Time Frame
5 Class periods

Print:
Teacher Pages pdf
Student Pages

Keywords
Silviculture
Urban Development
Urban Forest
Stakeholders

From Forest to Farm to Urban Forest

One of the creeks running through the Duke Forest. Duke Forest pamphlet, 1990.

Student Pages
Essay
Worksheet 1
Worksheet 2
Worksheet 3 
1931 Map 
2006 Map 
Map Analysis Tool 
Annual Report 
94 Newspaper Article 
Worksheet 4 
87 Newspaper Article 
Worksheet 5 
Application Exercise 
Test 
Reflective Exercise

National Standards

For History

• The student will explain the impact of suburbanization on the lives of postwar Americans. 
  (Era 9: Postwar United States)
  

For Social Studies

The student will show through specific example how science and technology have changed people's perceptions of the social and natural world, such as in their relationship to the lands, animal life, family life, and economic needs, wants and security.
(Standard VIII, Science, Technology & Society: b)

State Standard Correlations: AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, GA, HI, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY

Teacher  Preparation:

Download and print: Module 6 Teacher & Student PDFs using Adobe Acrobat and make one copy per student of the student pages (except pages 9 & 10).

Day 2 activity: Copy the Map Analysis Tool onto a transparency, one per student. Print a color copy of the 2006 Map of Durham , one per student. Obtain 2 pieces of tracing paper and a green, black and yellow colored pencil for each student.

Day 1
Set the stage for this activity by leading a group discussion answering the following questions: 

1. Has anyone ever seen an area of woodlands cut down for development?  How does this make you feel?
   
2. If you were a landowner, how would you feel if other people had a say in what you do with your land?
   
3. Who should decide if trees are to be cut on a piece of land--the owners, the abutters, the local government, or a combination of these?

Hand out the Essay From Forest to Farm to Urban Forest to give students a general overview of Duke Forest and the development of the region. Have students complete Worksheet 1 and Worksheet 2. 

Day 2
Then, for a birds-eye view of the landscape over time, students will analyze 2 maps of the region.  Hand out 1931 Map,  2006 Map, and the Map Analysis Tool and have students complete  Worksheet 3. 

Day 3
The next part of the lesson consists of analyzing the historical record --an annual report and a newspaper article--to compare and contrast the day to day activities of a forest manager past and present.  Hand out the Annual Report and  Newspaper 1  and have students complete Worksheet 4.

Day 4
The final part of the lesson will give students an opportunity to analyze the variety of points of view contained in public opinion. Hand out Newspaper 2, and Worksheet 5.

Day 5
Choose the assessment that best suits your learning objectives:

• The Application and Integration Exercise has been designed to allow students to integrate the content into broader contexts.
• The Test  has been designed to measure how well students master the History objectives.
• The Reflective Exercise has been designed to measure how well students master the Social Studies objectives. 

TEACHER ANSWER KEY

Class Extensions

• Using census data, determine the population change in your local community from 1930 to the present.  Compare and contrast a map of your community today with a map from the 1930's.  Have students conduct an oral history of someone in their local community on the subject of local land-use change.  Compare these changes with those on the Duke Forest. 
• Create sketch maps of your community comparing forest / green space to urbanized land at two different time periods.  Have students research the answers to the following questions: 1. Who owns the forest / green space in your town today?  2. How much is likely to remain 'green' in perpetuity?   3. Compare property values of houses abutting green space to housing abutting urbanized land.
• Do Activity #2 to compare a rural research forest with an urban research forest. 
• Do Activity #7 to learn about the benefits of maintaining urban forests.
  

Team Teaching Possibilities

Technology: Worksheet 5 asks students to summarize the viewpoints of the various people involved in the debate concerning the potential development of Duke Forest during the 1980s.  Since the exercise encourages students to look at different perspectives, a technology teacher could design a simple WebQuest that would allow students the opportunity to critically analyze the complexities surrounding this issue.   

English: Assign students the task of writing an editorial that expresses an opinion about the potential development of Duke Forest (or nearby urban forest) or a letter to the editor about the possible development of a nearby forest.  Encourage students to use facts they learned from the activity to substantiate their point of view.

Math: Since Worksheet 3 incorporates math skills, this exercise could be introduced in a social studies class and completed in a math class.

Science: Have students explore the scientific studies that have transpired in Duke Forest  (or a local forest) in order to get a better idea of how forests can help lead to advancements in science.  Use the following website to learn about research projects in Duke Forest, http://www.dukeforest.duke.edu/research/index.html. 

Forest History Society--Bibliographic resources on forestry, conservation and environmental history. Ordering Resource for: American Forests: A History of Resiliency and Recovery.

Duke Forest--The Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University hosts this web site.  The Forest has been managed for research and teaching purposes since the early 1930s. The focus on forestry education and research includes a broad range of studies in the ecological and environmental sciences. 

Duke Homestead--The North Carolina Division of Archives and History compiled the history of the Duke Family estate.
http://www.ah.dcr.state.nc.us/sections/hs/duke/duke.htm

Lynch, Ida Philips. The Duke Forest at 75: A Resource for All Seasons. Durham, NC: Office of the Duke Forest, 2006.

Korstian, Clarence F. Clarence F. Korstian: Forty Years of Forestry. Oral History Interview by Elwood R. Maunder. New Haven, Conn.: Forest History Society, 1969.

Korstian, Clarence F. and William Maughan. The Duke Forest: A Demonstration and Research Laboratory. Durham NC: Duke University, 1935. Forestry Bulletin No. 1

MacCleery, Douglas. American Forests, A History of Resiliency and Recovery. Durham, NC: Forest History Society, 2011. [Order]

Miller, Robert W. Urban Forestry: Planning and Managing Urban Greenspaces. Long Grove, Ill. : Waveland Press, 2007.

Essay / Worksheet 1 / Worksheet 2 / Worksheet 3 / 1931 Map / 2006 Map / Map Analysis Tool  / Annual Report / 94 Newspaper Article / Worksheet 4 / 87 Newspaper Article / Worksheet 5 / Application and Integration Exercise/ Test / Reflective Exercise / Answer Key