400-Acre Wood

Activity
In this activity, students will play the role of managers of a 400-acre
(162 hectare) piece of public forest. Through this role, students will
begin to understand the complex considerations that influence
management decisions about forest lands.
Copyright 2012, American Forest Foundation. This activity was reprinted with permission from
Project Learning Tree’s “PreK-8 Environmental Education Activity Guide.” © 2012 Universal Studios.
“Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax” and Dr. Seuss Characters © and ™ Dr. Seuss Enterprises, L.P.

Levels
Objectives Grades 7-8
• Students will experience the analysis and
Subjects
decision-making involved in managing
Science, Math, Social Studies
forest land.
• Students will understand that any land-use Concepts
decision has a number of consequences for • Resource management and tech-
people, wildlife, and plants. nological systems help societies
to meet, within limits, the needs
of a growing human population.
Assessment Opportunity • Conservation technology enables
• Have student teams present their plan for humans to maintain and extend
400-Acre Woods to a Community Council the productivity of vital resources.
(made up of students). Give each team five • Natural beauty, as experienced
minutes to explain why their plan should in forests and other habitats,
be accepted by the council. After all teams enhances the quality of human
have presented their plans, give the council life by providing artistic and
members time to choose the plan they spiritual inspiration, as well as rec-
believe is best. Use team presentations to reational and intellectual oppor-
assess how well students understand the tunities.
pros and cons of their proposals.
Skills
Identifying Main Ideas, Analyzing,
Solving Problems
Background of their decisions about forest lands. But they
must also consider the forest’s intangible Technology Connections
Public and private forests cover nearly one-third of Spreadsheet/Database Software
elements such as recreation, water, soil, and
our nation’s land. More than just trees, forests are
wildlife values, even though those items are
made up of a wide variety of species that interact Materials
harder to evaluate. One way to consider the
to create a thriving ecosystem. They provide Copies of student pages; a
value of a forest for recreational use would be
habitats for many species of plants and animals yellow marker; chart paper;
to compare costs and benefits, for example,
as well as vital resources for people. People use colored markers; calculators (option-
the cost of developing a campground versus
forests in many ways such as harvesting timber, al); masking tape;
the income from fees charged. Another way is
camping, hiking, hunting, and fishing. Forests transparencies and overhead
to calculate the number and type of visitors a
also provide clean water by anchoring the soil projector (optional)
specific attraction or activity will bring to the
and preventing soil erosion.
forest in a year. Time Considerations
The Multiple Use and Sustained Yield Act of Preparation: 60 minutes
One way to determine the value of wildlife Activity: Two to three 50-minute
1960 requires that national forests be man-
is to measure its contribution to the forest’s periods
aged “in a manner to provide the maximum
economic value. Calculate this value by find-
benefit for the general public.” Multiple use
ing out the species of wildlife that live in the
management of public lands means forest
forest and if those animals consist of game
managers must consider values for fish and
(hunted) species like deer, turkey, or quail.
wildlife, soil, water, timber, and recreation.
Then determine the income generated from
Private forests are often managed for those
hunters through licenses, guns, equipment,
same values.
lodging, and travel.
In our society, many public policy and legisla-
Wildlife’s economic value might include other
tive decisions are made in terms of costs,
uses that generate income such as wildlife
benefits, and environmental impacts. Forest
photography and bird watching.
managers must consider the economic effects DiscovertheForest.org/lorax
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Activity
400-Acre Wood
Another way to determine the importance of wildlife is to realize 3. Have students read the “If You Were the Boss” student pages.
that it has intrinsic value, regardless of its economic value. With Divide the group into teams of four or five, and explain that each
this approach, managers view the forest as a complex ecosystem team will decide the best use (or uses) of 400-Acre Wood, which
in which every part of the system is important to every other has been donated to the community. Each team will develop a
part. If managers maintain each com­ponent of the ecosystem, the land man­agement plan that will serve the best interests of the
result will be healthy and assorted wildlife and plant communities, entire ecosystem. Make sure students understand that their team
or biodiversity. To figure out how a specific action or nonaction can use the entire 400 acres (162 ha) for one use, or can divide it
might impact biodiversity, forest managers look at the impact of up for multiple uses. For example, they may devote 200 acres (81
an action on several wildlife species with different habitat needs. ha) to wilderness and hiking, 80 acres (32 ha) to a camp­ground,
and 120 acres (49 ha) for harvesting timber or hunting.
One impact of human development can be fragmentation.
Fragmentation is the process of dividing large, continuous eco-
systems and habitats into smaller, isolated parcels. When humans 4. Before students begin, ask these questions:
develop a piece of land for homes, roads, businesses, agriculture,
• Which forest uses in “If You Were the Boss” are compatible with
parking lots, and other developments, they change the biological
other uses? (for example, building a campground and hiking trail
community. As the size of a habitat becomes smaller and smaller,
next to each other)
more and more animal and plant species are affected. Sometimes,
• Which might be incompatible with each other? (hunting near a
the decline of a certain species can serve as an early indicator that
campground)
a whole com­munity or ecosystem is changing.
• What could you learn by figuring out the costs, revenues, trees,
wildlife populations, and number of visitors for each manage-
Getting Ready ment plan? (how the plan affects different forest values)
• Are owls, wood rats, and salaman­ders the only wildlife in the
Make copies of the student pages. Using a light­-colored marker, forest? (no) What could you learn about the forest ecosystem by
draw a 20” x 20” (50.8 cm x 50.8 cm) grid map of 400-Acre Wood analyzing the populations of these three species? (By looking at
on a piece of chart paper for each team of four or five students. three ani­mals with different habitat require­ments, you get an
(Teams can also make their own.) The grid should have 400 idea of the gener­al health of the forest ecosystem.)
1” x 1” (2.5 cm x 2.5 cm) squares, each representing 1 acre (0.4047
hectare). On another piece of chart paper, make an identical, but 5. Give each team a map (grid) of the 400-Acre Wood. Also give
larger, grid to use in group discussion. If you have an over­head each team a copy of the “What’s the Score?” student pages. Each
projector, you may want to prepare a transparency of the grid. team should discuss various strategies for managing the forest.
When the team arrives at a consensus on how the land should
be managed, direct members to use “What’s the Score?” for a
Doing The Activity cost and benefit analysis of their plan. They should discuss what
1. Introduce the activity by explaining that students will look at impact their plan would have in terms of visitors, wildlife, trees,
several com­plex issues that face forest managers. Help students and cost and revenue.
brainstorm a list of activities that take place on forest land. List
their ideas on the board. Include uses like hiking, fish­ing, hunting,
reading, taking pictures, camping, rock climbing, skiing, snow­ See the PLT website, www.plt.org, for information about obtain-
mobiling, logging, grazing, or mining. Ask the class to look at the ing a spreadsheet or database to use in conjunction with the
list and decide if any activities would conflict with each other if “What’s the Score?” student pages.
done on the same piece of land.
6. When the teams have completed their management plans, they
2. Discuss these questions: should use crayons or colored markers to illus­trate their plans on
the grids. Remind them to include a key showing what different
• W hich activities would cost the most to provide on forest land? colors and symbols mean.
• Which would bring the most visitors?
• Which would have the greatest impact on the forest ecosystem? 7. Ask teams to present their plans to the entire group, making
On the wildlife there? Would this effect be permanent or clear how they decided on their plans. Have them also report the
temporary? findings of their “What’s the Score?” student pages. Post the maps
• Which would cause fragmentation? around the room.
• Which would provide for society’s most critical needs?

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Activity
400-Acre Wood
8. Use the large grid map to lead a group discussion of different Enrichment
plans. Ask these questions:
• Repeat the activity and have each team extend its management
• Which plan enables the most people to enjoy the forest? What is plan into the next year, and calculate the effect on money, trees,
the monetary cost in attracting the most visitors? Are there any wildlife, and visitors for the second year.
other costs besides money?
• Which plan does the most to preserve the forest in its original • Contact the local Forest Service office or forestry agency, and
state? What are the costs of this plan? invite a forest manager to talk to your class about how his or
• Which plan has the most impact on wildlife and fragmentation? her organization makes land-use decisions. Encourage students
Why should we care if one animal species leaves the forest? to ask questions based on what they learned in the activity. For
• Which plan seems to provide the best balance of money, trees, example, how do forest managers weigh the effects of an action
wildlife, and visitors? on trees, people, and animals in a forested area?
• How do you think your plan should be paid for? If your plan
made a profit, what should happen with the money?
• Which do you think is most important: having the most trees,
the most wildlife, or the most visitors? What makes you think so?
• Which do you think is most important—an activity’s cost or
revenue, or the activity’s effects on trees, wildlife, and visitors?
(Give an example.)
• Which items are on-going costs or revenues? Which are one-
time costs or revenues?
• What will be the long-term effects of each plan? How will costs
or revenue change in the next year? Will the numbers of trees,
wildlife, or visitors change?

Reading Connections

Bryan, Nichol. Los Alamos Wildfires. Gareth Foster, David R. and John F. O’Keefe. Heinrich, Bernd. The Trees in My Forest.
Stevens. 2003. Describes the events surrounding the New England Forests Through Time: In- HarperCollins Publishers. 1997. The author takes the
wildfire that raged in New Mexico in 2000, and the readers on an eye-opening journey through the hidden
resulting debate over the policy of prescribed burning, or
sights from the Harvard Forest Dioramas. life of a three hundred acre forest. Each of the 24 essays
Harvard University Press. 2000. The historical and
purposely setting fires as a means of forest management. explores a different aspect of the relationships among
environmental lessons of New England’s landscape are
Grades 4+. ISBN: 0836855078. plants, animals, and people of the forest. Grades 7+.
told through the world-renowned dioramas in Harvard’s
ISBN: 0060174463.
Fisher Museum. This first book based on the dioramas
Camp, William G. and Thomas B. Daugherty. conveys the phenomenal history of the land, the beauty
Managing Our Natural Resources. Delmar of the models, and new insights into nature. Grades 6+.
Learning. 1995. Examines the nature, history, and ISBN: 0674003446.
management of natural resources ranging from soil and
water to forests, wildlife, and marine resources. Includes
suggested activities and discussion of occupations in the
field. Grades 6+. ISBN: 0827367163.

Activity courtesy of Project Learning Tree, www.plt.org. DiscovertheForest.org/lorax

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Student Page 5

Activity
400-Acre Wood

If You Were the Boss

A magnificent forest, 400-Acre Wood, has just been donated to estimate that 400-Acre Wood currently has two barred owls per
your community. You and your team have the job of deciding 100 acres (40 ha) of forest, and one wood rat and 25 woodland
what to do with this forest. salamanders per acre (0.40 ha). That means a total of 8 barred
owls, 400 wood rats, and 10,000 salamanders currently live in
As you might have guessed, 400-Acre Wood is 400 acres (162 400-Acre Wood.
hectares) in size. An acre is an area of land equal to a square that is
208.7 feet on each side, and 400 acres is a little less than 1 square Because the forest currently has no roads or trails, few people use
mile. (A hectare [ha] is 10,000 square meters and is equal to about or visit it.
2.47 acres. To convert acres to hectares, multiply by 0.4047).
You and your team will make a map of 400-Acre Wood and
400-Acre Wood is made up of pine forest, with about 150 mature develop a management plan for it. You may decide to do one
pine trees per acre. In addition, it contains lots of wildlife such as thing with the entire forest. Or you may want to divide the forest
owls, deer, bear, woodpeckers, turkey, quails, wood rats, fish, and and do different things in different areas. You goal is to find what
woodland salamanders. you think is the best balance between visitor enjoyment, trees,
wildlife, and money.
Wildlife biologists use something called management indicator
species (MIS) to evaluate the impact of people’s actions on the Below are the different forest uses you can include in your plan.
environment. For 400-Acre Wood, the indicator species are barred The “What’s the Score?” student page will help you evaluate your
owls, wood rats, and woodland salamanders. Wildlife biologists plan’s total effect on visitors, trees, wildlife, and money.

Wilderness Preserve Trails

The purpose of a wilderness preserve is to allow Graded trails allow different types of visitors to
wildlife and plants to exist without humans enjoy a forest area, including walkers, cyclists,
interfering. Typically a wilderness preserve has families with strollers, and wheelchair users. Trails
no roads, graded trails, or campsites. Wilderness areas will have the following effects.
preserve areas will have the following effects.
Visitors: About 25 visitors per acre per year will
Visitors: About 5 people per acre per year will use the trails.
visit the preserve. Trees: Some trees must be cut to build a trail.
Trees: The number of trees per acre will remain Wildlife: The increase in visitors will disturb the
the same. wildlife. Owls will leave areas with trails (they sleep
Wildlife: The numbers of owls, wood rats, and during the day when people are about), and trails
salamanders per acre will remain the same. are dangerous for woodland salamanders as they
Money: It will cost money to manage the pre- migrate to pools of water during breeding season.
serve, and each visitor will pay an entrance fee. There will be no affect on the wood rat population.
Money: It costs money to build and maintain
trails. Trees removed to make the trail can be sold.
Each visitor will pay an entrance fee.

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Activity
400-Acre Wood

If You Were the Boss (continued)

Campground Fishing
A campground allows visitors to enjoy a forest To encourage fish for anglers, a lake can be
area overnight or over the weekend. It typically created by damming the forest stream. Fishing
has a number of campsites, plus picnic tables, areas will have the following effects.
fire pits, parking spaces, and bathrooms. A
campground also needs to have a road winding Visitors: About 2 anglers per acre per year.
through it. A campground has about 4 sites per Trees: Trees will need to be removed to create
acre. Campground areas will have the following the lake.
effects. Wildlife: Creating the lake will cause all three
indicator species—owls, wood rats, and salaman-
Visitors: About 12.5 campers per site, or ders—to disappear from the fishing area.
50 campers per acre per year. Money: It will cost money to build the dam to
Trees: Trees need to be removed to build the road create the lake. It will also cost money for manage-
and the campsites. ment. Trees removed for the lake can be sold.
Wildlife: A campground and campers will cause Anglers will pay a fishing fee.
all three indicator species—owls, wood rats, and
salamanders—to disappear from the area.
Timber Harvest
Money: It costs money to build and maintain the
road, to clear and level the campsites, and to build Some forest areas are set aside for timber harvest-
and maintain the restrooms. It also costs money ing, which means cutting trees to sell the logs.
to manage the campground. Trees removed for Using a sustainable yield approach, only a portion
the road and campsites can be sold. Campers pay of the trees are removed at any given time. This
a camping fee. minimizes the effect on wildlife, while producing
as many logs as possible over the long-term. For
pine trees, which take 35 years to reach maturity,
Hunting one-fifth of the trees are cut every 7 years. Timber
Some forest areas are managed to encourage harvest areas will have the following effects.
game animals (deer, turkey, and quail) for hunters.
These areas require a road for visitors. Hunting Visitors: About 5 people per acre per year.
areas will have the following effects. Trees: Trees will be removed to build the road,
plus one-fifth of remaining mature trees will be
Visitors: About 1 hunter per acre per year. removed.
Trees: Trees will need to be removed to build Wildlife: The timber harvest will have a minimal
the road. impact on the three indicator species.
Wildlife: With regulations to keep game popula- Money: It will cost money to build and maintain
tions constant, there should be no effect on the the road and for management. The harvested
three indicator species—owls, wood rats, and trees can be sold. Visitors will pay a fee.
salamanders.
Money: It will cost money to build and maintain
the road. It will also cost money for management.
Trees removed for the road can be sold. Hunters
will pay a hunting fee.

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Student Page 5

Activity
400-Acre Wood

What’s the Score?

Step 1.
Determine how many acres you plan for each land use. The total should be 400 acres.

( _____ acres Wilderness) + ( _____ acres Trails) + ( _____ acres Campground) + ( _____ acres Hunting) + ( _____ acres Fishing) +
( _____ acres Timber Harvest) = _______ Total Acres

Step 2.
Calculate how many visitors per year this plan will attract to your community.

( _____ acres Wilderness x 5 visitors/acre) + ( _____ acres Trails x 25 visitors/acre) + ( _____ acres Campground x 50 campers/acre) +
( _____ acres Hunting x 1 hunters/acre) + ( _____ acres Fishing x 2 anglers/acre) + ( _____ acres Timber Harvest x 5 visitors/acre) =
_____ Total Visitors per Year

Step 3.
Calculate how this plan will affect the wildlife management indicator species. Compare the totals you get to the original
population of 8 owls, 400 wood rats, and 10,000 salamanders.

Owls: ( _____ acres Wilderness) + ( _____ acres Hunting) + ( _____ acres Timber Harvest) =
_____ acres that will support owls x 0.02 owls/acre = _____ Total Owls (Note: Round down to the nearest whole owl)

Wood Rats: ( _____ acres Wilderness) + ( _____ acres Trails) + ( _____ acres Hunting) + ( _____ acres Timber Harvest) =
_____ acres that will support wood rats x 1 wood rat/acre = _____ Total Wood Rats

Salamanders: ( _____ acres Wilderness) + ( _____ acres Hunting) + ( _____ acres Timber Harvest) =
_____ acres that will support salamanders x 25 salamanders/acre = _____ Total Salamanders

Step 4.
Calculate how many miles of trail or road are needed for your plan.

( ______ acres Trails) ÷ 6 acres/mile = _______ Total Miles of Trail

( ______ acres Campground x 250 ft/acre) ÷ 5,280 ft/mile = _______ miles of road for Campground
( ______ acres Hunting x 100 ft/acre) ÷ 5280 ft/mile = _______ miles of road for Hunting
( ______ acres Timber Harvest x 100ft/acre) ÷ 5280 ft/mile = _______ miles of road for Timber Harvest

Step 5.
Calculate how many mature trees remain based on your plan.

( ______ miles of Trail x 0.36 acres/mile) x 150 trees/acre = ____________

( ______ miles Campground road x 1.45 acres/mile) x 150 trees/acre = ____________
( ______ miles Hunting road x 1.45 acres/mile) x 150 trees/acre = ____________
( ______ acres of Fishing) x 150 trees/acre = ____________
( ______ miles Timber Harvest road x 1.45 acres/mile) x 150 trees/acre = ____________
( ______ acres Timber Harvest x 1/35 harvested) x 150 trees/acre = ____________
Total trees removed ____________

60,000 mature trees in 400-Acre Wood – trees removed = trees remaining ____________

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Student Page 5

Activity
400-Acre Wood

What’s the Score? (continued)

Step 6.
Calculate the revenue and costs associated with your plan, and determine the net profit or loss.

Revenue
Fees (per year)
______ Wilderness visitors x $2 fee per visitor = $_______
______ Trails visitors x $2 fee per visitor = $_______
______ Campground campers x $20 fee per site ÷ 2 campers per site = $_______
______ hunters x $5 fee per hunter = $_______
______ anglers x $2.50 fee per angler = $_______
______ Timber Harvest visitors x $2 fee per visitor = $_______

Sale of Trees
______ trees removed for Trails x $50 per tree = $_______
______ trees removed for Campground road x $50 per tree = $_______
______ trees removed for Hunting road x $50 per tree = $_______
______ trees removed for Fishing x $50 per tree = $_______
______ trees removed for Timber Harvest x $50 per tree = $_______

Total Revenue $______________

Costs
Management Costs (per year)
______ acres Wilderness x $2.50 per acre = $_______
______ acres Trails x $50 per acre = $_______
______ acres Campground x $200 per acre = $_______
______ acres Hunting x $5 per acre = $_______
______ acres Fishing x $2.50 per acre = $_______
______ acres Timber Harvest x $5 per acre = $_______

Construction Costs
______ miles of Trail x $100 per mile = $_______
______ miles Campground road x $600 per mile = $_______
______ acres Campground x 4 sites per acre x $1000 per site = $_______
______ miles Hunting road x $600 per mile = $_______
______ acres Fishing x $3000 per acre = $_______
______ miles Timber Harvest road x $600 per mile = $_______

Total Costs $______________

Profit or Loss

(Total Revue $_____________) – (Total Costs $_____________) = $_____________ Net

If the Net amount is positive, it is a profit; if is it negative, it is a loss.

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