Forest ecosystems unit plan

The following unit will cover several themes in forest ecology including: the history of forestry in Michigan, tree identification, and forest succession. These topics or themes tie directly into the ecology unit that I teach in my Biology, Botany and Environmental Science classes. Upon completion of this unit my students will understand the practices of science literacy which include identifying, using, inquiry, reflection and social implications. My goal, in this unit, is to foster a deep understanding and appreciation for forests, trees, ecology and ecosystems within my students. I would love for my students to be internally motivated and want to learn about the woods, trees and forests on their own outside of my classroom.

The above sources are what I used to put diagrams in my powerpoint and my handouts for leaf characterization and in the tree identification activities.

The above source is a printable version of a tree dichotomous key for tree identification.

The above source is a youtube link to the film For the Greatest Good.

Dickmann, Donald, and Larry Leefers. 2006. The Forests of Michigan. University of Michigan Press.

Chapter 2 – The Ecology of Michigan Forests, p. 31-51.

The above source will be read by students as homework several days before the unit on forest succession.
www.fdlrez.com/education/teacherpages/science/files/Succession.ppt

The above source is the link to the PowerPoint on forest succession that I will use in class on the 5^th day.

By incorporating multiple teaching techniques and styles in and out of the classroom over the course of one to two weeks, my students will be able to:

• 
  Think critically about forest ecology and ecosystems.
  
• 
  Describe the history of forestry in Michigan and a clearer picture of the context behind the history of forestry in Michigan.
  
• 
  Explain the history of forestry to their peers, parents or relatives.
  
• 
  Use their knowledge of leaf and tree vocabulary correctly to help assist them in identifying trees while using a dichotomous key.
  
• 
  Identify 20 or more deciduous trees in their local woods using a dichotomous key correctly.
  
• 
  Share their knowledge of tree species at home with parents and relatives.
  
• 
  Recognize forest succession and determine the stage of succession that any ecosystem is currently.
  
• 
  Interpret forest succession and the dynamic story that is hidden in a stand of trees.
  
• 
  Explain the different types of disturbances and their impacts on the local ecosystems.
  
• 
  Describe that not all disturbances are bad and that they are natural part of our planet.
  
• 
  Explore forests and ecosystems on their own time.
  
• 
  Develop a sincere interest in the forest while learning to identify the trees of the forest found here in southwest Michigan.
  

http://www.michigan.gov/documents/Biology_HCSE_168202_7.pdf

B1.1 Scientific Inquiry

B1.1A Generate new questions that can be investigated in the laboratory or field.

B1.1E Describe a reason for a given conclusion using evidence from an investigation.

B1.2 Scientific Reflection and Social Implications

B1.2B Identify and critique arguments about personal or societal issues based on scientific evidence.

B1.2E Evaluate the future career and occupational prospects of science fields.

B1.2k Analyze how science and society interact from a historical, political, economic or social perspective.

L3.p2 Relationships Among Organisms

L3.p2A Describe common relationships among organisms and provide examples of producer/consumer, predator prey, or parasite/host relationship.

L3.p2B Describe common ecological relationships between and among species and their environments (competition, territory, carrying capacity, natural balance, population, dependence, survival, and other biotic and abiotic factors).

B3.4 Changes in Ecosystems

B3.4A Describe ecosystem stability. Understand that if a disaster such as a flood or fire occurs, the damaged ecosystems is likely to recover in stages of succession that eventually result in a system similar to the original one.

B3.4B Recognize and describe that a great diversity of species increases the chance that at least some living organisms will survive in the face of cataclysmic changes in the ecosystem.

B3.4C Examine the negative impact of human activities.

B3.4x Human Impact

Humans can have tremendous impact on the environment. Sometimes their impact is beneficial, and sometime it is detrimental. Transport and movement of invasive species around the globe.

B3.5 Populations

B3.5B Explain the influences that affect population growth.

B3.5C Predict the consequences of an invading organism on the survival of other organisms.

1. 
   What logging strategies would you employ back in the 1800’s to the early logging industry if you could?
   
2. 
   What was one of the major impacts that shaped the forests and the landscape of Michigan 10,000 years before settlers arrived?
   
3. 
   What prompted the logging of white pine originally and why were all other trees ignored early in the logging era?
   
4. 
   What was President Roosevelt’s contribution to the forestry department of the US?
   
5. 
   
   

Students will learn the terminology/anatomy of trees and leaves in order to help them identify trees over the course a 3 to 4 days. The first two days will be learning the basics and with ppts and activities and the 3 day will be in the field tree identification. The first two days of prep will hopefully prevent student frustration in the field and give them some confidence. Students will be using a dichotomous key for tree identification.

LEAF CHARACTERIZATION PRACTICE ACTIVITY

NAMES: DATE: PERIOD:

Examine the 4 leaves you and your partners collected today outside and characterize each as to leaf type, stem arrangement, venation pattern, margin, shape, tip and base. An example has been given for you, I will come around and assist you.

HANDOUT – OUTLINE – EXAMINING LEAVES

Pat Breen, Oregon State Univ., Dept. of Horticulture

       To identify an item is to recognize the item and associate it with its appropriate name.  Such as, that tan automobile in front of our house is a Honda Accord.  Or, that large woody plant in the park is a tree, more specifically a Doug-fir.  Identifying a landscape or garden plant requires recognizing the plant by one or more characteristics, such as size, form, leaf shape, flower color, odor, etc., and linking that recognition with a name, either a common or so-called scientific name.  Accurate identification of a cultivated plant can be very helpful in knowing how it grows (e.g., size shape, texture, etc.) as well as how to care and protect it from pests and diseases.

       First let’s look at some common characteristics of plants that are useful in identifying them.   Now if this was a botany class dealing with plant systematics, the field of study concerned with identification, naming, classification, and evolution of plants, we would spend a good deal of time on the reproductive parts of plants, i.e., mostly the various parts of the flowers, i.e., ovary, stigma, etc.   Structural similarity of reproductive parts is an important means by which plants are categorized and grouped, and hence identified.  However, with many horticultural plants, especially woody plants, we may have to make an identity without regard to flowers, for often flowers are not present or are very small and other characteristics may be more obvious. Some plants characteristics are so obvious or unique that we can recognize them without a detailed examination of the plant. Similarly, we can probably all recognize a Volkswagen Beetle without having to read the nameplate on the car.

• 
  the blade, the wide or more obvious part of a leaf,
  
• 
  and the “stalk” or petiole by which the blade is attached to the stem. There is a bud at the point where the petiole attaches to the stem [see Sitka Alder, Alnus sinuata, leaf and buds].  (Use your browser's Back button to return to this page.)
  

Leaves can be divided into categories of broad and narrow.

• 
  Broad leaves have a wide blade, often with a visible network of veins.
  

• 
  Narrow leaves are slender, without a wide blade, these leaves are often referred to as “needle” or “scale-like”.
  Conifers, such as pine (Pinus), spruce (Picea) and juniper (Juniperus), have narrow leaves, some have needles
  

and others have scale-like leaves,

Incense Cedar, [Calocedrus decurrens, branchlets]
Western Red Cedar, [Thuja plicata, branchlet and leaves].

Leaf attachment

The pattern by which leaves are attached to a stem or twig is also a useful characteristic in plant identification.   There are two large groups, alternate and opposite patterns, and a third less common pattern, whorled.

• 
  Alternate leaves have only a single leaf attached at one location (a node) on a stem, often the leaves alternate from one side to the other as one moves along the stem, or they may be in a spiral pattern around the stem.
  

• 
  Opposite leaves refer to two leaves being attached at the same location (a node) on a stem, but opposite one another, that is, on either side of the stem
  

• 
  Sometimes more than two leaves arise from the same location (node) on a twig, the leaves may radiate from the twig like the spokes on wheel, this is called a whorled arrangement.
  

• 
  Occasionally a given plant may exhibit more than a single type of leaf arrangement.  For example in Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) the lower leaves of a shoot may have an opposite leaf arrangement, but toward the end of the shoot the leaves may be alternate or even whorled [Lagerstroemia indica, shoot].
  

Leaves may have a single undivided blade or a blade that is divided into parts.

• 
  Simple leaves have only one leaf blade, with or without a stalk or petiole.
  

• 
  Compound leaves have more than one blade and may have a complex leaf stalk structure.
  

There are several different types of compound leaves, the common ones are:

• 
  Palmately compound leaves have three or more leaflets attached at the end of the stalk (petiole) (like fingers on our hands).
  

• 
  Pinnately compound leaves have a number of leaflets attached along a central stalk.
  

They can also be:

• 
  double pinnately (bipinnately) compound,
  

• 
  triple pinnately (tripinnately) compound.
  

Remember:

• 
  leaves have a bud at the base of the stalk (petiole), e.g., Paperbark Birch, [Betula papyrifera, shoot, leaves], whereas
  
• 
  leaflets do not, e.g., American Yellowwood, [Cladrastis kentukea, leaf  and  Cladrastis kentukea, leafets].
  

Fragrant Snowbell, [Styrax obassia, leaf petiole and enclosed bud]

Look at the entire shoot to determine what is a leaf, don’t just look at the end of a branch.  Since a bud is at the base of each leaf, it is possible to determine the leaf arrangement (i.e., alternate, opposite, etc.) of a deciduous plant in winter by looking at the arrangement of buds on a bare twig, e.g., Red Maple, [Acer rubrum, shoot branches and buds, winter].

       Leaves may be lobed or not lobed.  A lobe may be defined as a curved or rounded projection.  With leaves there is no clear distinction between shallow lobes and deep teeth.  A main vein is often visible in a lobe, this may not occur in teeth.

Hedge Maple, [Acer campestre, leaves and fruit]

Pacific Serviceberry, [Amelanchier alnifolia, leaves, fall]

       Another important leaf characteristic for plant identification is the edge or margin of a leaf or leaflet.  Leaves have either smooth edges, called entire, or small notches or “teeth” along the margin.

• 
  Entire (smooth):
  

• 
  Toothed: Teeth may occur at the base of a leaf, at the tip, or along the whole margin.  The teeth may vary in number and size.
  
  • 
    Coarsely toothed, may be difficult to distinguish from lobed, e.g., Paperbark Maple, [Acer griseum, leaves and fruit]
    
  • 
    Doubly toothed, Sitka Alder, [Alnus sinuata, leaf margin, surface]
    
  • 
    Serrate: saw toothed, teeth pointing forward
    
    • 
      Single serrate;
           Japanese Zelkova, [Zelkova serrata, leafy shoot]
           Strawberry Tree, [Arbutus unedo, leaves]
      
    • 
      Doubly serrate, American Elm, [Ulmus americana, leaf margin and tip]
      
    • 
      Spiny-serrate, Wintergreen Barberry, [Berberis julianae, leaves]
      
  • 
    Dentate: having marginal teeth whose apices are perpendicular to the margin and do not point forward, Crimson Glory Vine, [Vitis coignetiae, leaf]
    

• 
  over all shape (e.g., elliptic, lanceolate, linear, obovate, oblong, etc.)
  
• 
  shape of base (cuneate [wedge shaped], cordate, rounded, etc.)
  
• 
  shape of apex (abrupt, acuminate, acute, emarginate, mucronate, etc.)
  
• 
  pattern of veination (e.g., parallel, net-veined, etc.)
  
• 
  surface properties (e.g., pubescent, glabrous [smooth])
  
• 
  odor when crushed (strong, foul, absent, etc.)
  

      Two groups, scale-like and needle leaves.

Differences in scale-leaves can be used in distinguishing the following "cedars" native to Oregon (none of which are true Cedars, i.e., Cedrus).

• 
  Incense Cedar [Calocedrus decurrens, leaves].  Note that 4 leaves appear at the same note, 2 facial (face) and 2 lateral (side), the outline of the pair of lateral leaves trace a "flueted wine glass".
  

• 
  Port Orford Cedar [Chamaecyparis lawsoniana, leaves].  Leaves are closely pressed in opposite pairs. The lateral leaves are larger than the facial leaves, where the leaves meet on the underside of a branchlet a white waxy line is evident, it appears as an "X" marking.  Also note a single dot, a resin gland, is evident on each facial leaf (this may require a hand lens).
  

• 
  Western Red Cedar [Thuja plicata, leaves].  Note 4 leaves of similar size (2 facial and 2 lateral) appear at a node, the waxy surface markings on the underside of a branchlet are thought to resemble a "butterfly" or a "bow-tie".
  

• 
  Yellow or Alaska Cedar [Chamaecyparis nootkatensis, leaves].  The 4 small leaves (2 facial and 2 lateral) at a given node are of similar size, no waxy marking is evident were the leaves meet.
  

         See a side-by-side comparison of three of the "cedars" native to Oregon.

• 
  The scale leaves of the native Western Juniper [Juniperus occidentalis, branchlets, leaves] differ markedly from the above "cedar" trees.
  

• 
  Single -
  
  • 
    attached directly to the twig, for example,
    
    • 
      Coastal Redwood [Sequoia sempervirens, needles, underside]
      
    • 
      True firs, Abies, [Abies, needles and leaf scars (Abies procera)].
      
  • 
    attached via a peg-like stalk, for example,
    
    • 
      Spruce, Picea, [Pices, needles and needle "pegs"]
      
• 
  Bundles -  grouped in bundles that are attached to the twig; often there are 2, 3, or 5 leaves per bundle.  A given tree usually has the same number of needles per bundle.  Bundles are common in pine:
  

• 
  Clusters - usually more than 5, can be 30 or more, for example,
  

Partyka, R.E., J.W. Rimelspach, B.G. Joyner, and S.A. Carver. 1980. Woody Ornamentals: Plants and Problems. ChemLawn Corp. Columbus, Ohio

LEAF CHARACTERIZATION ACTIVITY

NAME: DATE: PERIOD:

Examine the various laminated demonstration specimens and characterize each as to leaf type, venation pattern, arrangement, margin and shape. Names of trees are given write them in.

2. 
   Name of specimen:
   

Leaf type:

Venation pattern:

Arrangement:

Leaf Margin:

Leaf shape:

3. 
   Name of specimen:
   

Leaf type:

Venation pattern:

Arrangement:

Leaf Margin:

Leaf shape:

4. 
   Name of specimen:
   

Leaf type:

Venation pattern:

Arrangement:

Leaf Margin:

Leaf shape:

5. 
   Name of specimen:
   

Leaf type:

Venation pattern:

Arrangement:

Leaf Margin:

Leaf shape:

6. 
   Name of specimen:
   

Leaf type:

Venation pattern:

Arrangement:

Leaf Margin:

Leaf shape:

7. 
   Name of specimen:
   

Leaf type:

Venation pattern:

Arrangement:

Leaf Margin:

Leaf shape:

8. 
   Name of specimen:
   

Leaf type:

Venation pattern:

Arrangement:

Leaf Margin:

Leaf shape:

9. 
   Name of specimen:
   

Leaf type:

Venation pattern:

Arrangement:

Leaf Margin:

Leaf shape:

Lesson 2 - Day 4

Intro: Briefly introduce the day’s topics and activities. 3-5 minutes

Teacher Prep: Go outside and mark 15 to 20 trees close to the school with laminated letters from A to T for the assessment. This should be done after school the previous evening or early in the morning. After each class the sequence of labeled trees should be switched to prevent students sharing their knowledge of tree species with later hours. For example 1^st hour student telling 3^rd hour students that tree D is a red oak.

In the Field Activity/Assessment: Students will be going out into the field to identify 15-20 trees correctly by themselves. The students will get a clip board, something to write with, an assessment sheet, a dichotomous key and previous days handouts to use.
Lecture/Explanation: How to use a dichotomous key; give all students the dichotomous key at this time. Run through the dichotomous key for a oak leaf as an example.

Handouts: Dichotomous Key and an assessment sheet for each student. Students will be allowed to use handouts from previous day. See attached.

Materials: Clipboards, pencils, dichotomous keys and assessment sheets.

Assessment for tree identification using a dichotomous key and handouts:

Name: Date: Period:

Field Lab Practical / Plant Identification

Give the common name for each plant outside. (2 pts each) /40 pts

A.

B.

C.

D.

E.

F.

G.

H.

I.

J.

K.

L.

M.

N.

O.

P.

Q.

R.

S.

T.

Lesson 3 – Day 5 Forest Succession (~ 1-2 days)

Intro: Briefly introduce the day’s topics and activities. 3-5 minutes

Overview: Students will learn about forest succession with various in the field activities, a power point presentation and a reading assignment.

Teacher Prep : Photocopy chapter 2 from The Forests of Michigan pages 31- 51. Print enough copies for each student in all classes.

Materials: Photocopy of chapter 2 from The Forests of Michigan (30 – 90 copies), the field out behind the school, and the succession power point.

Classroom/Field Activities: Take the students out behind the school to a spot where the maintenance people do not mow anymore, this spot is perfect because there are bushes, shrubs and some aspen saplings coming up out there. Have teacher stand with his/her back to the field undergoing forest succession so that the students can see it behind the teacher as it is discussed. Get their attention and discuss disturbances, including anthropogenic (mowing, farming) as well as fire, blow downs, volcanic and storm related disturbances. Then discuss the various stages of succession including the soil, the grasses, the shrubs and the trees and the years it takes for the forest to mature. 20 – 30 minutes

Classroom/Field Activities: Forest succession ppt presentation with students taking notes. ~ 20 – 30

Discussion - Reading: If any time remains at the end of the hour students can discuss the details of forest succession or they could finish reading the forest succession reading from chapter 2. Or at this time the teacher could discuss the essay journal entry on succession that they will be writing the next day.

Lesson 3 – Day 6 Forest Succession (~ 1-2 days)

Intro: Briefly introduce the day’s topics and activities. 3-5 minutes

Overview: Students will write a journal entry that must be a 2 page essay explaining their understanding of forest succession from what they have learned from my in the field lecture, the power point lecture and the reading assignment. The students must include a real world example of a location that they know of undergoing forest succession and they must describe that location in detail relating it to what they have learned. Students will be given 15 – 20 minutes to complete the journal entry.

Materials: Spiral bound notebook for journal entries.

Forest Succession

Questions for discussion: When all students are done with their journal entry we will have an open discussion about forestry and forest succession.

Forest Succession Essay Rubric

Student explains what a disturbance is and gives at least 2 examples of disturbances.

5 pts

Student understands forest succession by explaining the major stages of forest succession.

15 pts

The student includes explanations of soil conditions/types, plant species per stage and years involved in forest succession

15 pts

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