Girl Scouts Love Wisconsin's Forests

The Wisconsin DNR has teamed up with the Wisconsin Girl Scout Councils to encourage Girl Scouts to help protect the state’s forestland and explore the exciting careers in forestry.

Forests are woven into the fabric of Wisconsin. There are 17 million acres of forestland that cover nearly half the state and are vital to our social, ecological and economic well-being.

Learn about Wisconsin's forest resources, discover how you can be a hero for the forest now and in the future and support the trillion tree planting pledges made by the Girl Scouts of the USA [exit DNR] and by the State of Wisconsin [exit DNR] to protect and restore Wisconsin’s forestland.

If you received an Arbor Day tree seedling courtesy of the Wisconsin DNR, please watch our video for important information about how to plant the seedling.

Tree Promise Event

The following are recordings of a virtual event hosted by DNR on March 21, 2022 for Wisconsin Girl Scouts. We invite you to listen to the recorded presentations and explore the resource links below.

Opening General Session

Brownie Breakout Session

• Growing Tomorrow’s Forest
• Who Lives There: At Home in the Forest
• Invaders in Our Forests

Junior Breakout Session

• Fun in the Forest
  (Resources: Forests Are Fun Activity Booklet in English [PDF] and Spanish [PDF])
• What’s YOUR Name?
  (Resources: Tree identification tools [exit DNR] and Urban Tree Key [PDF])
• Wonderful World of Wood

Cadette Breakout Session

• Forests Where YOU Live
• Creating and Caring for the Urban Forest
• Fire Heroes
  (Resources: Flat Smokey Activity Sheet [PDF]; Weather to Burn Activity Booklet [PDF]; Forestry and Fire Activity Booklet [PDF])

Senior/Ambassador Breakout Session

• Wisconsin’s Diverse Forests
• Every Tree Has a Story to Tell
  (Resource: Wisconsin’s Champion Trees)
• Tree Math
  (Resource: Session handout [PDF])

Closing General Session

Resources

• National tree planting pledges (1t.org)
  • Girl Scouts [exit DNR]
  • State of Wisconsin [exit DNR]
• Girl Scout Tree Promise Pledge [PDF]
• The Power of One Tree [PDF]
• Tree Planting and Maintenance [PDF]
• Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources - Division of Forestry

Forestry Careers

• Into the Outdoors: Heroes of the Forest [exit DNR]
• Trail Blazers: Women in Forestry Careers Cut a Path for Diversity (from the Spring 2022 issue of Wisconsin Natural Resources magazine)
• Wisconsin DNR Career Profiles:
  • Meet Amanda McGraw, Forest Management & Ecology Researcher
  • Meet John Wright, Field Technology Support Coordinator
  • Meet Brian Anderson, Forest Inventory Analyst
  • Meet Sean Davison, Forester
  • Meet Jill Nemec, Forester
  • Meet Alex Grubbs, Forestry Technician
  • Meet Alex Anderson, Forest Products Specialist
• Conservation Pilot Career Profile [exit DNR]
• Forester Career Profile [exit DNR]
• What Does a Forester Do? [exit DNR] (YouTube, 6:51)
• Forest Service Soil Erosion Researcher [exit DNR] (YouTube, 2:01)
• Green Jobs and Careers in Conservation [exit DNR]
• Find Your Green Job! [exit DNR]
• 12 Green Jobs Fact Sheets [PDF exit DNR]
• Forestry careers highlighted by LEAF [exit DNR] 
• Lake States Lumber Association: Lumber Industry Careers [exit DNR] (YouTube, 2:27)
• Lake States Lumber Association: Log Scaler Profile [exit DNR] (YouTube, 1:17)
• Lake States Lumber Association: Head Sawyer Profile [exit DNR] (YouTube, 1:17)
• Lake States Lumber Association: Lumber Inspector Profile [exit DNR] (YouTube, 1:17)
• Lake States Lumber Association: Saw Filer Profile [exit DNR] (YouTube, 1:17)
• How to Become a Forester [exit DNR] (YouTube, 5:43)
• Forest Service Jobs and Careers in Conservation [exit DNR] (YouTube, 5:58)
• Pathways to a Forestry Degree [exit DNR] (YouTube, 9:26)

Higher Education & Career Planning Resources

• Find an Accredited Forestry School [exit DNR]
• Guide to Accredited College Forestry Programs from Society of American Foresters [exit DNR]
• What’s Your Career Path? [PDF exit DNR]
• What Can You Do With A Forestry Degree? [exit DNR]
• Explore Wildland Fire Science at UW-Stevens Point [exit DNR] (YouTube, 1:52)

Learning About Forests

• Managing Forests for Multi-Use - Into the Outdoors [exit DNR]
• Tree identification
  • Coloring pages for sugar maple [PDF exit DNR] and white oak [PDF exit DNR]
• Protecting Forests, Enhancing Lives with Into The Outdoors [exit DNR] 
• The Value of Wisconsin’s County Forests [exit DNR] (YouTube, 3:35)
• America’s Forests With Chuck Leavell tv show:
  • Northern Wisconsin episode [exit DNR]
  • Southern Wisconsin episode [exit DNR]
• Daisy and Brownie Level
  • Why Would Anyone Cut a Tree Down? [PDF exit DNR] (Brownie)
  • In Grandpa’s Woods (Brownie)
  • Tag Along With Twig Activity Book
• The State of America’s Forests [exit DNR]

Caring for Forests

• Forest Fast Breaks Video Series [exit DNR]
• Protecting Wisconsin Forests from Invasive Species [exit DNR] (Lecture by Wisconsin DNR specialist with UW-Stevens Point)

Forest Wildlife

• Managing Forests for Species of Special Concern [exit DNR] (Lecture by Wisconsin DNR specialist with UW-Stevens Point)
• Migration Online Game From Smithsonian [exit DNR]

Climate Science

• Global Action 2021 Girl Scout Activity Guide [PDF exit DNR] (Brownies and Juniors)
• Resources from Project Learning Tree [exit DNR]
• Forest Service Climate Change Resource Center [exit DNR]
• Climate Change and Michigan Forests Curriculum [exit DNR]
• Environmental Protection Agency Climate Change Education Resources [exit DNR]
• Trees Are Climate Change, Carbon Storage Heroes [exit DNR] 
• Forests, Carbon and Climate Change [exit DNR]

Urban Forests

• Tree City USA program
• The Forest Where Ashley Lives [PDF exit DNR]
• The Forest is the Place Where We All Live by Stuart Stotts [PDF] 
• Introduction to Urban Forestry [exit DNR] (Lecture by Wisconsin DNR specialist with UW-Stevens Point)

Wildland Fire

• Up In Smoke: Spring Means Peak Time For Wildfires In Wisconsin (from the Spring 2022 issue of Wisconsin Natural Resources magazine)
• Smokey for Kids [exit DNR]
• Smokey’s ABC coloring sheet [PDF exit DNR]

Celebrating and Enjoying Wisconsin Trees

• Wisconsin’s Champion Tree program
• Every Root An Anchor (stories about significant trees)
• Public Access Lands online mapping application
• Discover the Forest And Find A Forest Near You [exit DNR] 
• Know Your Wisconsin: Sustainable Paper Products [exit DNR] (YouTube, 2:03)
• Know Your Wisconsin: Cellulose Products [exit DNR] (YouTube, 1:44)

Forest History

• Wisconsin Forest Tales
• Wisconsin Forestry Hall of Fame [exit DNR]
• Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame [exit DNR]
• Forest History Association of Wisconsin [exit DNR]
• Forest History Society Middle School Lessons [exit DNR]

Resources for Girl Scout Troop Leaders

• Girl Scout Tree Promise Toolkit [PDF exit DNR]
• Curriculum from LEAF [exit DNR] (Wisconsin’s K-12 Forestry Education Program)