task then invites them to locate important forests in Britain and identify the nearest town. They may be surprised at how many forests there are!

Other enquiry activities could include:

• Finding wooded areas in your area
• Creating vocabulary lists to do with trees
• Investigating ancient woodland
• Find areas of ancient woodland near you

Natural England – Defra: Ancient Woodland

Useful websites

• Hundreds of ideas of activities associated with woodlands – Woodland Trust: Outdoor learning resource pack
• Forestry England provides lots of information, places to visit and activities – Forestry England: Activity sheets
• This is suitable for primary pupils to use and deals with a range of activities, vocabulary and case studies in Scotland – BBC Bitesize: Forests
• Helpful site with up-to-date information – WWF: Why forests are so important

This teaching resource was written by Paula Richardson for the Geographical Association.