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Disappearing Trees
Lesson Plans for
High School & College
Podcast episode of “On Being”:
This hour-long interview style podcast episode is in conversation with Robin Wall Kimmerer who is a professor at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, and founding director of the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment. Her books include (and we recommend them all) Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses and Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants.
Native Science and the natural laws of interdependence (READ):
This reading on Native Science is written by Gregory Cajete. It is an enjoyable read that highlights the foundations and teachings of native science and some of the limitations of a western science view. Download or read it here
Nature's internet- how trees talk to each other
This 20 minute Ted Talk given by Suzanne Simard, a professor of forest ecology at the University of British Columbia presents the scientific research that shows the interconnectedness of life in the forest ecosystem and how trees communicate! It goes beyond the simple view of a forest as a resource to be exploited, it presents the forest as a complex network of life. These ideas on the complexity of relationships in nature present compelling support for the idea that “We are all one”.
Intelligent Trees
This 45-minute documentary by german forester, author and tree whisperer Peter Wohlleben and Suzanne Simard, an ecologist from the University of British Columbia shows how trees work together, how they communicate, how they are beings that help one another. A great film for challenging normative views of hierarchy.
Suggested Readings
Thus Spoke the Plant : A remarkable Journey of Groundbreaking Scientific Discoveries and Personal Encounters with Plants by Monica Gagliano
The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate – Discoveries from a Secret World by Peter Wohlleben
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teaching of Plants
Websites for Research
Research Sites for high school and college students:
University of British Columbia case studies: this site offers a bunch of ecological focused open case studies around the world, neatly summarized, most take about 20 minutes to read, they are an excellent tool to discover an area of interest, or read into a subject further. Case studies include:
Illegal Logging in Indonesia
An Exploration of Women’s roles within Community Forestry in Nepal
Conflict between Great Apes Conservation and Indegenous Communities’ Livelihood in the Lebialem-mone Forest Landscape, Cameroon
Palm oil and Orangoutangs in Indonesia:
Orangoutangs are humans closest living relative, sharing 97% of our DNA. They are only found in the rainforest of Borneo and Sumatra. In the last 20 years almost half of Boreno’s orangoutangs have died due to human activity including poaching, illegal pet trade, and most notably deforestation for cultivating palm oil, which can be found in most of our packaged food, sometimes under the name of “palm kernal” “palm fruit oil”. Deforestation for palm oil has rendered these beings critically endangered. Non sustainable palm oil cultivation is linked to land grabbing, and exploitation of workers, and child labour. Fires started by companies to clear land for palm oil threaten the forests, the world, and the health of the people in South East Asia.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/may/10/palm-oil-orangutans-multinationals-promises-deforestation
6 minutes for animals and deforestation in Indonesia
2 minute BBC video on what palm oil is watch here
2 minute BBC video on Orangoutangs watch here
2 minute video on the work of international animal rescue saving orangoutangs watch it here
For a longer look watch the BBC film Red Ape: Saving the Orangoutang here
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