State of IllinoisIllinois Department of Natural Resources

The exercises and activities included in this guide are designed to helpteachers familiarize their students with the forest resources of Illinois.Although the materials are best suited for students in grades four througheight, most of the activities can be easily adapted to other grade levels.

Note to Teachers Students will need to record their answers to the questions and activities on a separate sheet of paperor in another format. Some of the pages are suitable for copying. Teachers in Illinois have permission to copy the pages for use with students in the classroom. They may not be used in any other manner orconverted in any way without the written permission of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

Equal opportunity to participate in programs of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) and those funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Serviceand other agencies is available to all individuals regardless of race, sex, national origin, disability, age, religion or other non-merit factors. If you believe youhave been discriminated against, contact the funding source’s civil rights office and/or the Equal Employment Opportunity Officer, IDNR, One NaturalResources Way, Springfield, IL 62702-1271; 217/785-0067; TTY 217/782-9175.

Forest Ecology © 2016, Illinois Department of Natural Resources. DNR 078 • 04/ 16 • IOCI 16-0440

Forest Ecology

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A scientific name is the official name for each or-ganism. It is assigned after careful research and ismade up of two parts: the genus name (writtenfirst) and the species name. The name is always inLatin because when the naming process began,nearly all scientists understood the Latin lan-guage. The scientific name should be underlined

or italicized. Often, it tells you something about theorganism or someone who studied it. Listed beloware the common names of all the organisms men-tioned in Forest Ecology. It is your task to find themost current scientific name for each one. You canuse field guides, the Internet or other resources tohelp you.

Acadian flycatcher ____________________________

ambush bug __________________________________

American basswood __________________________

American elm ________________________________

American hornbeam __________________________

artist’s fungus ________________________________

baldcypress __________________________________

Baltimore oriole ______________________________

barred owl ____________________________________

black carpenter ant ____________________________

black cherry __________________________________

black locust __________________________________

black maple __________________________________

black oak______________________________________

black willow __________________________________

black-capped chickadee ________________________

blue cohosh __________________________________

blue jay ______________________________________

bobcat ________________________________________

boxelder ______________________________________

brown thrasher________________________________

bulbous cress ________________________________

bumblebee____________________________________

bur oak ______________________________________

burying beetle ________________________________

carrion beetle ________________________________

cicada ________________________________________

columbine ____________________________________

common adder’s-tongue fern __________________

common garter snake__________________________

common kingsnake____________________________

common persimmon __________________________

Cooper’s hawk ________________________________

corn __________________________________________

domestic dog ________________________________

downy woodpecker ____________________________

Dutchman’s-breeches __________________________

earthworm____________________________________

eastern box turtle______________________________

eastern chipmunk ____________________________

eastern cottonwood __________________________

eastern gray squirrel __________________________

eastern hophornbeam ________________________

eastern mole __________________________________

eastern redbud ________________________________

eastern redcedar ______________________________

eastern screech-owl __________________________

eastern towhee________________________________

elm sawfly ____________________________________

fence lizard __________________________________

firepink ______________________________________

flower fly ____________________________________

forget-me-not ________________________________

fox sparrow __________________________________

goldenseal ____________________________________

gray fox ______________________________________

Scientific Names

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gray ratsnake ________________________________

gray treefrog __________________________________

great horned owl ______________________________

green dragon ________________________________

green heron __________________________________

ground skink __________________________________

hackberry ____________________________________

hairy woodpecker ____________________________

harbinger-of-spring ____________________________

hen-of-the-woods fungus ______________________

hermit flower beetle __________________________

honey bee ____________________________________

honeylocust __________________________________

hooded warbler ______________________________

horned passalus beetle ________________________

horse-nettle __________________________________

house cat ____________________________________

imperial moth caterpillar ______________________

indigo bunting ________________________________

Jack-in-the-pulpit ______________________________

Kentucky coffeetree____________________________

long-tailed weasel ____________________________

luna moth ____________________________________

marbled salamander __________________________

masked shrew ________________________________

northern cardinal ______________________________

northern red oak ______________________________

Ohio buckeye ________________________________

orchard oriole ________________________________

Osage-orange ________________________________

ostrich plume moss____________________________

oyster mushroom ____________________________

pawpaw ______________________________________

pecan ________________________________________

pignut hickory ________________________________

pin oak ______________________________________

prairie crabapple ______________________________

protococcus __________________________________

puffball ______________________________________

quaking aspen ________________________________

raccoon ______________________________________

racer ________________________________________

rattlesnake fern________________________________

red admiral butterfly __________________________

red maple ____________________________________

red mulberry __________________________________

redbelly snake ________________________________

red-headed woodpecker ______________________

red-shouldered hawk __________________________

river birch ____________________________________

roughleaf dogwood____________________________

sandbar willow________________________________

searcher beetle ________________________________

shadbush ____________________________________

shagbark hickory ______________________________

silky fork moss ________________________________

silver maple __________________________________

silver-haired bat ______________________________

slippery elm __________________________________

small carpenter bee____________________________

smooth sumac ________________________________

snapping turtle ________________________________

southern flying squirrel ________________________

southern short-tailed shrew ____________________

soybean ______________________________________

spotted touch-me-not __________________________

springtail ____________________________________

star moss ____________________________________

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starry Solomon’s-seal __________________________

striped skunk__________________________________

sugar maple __________________________________

swamp white oak______________________________

sweet cicely __________________________________

sweetgum ____________________________________

sycamore ____________________________________

tamarack______________________________________

tick trefoil ____________________________________

tiger salamander ______________________________

tiger swallowtail butterfly ______________________

triangle spider ________________________________

twayblade orchid ______________________________

underwing moth ______________________________

viceroy butterfly ______________________________

Virginia opossum______________________________

whip-poor-will ________________________________

white ash ____________________________________

white oak ____________________________________

white violet __________________________________

white-footed mouse __________________________

white-lipped land snail ________________________

white-tailed deer ______________________________

wild plum ____________________________________

wild strawberry________________________________

wild turkey____________________________________

wood ear fungus ______________________________

wood frog ____________________________________

woodland vole ________________________________

yellow dog-tooth violet ________________________

yellow morel __________________________________

yellow wood sorrel ____________________________

yellow-billed cuckoo __________________________

yellow-throated vireo __________________________

zebra swallowtail butterfly______________________

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Dear Journal,

You are not going to believe it! I finally got to seeone, and it was FANTASTIC. You know how all lastmonth, I heard them yowling, meowing andsqualling through the night. I read about them andfigured a pair must be mating, probably right herein our woods. For weeks now, I've been searchingfor signs of them. The claw marks on the big oakon the edge of the clearing were my first real clue.I guess they scratch on trees like our cat scratcheson the sofa. Anyway, the last three days in March,it rained night and day without stopping. The firstnight of April was clear, and I went to bed prettyearly. Deep in the night, unbelievable shrillscreams sent me running to the front porch. Itsounded like the biggest cat fight in the world.Standing there, listening to the screams, hissingand moans, I came up with the theory that astrange female had wandered into the territory of

the female who was making a home in our woods.The heavy rains must have washed away the urineour female had left as scent posts all around herterritory, posts that meant to all strangers, espe-cially other females, THIS IS MY PLACE-LEAVE MEALONE. As I jumped back under the covers, I thoughtabout our female. I knew she was probably preg-nant, and I fell asleep hoping she would not be hurtor killed that night.

Four days later I found tracks by the creek. Right bythe tracks were some fresh droppings. I bent downand picked apart the remains of what the big ani-mal must have eaten the day before. There wereteeth of several mice, some bits of rabbit fur andpart of the foot of a bird. Every day since then, Ihave thought of nothing except getting a glimpseof the animal that left them.

Jim’s Journal

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I had been in the forest since I got home fromschool, and the sun was starting to fall. I have al-ways been afraid of the forest at night. To beat thedarkness, I decided to take a short cut across theclearing. At the edge of the clearing I stopped fora second to look at the old oak. There were newclaw marks but no time to spare studying them. AsI turned from the woods to strike out across theclearing I saw a dark heap beneath a bush no morethan 20 yards from me. It couldn't be, I thoughtand kept on. Then it moved, and I dropped flat onmy belly. It was! It was standing up andstretching like a sleepy child.

Unaware of me and the sleepy heap beneath thebush, a long-tailed weasel came loping across theclearing. The bobcat crouched and froze. The weaselpaused for a second and lifted its head to search thearea. No motion detected - it continued with a slowgait, but when it was about 10 feet from the bush, itsaw the big cat. Quicker than a flash, it turned andran, but the bobcat was faster. With just three leapsthe bobcat had the weasel by the neck. In a few sec-onds the squirming weasel was still, and the bobcatproceeded to eat it, hind quarters first. For a sec-ond, I felt sorry for the weasel, but then I remem-bered the time I watched a weasel devour a rabbit.It's just the way animals get their food, and there'sno waste or cruelty about it. When the big cat wasthrough, it sat quietly and washed itself. Then a loudmotherly call pierced the woods, "Jim, where are

you?" Instinctively, I lifted my head to answer, andthe bobcat saw me. Before I could help myself, Istood up and thought about running, but it was toolate — the bobcat beat me to it.

First trotting, and then leaping seven to 10 feet at atime, it crossed the clearing and disappeared intothe woods. It was dark by then and you know what,Journal, I wasn't scared of the night woods for thefirst time in my life. Yes, I was trembling but fromexcitement, not fear, and as I raced along, I imitatedthe bobcat by taking great leaps all the way home.

So you see, Journal, the forest proves againto be the best friend I have. Mom and Dad

say we are lucky to own so muchforest land, just over 300acres. On our land wehave trees that areamong the mostcommon in Illinois,like the oaks, hicko-ries and maples.Along the river you

can find some pretty largetrees, like sycamore, sweet-gum, eastern cottonwood,

black willow, slipperyand American elmand one of my fa-vorites, pecan. River

birch, silver maple andboxelder are also somewet-soil trees that man-

age to hit the 75-100 foot highmark. Medium- to small-sizedtrees like red mulberry, American

hornbeam and sandbar willow alsogrow pretty well in the bottomland. On up-

land, you can find trees like sugar maple, Amer-ican basswood, eastern redbud and pawpaw, a treethat grows in thickets. Along the ravines, honeylo-cust is pretty common and on the slopes white oak,pignut hickory and red maple seem to take over theforest. At the northern edge of our property, wehave some pretty steep slopes and ridges whereyou can find bur oak, eastern hophornbeam andshadbush. Quite a bit of our property borders farmland. Fence rows that separate the forest from thefields have Osage-orange, black cherry, commonpersimmon and prairie crabapple trees. Once in awhile, especially around an opening in the forest,you can find eastern redcedar. Eastern redcedar isone of the few native conifers of Illinois. A conifer-ous tree does not shed all of its leaves every fall likethe deciduous trees. Coniferous trees usually haveleaves that look more like needles. The great ma-jority of Illinois' trees are deciduous, but you canfind coniferous trees, such as tamarack in north-eastern Illinois and baldcypress in southern Illinois.

We also have 40 acres of white oak just south ofthe house. In 1821, my mother's great-great-grand-father was one of the first settlers to stake a claim inthe Illinois country. The story is that when he sawthat 40 acres of white oak, he fell in love with the bigtrees and decided to build his cabin right besidethem. Do you know, Journal, that when my great-great-great-grandpa first saw those oaks, some ofthe trees were already 200 years old? Well, his cabinis gone now, our house stands in its place, but manyof those old trees are still alive and well, even thoughthey are more than 350 years old.

Illinois was very different when my great-great-great grandpa settled here. There was a greatdeal of forest in Illinois, just over 14 millionacres. But when my grandfather was born in1901, just 4 million acres of forest were left.Today, about 4.3 million acres of forest exist inIllinois.

Sometimes when I’m out in the woods I wonderhow more than 10 million acres of forest couldhave disappeared from our state. I know all thatforest didn’t really disappear. The land it stood onis just used for different things now. Most of it isused for farming. When the settlers moved into Illi-nois, they saw how the soil beneath the forest grewbig, healthy trees and decided the same soil wouldgrow good crops. They cleared forests to makecrop land, and the clearing has never stopped.Even fence rows of timber between the fields aretaken out. The new highway north of here took abunch of timber and so did the new shopping mallon the outskirts of town. Even at school, forest waslost when they put in the new playing field. So yousee, Journal, every time something new needs tobe built, there’s a chance for losing more forest. Ijust hope there’s always enough forest for wildlifeto have a home and for people to enjoy.

We get a lot of enjoyment from ourforest. During the winter, my sisterand I cross-country ski in it andduring the warmer weather, wehike. Some of my favorite timespent is with a pair of binoculars. Iwrite down and draw my observa-tions in my sketchbook.

9:30 a.m. I’ve found a red-shoul-dered hawk nest. Three downyyoung are standing up in the nest,flapping their wings, screamingand watching the sky. They must behungry, but there is no sign of anadult.

9:45 a.m. The adult hawk ar-rived at the nest and dropped thebody of a mouse. The young hawksdidn’t even touch the mouse, andthe adult took off.

9:55 a.m. The adult returnedwith a snake in its talons. The bighawk tore the snake and the mouseinto tiny bits. The young hawks arenow taking the bits of food fromher bill. The biggest one keepscrowding the other two out. I hopethey can all get enough food!

10:20 a.m. All is well. All threeate until their crops were bulgingout, and they turned away from theadult and stood peacefully on theedge of the nest. The adult gobbleddown the last bits of food and flewaway.

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I’ve spied on so many of the forest creatures. I’vewatched a male gray treefrog singing with its vocalpouch puffed out big like a trumpet. One early Junemorning, I watched a snapping turtle crawl fromthe water into the forest where she dug a hole andlaid her soft-shelled eggs. Once, I saw a viceroycaterpillar loop along the limb of an eastern cot-tonwood and when I touched it, it stopped and im-itated a twig. I’ve gotten to see a monarch butterflybust loose of its green jewel-like chrysalis. I guessone of the best times was when I spied a cicadanymph scrambling up the trunk of a dogwood. Itpositioned itself on a branch and was still until itsshell cracked open. A winged adult crawled out andflew away. Do you realize Journal, that cicadanymph had been in the soil growing and changingfor 17 years before it climbed that dogwood andflew off as an adult?

Trees and animals aren’t the only things in the for-est. There are lots of fungi like yellow morel, woodear fungus and hen-of-the-woods. You can find dif-ferent varieties of moss like silky fork moss thatgrows on hillsides and ostrich plume moss thatgrows on old logs. In the bottomland especially, youcan find ferns, like common adder’s-tongue and rat-tlesnake fern. My mother is a wildflower expert andevery year, sometimes as early as February, she has

me out in the woods to catch the blooming of har-binger-of-spring, usually the first wildflower tobloom. In March we look for the blossoms of yel-low dog-tooth violet and blue cohosh. From Aprilto June you can see all kinds of blooming flowerslike sweet cicely, white violet, Jack-in-the-pulpit,firepink, columbine and green dragon.

We need to take good care of our forests and theplants and animals in them. One of the ways wetake care of our forests is by preventing fire. We arevery careful with any type of burning we do. Didyou know Journal, nine out of 10 forest fires are setcarelessly by people and that thousands of acresof forest burn in Illinois each year?

We also care for our forest by not grazing it withcows. If you let cows graze in a forest, they eat theyoung trees. Plus, the cows beat down the wild-flowers, fungi, mosses and even the soil. As a re-sult, the packed soil can’t hold water very well andpretty soon, the soil of the forest is running downand filling up some stream or river. Of course, wehave cows, but we keep them in a pasture wherethey belong. Some insects can also harm a forest,and we work with our forester to keep those in-sects under control.

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Probably the most important way we protect ourforest is by not overcutting it. We select some ofthe mature trees to harvest every year but we leaveback a good supply of trees as growing stock. Thetype of harvesting we practice is called selectiveharvesting. We harvest our forest in this way toguarantee that there will be more trees to harvestlater and so that there will always be plenty oftrees, to provide food and shelter for forest ani-mals. Some of the wood we harvest we use our-selves to build the things we need like the newporch on our house. The rest of the wood we sell tothe mill. Our wood is eventually used all over thecountry to build homes, schools and furniture.

Another way we manage our forest is by practic-ing timber stand improvement. We improve thequality of our timber by removing some of thetrees that are taking up too much space or arecrooked, diseased or damaged. By taking out thosetrees it leaves more sunlight, soil, water and nutri-ent elements for the healthy, well-formed trees. MyDad says that timber stand improvement producesa better crop of trees in the forest just like hoeingproduces a better crop of vegetables in the garden.It sure provides plenty of fire wood.

We pay special attention to our 40 acres of whiteoak trees. Since we want that stand to look just theway it did when my great-great-great-grandfatherfirst saw it, we don’t allow any cutting of thosetrees. That way, the old stand of oak will always bea living record of Illinois’ natural heritage. I guessa harvest in the stand would bring in a lot ofmoney, but my parents say we’ll never harvest it.You see, since we harvest the rest of our forest, wecan afford to never touch the oaks. That’s whatgood forest management is all about – making themost of the forests we have – so that we can havemore of all of the things forests provide, like a nat-ural habitat for plants and animals, opportunitiesto hunt, picnic, camp and study nature, and lum-ber to build and make the forest products we useso much in everyday life.

One time my parents had a long talk with me abouthow someday I’d be in charge of managing our for-est. I could tell from the way they spoke that theywere a bit nervous about whether I’d take goodcare of the white oaks and green dragons. I tried toreassure them that I would. I know that journals aresupposed to be secret, but one day I think I’ll letthem read this journal. Then they’ll know for surethat I will always take care of the forest not only forthe sake of the oaks, green dragons, turkeys, deer,bobcats and red-shouldered hawks – but for thesake of us all. Good night, Journal.

Thinking Further1. Jim writes in his journal about the different rea-

sons why forests have been and continue to becleared. Name some of the reasons. Can youthink of some other reasons why forests arecleared? Jim writes that every time somethingneeds to be built, more forest is lost. What doesJim say his hope for the future of forests is?

2. Jim writes that his family is careful not to over-cut their forest. What is this type of forest har-vesting practice? Describe the practice oftimber stand improvement. Can you name atleast 10 things that might be made from thewood that comes from Jim’s forest?

3. Jim writes that because his family carefullymanages their forest, they are able to set asidesome of it as a nature preserve and harvestother parts of it. In addition, Jim writes that be-cause of their good management, their forestwill continue to provide food and shelter for for-est animals. What does Jim means when hesays that the goal of forest management is tomake the most of the forests we have?

Spinning a Food WebPlants are the producers of food energy in the for-est ecosystem. Animals known as herbivores getfood energy by eating plant parts, mainly the fruits,seeds, buds, leaves, bark and petals. Other animalsknown as omnivores get food energy by eatingplant parts and other animals. Still other animalsobtain food energy by eating only animals. Thosepredator animals are carnivores. If you were a spi-der and could spin a strand of silk from all of theanimals in the forest to all of the plant parts andanimals they eat, you would have a food web.

Step 1. A forest ecosystem is drawn for you onpages 10 and 11 of this booklet. For the largestplants, the parts that animals most often eat, suchas the buds, seeds, fruits, bark and leaves, aredrawn large and highlighted by a circle. Most of theplants and animals are not drawn to scale.

Step 2. Study the Diet Chart. The chart tells you whattypes of plant and animal materials each animalnormally eats.

Step 3. Look at the forest ecosystem and select ananimal. Now read the diet of that animal anddraw a line to every plant or animal that animalmight possibly eat. For example, the diet of thegreat horned owl includes all animals except thelarge mammals and birds of prey. By checking theDiet Chart, you can see which animals are notcommonly in the great horned owl’s diet. There-fore, the correct move is to draw a line from the

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great horned owl to all of the animals in the for-est ecosystem except for the large mammals andbirds of prey. To complete the spinning of your

food web, take each of the animals in the ecosys-tem and draw a line to each plant part or animalit might possibly eat.

Small Mammals1. eastern chipmunk – seeds

and fruits2. eastern gray squirrel – buds,

seeds, fruits and fungi3. southern flying squirrel –

seeds, fruits, buds and insects4. white-footed mouse – seeds,

buds, fruits and insects5. woodland vole – the roots of

plants6. southern short-tailed shrew –

earthworms, snails and insects7. silver-haired bat – insects

Medium-sized Mammals8. raccoon – fruits, seeds, in-

sects, snails, earthworms, am-phibians, reptiles, fishes, smallmammals and small birds

Large Mammals9. gray fox – fruits, seeds, small

mammals, small birds andinsects

10. bobcat – small mammals,birds and insects

11. white-tailed deer – flowers,bark, buds, fruits and seeds ofplants

Small Birds12. eastern towhee – seeds,

fruits and insects13. Acadian flycatcher – fruits,

seeds and insects14. yellow-billed cuckoo – fruits,

seeds and insects, especiallycaterpillars

15. black-capped chickadee –fruits, seeds and insects

16. red-headed woodpecker –fruits, seeds and insects,especially ants

17. whip-poor-will – insects18. hooded warbler – insects,

especially beetles, ants andcaterpillars

19. yellow-throated vireo – insects and spiders

20. orchard oriole – fruits and in-sects, especially caterpillars

21. fox sparrow – fruits, seedsand insects, especially beetles

Large Birds of Prey22. barred owl – small birds,

small mammals, reptiles,amphibians, fishes and insects

23. eastern screech-owl – smallbirds, small mammals, rep-tiles, amphibians and insects

24. great horned owl – all types ofanimals except the largestmammals and large birds ofprey

25. red-shouldered hawk – smallbirds, small mammals, reptiles,amphibians and insects

26. Cooper’s hawk – small birds,small mammals, reptiles,amphibians and insects

Amphibians27. marbled salamander – snails,

worms, insects and spiders28. gray treefrog – insects29. wood frog – snails

Reptiles30. eastern box turtle – fungi,

fruits, seeds, insects, snailsand spiders

31. fence lizard – insects,especially ants

32. ground skink – insect larvae33. racer – small mammals, small

birds, amphibians, reptilesand insects

34. common kingsnake – smallbirds, small mammals, smallsnakes and insects

35. common garter snake –amphibians, earthworms andyoung birds

Insects36. zebra swallowtail caterpillar

– tree leaves37. tiger swallowtail caterpillar –

tree leaves38. viceroy caterpillar – tree

leaves39. red admiral butterfly – flower

nectar40. tiger swallowtail butterfly –

flower nectar41. imperial moth caterpillar –

tree leaves42. underwing moth – tree leaves43. searcher beetle – caterpillars44. hermit flower beetle – flower

pollen45. hermit flower beetle larvae –

decaying wood46. horned passalus beetle (adult

and larvae) – decaying wood47. honey bee – flower pollen

and nectar48. bumblebee – flower pollen49. small carpenter bee – flower

pollen50. black carpenter ants – insects51. elm sawfly – tree leaves52. flower fly – flower pollen53. carrion beetle – dead plant

and animal matter

Spiders54. triangle spider – small insects

Worms (Annelids)55. earthworm – dead plant and

animal materials

Snails (Mollusks)56. white-lipped land snail – dead

plant material57. land snail – plant leaves

Diet Chart

A FORESTIS A HOMEADDRESSFOR:

SMALL MAMMALS1. eastern chipmunk2. eastern gray squirrel3. southern flying squirrel4. white-footed mouse5. woodland vole6. southern short-tailed shrew7. silver-haired bat

MEDIUM-SIZED MAMMALS8. raccoon

LARGE MAMMALS9. gray fox

10. bobcat11. white-tailed deerSMALL BIRDS12. eastern towhee13. Acadian flycatcher14. yellow-billed cuckoo15. black-capped chickadee16. red-headed woodpecker17. whip-poor-will18. hooded warbler19. yellow-throated vireo20. orchard oriole21. fox sparrow

LARGE BIRDS OF PREY22. barred owl23. eastern screech-owl24. great horned owl25. red-shouldered hawk26. Cooper’s hawk

AMPHIBIANS27. marbled salamander28. gray treefrog29. wood frog

REPTILES30. eastern box turtle

31. fence lizard32. ground skink33. racer34. common kingsnake35. common garter snake

INSECTS36. zebra swallowtail caterpillar37. tiger swallowtail caterpillar38. viceroy caterpillar39. red admiral butterfly40. tiger swallowtail butterfly41. imperial moth caterpillar

42. underwing moth43. searcher beetle44. hermit flower beetle45. hermit flower beetle larvae46. horned passalus beetle

(adult and larvae)47. honey bee48. bumblebee49. small carpenter bee50. black carpenter ant 51. elm sawfly52. flower fly53. carrion beetle

SPIDERS54. triangle spider

WORMS (ANNELIDS)55. earthworm

SNAILS (MOLLUSKS)56. white-lipped land snail57. land snail

PLANTS58. slippery elm tree59. slippery elm buds, fruit and

flower60. slippery elm leaf

61. slippery elm bark62. boxelder tree63. boxelder twig, fruit and flower64. boxelder leaf65. boxelder bark66. northern red oak tree67. northern red oak buds and

fruit68. northern red oak leaf69. northern red oak bark70. hackberry tree71. hackberry buds, fruit and

flower

72. hackberry leaf73. hackberry bark74. river birch tree75. river birch buds, fruit and

flower76. river birch leaf77. river birch bark78. smooth sumac tree79. smooth sumac buds and fruit80. smooth sumac leaf81. smooth sumac bark82. roughleaf dogwood shrub83. roughleaf dogwood flower

84. roughleaf dogwood fruit andleaf

85. forget-me-not86. starry Solomon’s-seal87. Dutchman’s-breeches88. wild strawberry89. yellow wood sorrel90. horse-nettle91. wood ear fungus92. oyster mushroom93. artist’s fungus94. hen-of-the-woods

To understand how trees and other plants pass onlife from one generation to another, study the fivestages of the reproductive cycle.

FloweringUsually in the spring, plants bear flowers. A com-plete flower contains four main parts: sepals; petals;pistil; and stamens. Sepals are the outermost circleof leaves that protect the inner parts of the flower.Petals are located inside the sepals. The pistil is inthe center and is the female part of the flower. Astigma is at the top of the pistil. A slender stalkcalled the style runs from the stigma to the base ofthe pistil where the ovary is located. The ovary con-tains undeveloped ovules (or seeds). Stamens arethe male parts of the flower. At the top of the sta-men is the anther, packed with pollen.

Flowers of different plant species are not alike.Some flowers have both stamens and pistils whileothers have just one or the other. A flower that hasonly stamens is called a staminate (male) flower. Aflower that has only pistils is called a pistillate (fe-male) flower. Plants are different, too. Some plantspecies have both pistillate and staminate flowerson the same plant. Some species have pistillateflowers on certain plants and staminate flowers onothers. Flowers differ greatly in size, shape, colorand how they are displayed.

Pollination and FertilizationPollination is the transfer of pollen from the stamento the pistil. Pollen can be carried by wind or insects.Flowers that depend on insects to carry their pollenare bright and showy and/or have nectar. When aninsect visits this flower, the sticky, moist pollen of theanther will rub off onto the insect. When that insectvisits the pistil of the same or a different flower, thepollen is rubbed off onto the sticky, rough surface ofthe stigma. The stamen and anthers of wind-polli-nated plants are large and send out huge amounts of

dry, light pollen that catches the breeze and collectson the stigma of pistillate flowers. Once pollen iscaught by the stigma, it travels down the style to theovary where it fertilizes the ovules (seeds).

Fruits and seedsFollowing fertilization, the ovary and the ovules(seeds) begin to grow. The ovary grows into a fruit,and the ovules develop into mature seeds. The fruit(varies in shape, size, color and texture in differentplants) serves as a carrying case for the seeds’journey to the soil.

Seed MovementHow do seeds travel from parent plants to the soil?Some seeds fall to the ground inside their fruit andare either eaten by animals, left to rot or carriedaway by water. Other seeds are carried by thewind, while still others stick to the fur of animals orthe clothing of humans.

GerminationMost seeds do not start to grow as soon as theyhit soil. Instead, they lay in rest (dormancy) for awhile. At the end of dormancy, the seed takes inwater and starts to grow rapidly. The seed coatpops open, and a root runs downward into thesoil while a shoot pushes upward to catch thesunlight. This process of germination completesthe reproductive cycle.

Plant Reproduction in the Forest

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Thinking Further1. Name and describe the four main parts of aflower.

2. Explain the process of fertilization.

3. Explain the process of germination.

Fitting TogetherPlant Reproductive CyclesIn this exercise you will fit together the reproduc-tive cycle of two forest plants: eastern cottonwoodand spring beauty. There are five sentences de-scribing the reproductive cycle of each plant. Thefive sentences are not in the proper order. Numberthem in proper order.

Eastern cottonwood is a large tree growing upto 100 feet tall.

_____ The staminate and pistillate flowers of easterncottonwood develop on separate trees. Thestaminate flowers are thick red catkins, whilethe pistillate flowers are narrower, green-yellow catkins.

_____ By May, the pistillate flowers have maturedinto long strings of green-brown capsulefruits that hold tiny seeds.

_____ Wind carries pollen from staminate to pistil-late flowers, where the seeds are fertilized.

_____ The seeds of eastern cottonwood must arriveat moist soil along a stream bank within afew hours after leaving the tree.

_____ During spring and summer, the fruits splitopen, and the seeds (each with a cottony,white sail) catch the wind and travel from theparent tree.

Spring beauty is a common woodland wildflowerthat grows to about six inches tall.

_____ The seeds of spring beauty germinate inspring.

_____ By May, each capsule fruit has matured andholds three to six flat seeds.

_____ The white or pink flowers of spring beautybloom by the first week in March. Eachflower has both a stamen and a pistil.

_____ When the fruits are very ripe, they split open,and the seeds fall to the soil.

_____ Shortly after the flowers bloom, insects carrypollen from one flower to another, and theseeds are fertilized.

1. winged fruits – carried by wind2. fruits with plumes (cottony, feathery, fibersattached to fruit) – carried by wind

3. fruits with spines or barbs (catch in the fur ofanimals or the clothes of people) – carried byanimals, including humans

4. corky fruits (have air spaces enabling them tofloat) – carried by water

5. tiny seeds – carried by wind

6. tiny seeds with arils (seeds so small they canbe carried by insects; have arils, extra bits oftissue that insects eat) – carried by insects

7. fleshy fruits (berries, pomes, drupes) – eatenby animals and passed out in feces or left torot and seeds enter the soil

8. nuts – buried in ground by animals9. explosive fruits – fruits burst open and seedsshoot out

How Seeds Move in the ForestThe forest is never still. Even in the fall when thetrees are losing their leaves, parts of the forest areon the move. Seeds are traveling from parent plantsto new locations where they may someday growinto plants. A seed ripens inside the fruit of a plant.The structure of a fruit and its seed determines howthe seed will travel through the forest. In somecases, the fruit matures, splits open and releases itsseed. When that happens, the seed has to do its owntraveling. In other cases, the fruit leaves the plant,

and it carries the seed with it. When that happens,the fruit is a carrying case for the seed. Below is achart listing nine different types of fruits and seedsand the nine different ways each is moved throughthe forest. Study the list and then examine the fruitsand seeds drawn below the chart. After you havelooked at the makeup of the fruits and seeds andstudied the description of each, write down how youthink each of the fruits and seeds is moved from itsparent plant to a new location in the forest.

1414

Below are animals and shelters found in a forestecosystem. A shelter is any place or thing thatprotects an animal from harsh weather and/or at-tack. Study the shelter requirements of the ani-mals below. Then draw a line from the animal toits shelter.

burying beetleThe burying beetle uses the forest soil as shelterand for preserving its food. When a small mammalor bird dies, the beetle buries the body by diggingthe soil from below. The female beetle lays hereggs near the buried food and when the larvaehatch, they eat the dead animal.

luna moth caterpillarThe luna moth caterpillar makes its own shelterusing silk produced by a gland near its upper lip.Hanging from a twig, the caterpillar spits out silkwhile shaking its head back and forth in a zigzagmotion. In a short time, the caterpillar spins atough, waterproof, two-layered case of silk that isfirmly tied to the twig. In this cocoon, the caterpil-lar (now known as a pupa) will undergo metamor-phosis, or changes in its physical makeup. Thepupa spends the winter in the cocoon and in Mayor June, emerges as a luna moth.

silver-haired batThe silver-haired bat commonly takes shelter be-neath the loose bark of trees. In such a shelter, theyoung bats (usually two) cling to the body of thefemale bat until they are about three weeks old andready to fly by themselves.

gray foxThe gray fox may make its den in the base of a hol-low tree. During spring or summer, three to five

naked and nearly blind kits are born in the den. Therest of the year, the den is used as a resting place,usually during daylight hours.

hairy woodpeckerIt takes one to three weeks for a pair of hairy wood-peckers to chisel out a nest cavity in the side of atree. If the tree is dead or has rotten heartwood, thework takes less time. The opening of the cavity is 1-1 ½ inches wide, and the cavity may be as deep as15 inches. Sometimes the male excavates a shal-lower hole near the nesting tree as a sleeping spot.

Baltimore orioleThe female Baltimore oriole builds a swinging nesthigh in a tree. First, she hangs long strands of driedplant stalks, yarn or hair over twigs. Next, sheloops and weaves the strands together into astrong basket. Hanging on the nest with her headdown, she chatters or sings as she weaves.

fence lizardWhen not basking in the sun, the fence lizard seeksshelter under a fallen and decaying log. Such a logis often used by the female lizard in summer as aplace to deposit her long, soft-shelled eggs.

racerThe racer is often found under a rock, especiallywhen it is time to shed its skin or when the weatheris cold. In early summer, the female racer lays 10 to15 white eggs under a rock.

Thinking Further1. In your own words, explain how the forestecosystem is one big shelter protecting manysmaller shelters.

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Forest Shelters

15

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Tracking the Mammals of the ForestThe mammals of the forest are not easily seen.One of the best ways to tell if a mammal has beenaround is to find its tracks. Below you will see il-lustrations of the feet of 10 mammals. On the right,10 sets of tracks (some showing both running andwalking gaits) are drawn just as they appear whenthey are imprinted on the forest floor. Carefully

study the feet of each mammal and then matcheach mammal to the set of tracks you think its feetwould make. Special Note: The house cat and dogare not native mammals of the forest; however,they are included in this exercise so that you will beable to tell their tracks from the native mammals.

Mammals Tracks

16

Oxygen is vital to the development ofall living things. Twenty-one percentof the atmosphere is composed ofoxygen.

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“Time, to an atom locked in a rock, does not pass.The break came when a bur oak root nosed downa crack and began prying and sucking. In the flashof a century, the rock decayed, and X was pulledout and up into the world of living things. Hehelped to build a flower, which became an acorn,which fattened a deer, which fed an Indian,all in a single year.”

— Aldo Leopold, “Odyssey” of Atom X

Aldo Leopold, often calledthe grandfather of conserva-tion, described the path of AtomX through a forest ecosystem. InLeopold’s passage, Atom X travelsfrom a rock to the soil, up the rootsof a bur oak tree and intoits flower. Atom X is usedto help ripen the flowerinto an acorn; the acornis eaten by a deer that

in turn is eaten by a Native American. What is AtomX and where will it go from the Native American?

Atom X is part of an element. Elements are one ofthe basic units of matter from

which all things on earth aremade. Organisms need 30-40 elements for normalgrowth. The most important

elements are carbon, hydrogen,oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur andphosphorus. Because these el-ements help plants and animals

grow, they are known as nutrientelements and since there is alimited supply of nutrient ele-ments, they must be recy-cled. Atom X will be recycledafter it leaves the NativeAmerican.

Nutrient Element Cycling

Fitting Together an Oxygen Cycle

The forest scene above has all of the parts neces-sary to illustrate the oxygen cycle on land. Matchthe parts of the forest scene to the explanations ofthe oxygen cycle.

1. Read the explanations and place the letter ofeach explanation (A, B or C) beside the part ofthe forest scene it describes.

2. Label the parts of the forest with commonnames. See "Explanations" for names.

3. Start at the first explanation (the atmosphere)and read all the explanations. Notice that eachtime that oxygen is transferred from one part ofthe forest scene to another, the sentence de-

scribing the movement is underlined. Each timeyou see an underlined sentence, draw an arrowfrom the part of the cycle oxygen is leaving tothe part it is arriving at. Remember, every partof the forest that takes in oxygen also releasesit back into the atmosphere.

ExplanationsA. The air, or atmosphere, serves as the hold-

ing tank for oxygen.

B. Green plants, such as the pawpaw, a smalltree with a broad crown, and the mayap-ple, a large wildflower, take in oxygen from

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the atmosphere and use it in the process ofrespiration. Green plants release oxygen backinto the atmosphere as they conduct photo-synthesis. In fact, green plants are responsiblefor manufacturing most of the oxygen in theatmosphere.

C. Animals such as the silver-haired bat, a dark,small bat up to 4 ½ inches long, and the white-footed mouse, a brown mouse with white un-dersides and feet, also take in oxygen fromthe atmosphere. As they respire, they releaseoxygen back into the atmosphere.

Fitting Together a Water Cycle

The forest scene drawn above has all the parts neces-sary to illustrate the water cycle of the forest. Use thesame directions you followed to put together the oxygencycle. Remember, each time you see an underlined sen-tence, water is moving from one part of the water cycleto another. You should show that movement by drawingan arrow from the part water is leaving to the part whereit is arriving.

ExplanationsA. Water is stored in clouds in the atmosphere. From

those clouds, water falls as rain to the forest soil.

B. Water in the soil is absorbed by the roots ofplants, such as eastern hophornbeam, a smalltree up to 35 feet tall, and bulbous cress, a wild-flower up to 18 inches tall. The water carries all ofthe nutrients the plants need for development.The plants use water during photosynthesis andrelease water back into the atmosphere duringrespiration.

C. Some of the rainfall from the atmosphere runsinto streams that feed lakes, rivers and eventu-ally the ocean. During the process of evaporation,water vapor returns to the atmosphere from thosebodies of water.

D. Some of the rainfall from the atmosphere pene-trates through the forest soil to deep groundwater

reserves. These reserves feed springs, seepsand lakes.

E. Some of the rainfall from the atmosphere hits thesoil and returns to the atmosphere almost imme-diately during the process of evaporation.

F. Animals take in water from bodies of water or byeating plant tissues, fruits or seeds. In this scene,an eastern chipmunk, a small mammal, is eatingthe flat, smooth fruit of bulbous cress and a greenheron, a blue-green colored bird, is drinking waterfrom the stream. When animals, such as the east-ern chipmunk and the green heron respire, wateris returned to the atmosphere in the form of watervapor from their body.

Thinking Further1. A great amount of oxygen is taken out of the atmos-

phere when fossil fuels, such as coal, oil and gas,are burned to produce energy. We depend on greenplants conducting photosynthesis to restore the oxy-gen supply in the atmosphere. Can the removal oflarge areas of trees and other plants affect theproduction of oxygen? If yes, explain how? Whatdoes your answer mean for people, for plants, foranimals?

2. Explain how the water cycle is affected when forestsare entirely stripped of trees and other plants.

Water is the source of the element hydrogen.Water also carries the other nutrient elements through the forest ecosystem.

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Fitting Together a Carbon Cycle

Forty-nine percent of the dry weight of living organisms is carbon.

The forest scene drawn above has all of the partsnecessary to illustrate the carbon cycle on land.Use the same instructions you followed to fit to-gether the oxygen and water cycles.

ExplanationsA. The atmosphere of the earth stores carbon in

the form of carbon dioxide (CO2).

B. The pecan, a large tree up to 150 feet tall, istaking in CO2 from the atmosphere through itsleaves. In those leaves, CO2 is used in theprocess of photosynthesis. When the pecanrespires, CO2 and water vapor are released aswaste products into the atmosphere throughits leaves and into the soil through its roots.

C. The leaves of red mulberry, a medium-sizedtree up to 50 feet tall, also take in CO2 from theatmosphere to use in photosynthesis. Like thepecan, the red mulberry releases CO2 to the at-mosphere when it respires. The red, juicyberries of red mulberry are eaten by many an-imals. In this scene, a Virginia opossum isfeasting on the berries. Carbon compoundsare being transferred from the red mulberry tothe opossum.

D. The Virginia opossum, like all animals, alsorespires in order to release energy inside thecells of its body. As it respires, CO2 is releasedto the atmosphere. The opossum is eaten byfoxes, coyotes, large owls and other preda-tors. In this scene, the opossum is about to bekilled and eaten by a great horned owl. Car-bon compounds will transfer from the opos-sum to the great horned owl.

E. The great horned owl respires to gain the useof energy stored in its body. As it does so, CO2is sent into the atmosphere.

F. In this scene, there are three decomposers.The protococcus is a bacterium growing onthe bark of the pecan tree. The protococcus isfeeding on the tissues of the tree, and carboncompounds are moving from the pecan to theprotococcus. The puffball’s mycelium is feed-ing on the fallen leaves and limbs of the trees,and carbon compounds are moving from theleaves and limbs to the mycelium.The bury-ing beetle is an insect living in the soil. Whenthe great horned owl dies, the burying beetlewill feed on its body, and carbon compoundswill be transferred from the owl’s body to thebeetle. The decomposers play a very impor-tant role in the carbon cycle because they re-ceive carbon from every organism. When thedecomposers undergo respiration, they re-lease more CO2 back into the atmosphere thando larger plants and animals.

G. When decomposers die and decay into thesoil, carbon compounds will be transferred tothe soil. Remember, the roots of the pecan andred mulberry are already releasing CO2 intothe soil. Some of the CO2 is released from thesoil to the atmosphere, but most of it goesdownward.

H. After many thousands of years, bits of animalsand plants in the soil form reserves of peat,coal, oil and carbonate rocks deep below theground’s surface. These reserves store themajority of the earth’s total carbon.

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Thinking Further1. Forests take in more CO2 from the atmospherethan any other ecosystem. This transformation ofCO2 to wood is very important because it helpsprevent a build up of CO2 in the atmosphere.

Such a build up is a real danger as we continueto burn larger and larger amounts of coal, oiland natural gas (fossil fuels that release CO2 intothe atmosphere). In your own words, explainhow forests help control the amount of CO2 inthe atmosphere.

Oak Tree Leafand Fruit

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A. The heartwood is the oldest portion of the oak. It wasoriginally xylem but with age matured into heartwood. Theheartwood became filled with waste products and eventuallysuccumbed to heart rot. The heartwood continued to helpsupport the tree.

B. Xylem tissues, not yet matured into heartwood, piped water andminerals from the oak’s roots to its leaves.

C. The thin (one cell thick) vascular cambium was always growing,except during the winter. The cambium produced xylem tothe inside and phloem on the outside. Due to the productionof the cambium, a new ring of wood was added each year.

D. The phloem tissues carried dissolved sugars to both endsof the tree and later aged to become part of the bark.

E. The sapwood was the youngest wood of the tree.

F. The oak’s bark protected the tree from harshweather and animal attack.

A

D

C

F

E

B

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roots

Oak Tree Trunk Layers

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Life HistoryThe southern flying squirrel, Glaucomys volans,may be common in much of Illinois’ matureforests. Since the flying squirrel is active only atnight, an accurate count of its numbers in Illinoishas been impossible to make. The flying squirrelis protected by Illinois law, and it is illegal toharm or capture individual squirrels.

The flying squirrel has a “gliding” membrane oneach side of its body. The squirrel uses these thinfolds of skin to glide from limb to limb. The flyingsquirrel does not fly. Though it may glide down-ward 150 feet or more, most of its glides are be-tween 20 and 30 feet in length.

The female flying squirrel gives birth to one to sixyoung during March to early April. She may pro-duce a second litter in late summer. At birth, theyoung are naked, pink and have their eyes andears shut. The female flying squirrel has completeresponsibility for taking care of the young, andshe defends them and the territory around hernest tree. The male flying squirrel does not de-fend his home territory.

Though nuts, seeds, fruits, berries and mush-rooms make up most of the flying squirrel’s diet,it also feeds on animals such as moths, beetles,insects, insect larvae, bird eggs and nestlings andmeat from the carcasses of dead animals. The fly-ing squirrel is preyed upon by native animalssuch as weasels, raccoons, owls, hawks, bobcatsand tree-climbing snakes. A nonnative predatorof the flying squirrel is the house cat.

The flying squirrel is active all year, but it maystay in its nest for several days to avoid badweather during the winter. In winter, several fly-ing squirrels may share one nest, presumably forwarmth.

The flying squirrel is a valuable member of theforest community. By feeding on tree buds, itstimulates better tree growth and by eatingwood-burrowing insects, it aids in controllingthese sometimes harmful forms. The flyingsquirrel helps the forest continue to survive byplanting nuts and seeds. By serving as food forother forest dwellers, it is an important link in

the food chain. Even in death, the flying squirrelserves life by adding its body to the soil as richorganic material.

Instructions for Playing

1. This game can be played by 1-10 players.

2. Each player should begin the game with aplayer token, a nine-lives pass, a glide passand a score sheet.

3. Before beginning the game, one playershould read aloud the life history of thesouthern flying squirrel.

4. To begin the game, each player should spinthe spinner, and the person with the lowestnumber is entitled to go first. The rest of theplayers should take their turns in clockwiseorder after the first player.

5. After a player spins the spinner, s/he shouldmove the designated number of spaces. If forany reason, the player does not want to landon a certain space, s/he can use the glidepass to land on any other space on the board.However, once a player uses the glide pass,it is no longer valid. A GLIDE PASS CAN BEUSED BY ONE PLAYER ONLY ONE TIMEDURING A GAME. If at the end of the game,a player still has her or his unused glide pass,s/he may turn it in for 20 points.

6. If a player lands on a CATEGORY space, thespace will be marked with a number and acapital C. The player should read what is writ-ten on the space and decide which categorythe space refers to.

CATEGORIES

Natural Predator Young

Unnatural Disturbances/ Territory/Home Predator Range

Food Gathering Travel

Nest Physical Appearance

Habitat

Each of the categories represents importantparts of the flying squirrel’s life history. If aspace seems to refer to more than one cate-gory, the player should decide what the main

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A Southern Flying Squirrel’s Life to Live Game

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2323

theme of the space is. After a player decideswhich category the space refers to, s/heshould write down the category on her or hisscore sheet opposite the number of thespace. A correct answer for a CATEGORYspace is worth 5 points.

7. If a player lands on a QUESTION space, thespace will be marked with a number and acapital Q. The player should write the answerto the question by the number of the spaceon her or his score card. A correct answer fora QUESTION space is worth 10 points.

8. If a player lands on a VALUE BONUS space,he or she must write down one value of thesouthern flying squirrel on the score cardnext to the space with the same number. Acorrect answer for a VALUE BONUS space isworth 10 points.

9. If a player lands on a SITUATION space, thespace will be marked with a number and acapital S. The player must decide if the drawnsituation represents a true or false situationin the flying squirrel’s life. The player shouldwrite “true” or “false” next to the space withthe same number on her or his scorecard. Acorrect answer is worth 5 points.

10. If a player lands on a space where her or hissquirrel is killed, s/he may avoid the death byplaying her or his nine-lives pass. If the nine-lives pass is played, the player may stay inthe game but is still responsible for playingthat space in the appropriate manner. If aplayer lands on a space where her or hissquirrel is killed and s/he has already playedthe nine-lives pass, the player must drop outof the game. However, that player can tallyher or his scorecard at the end of the gameand is eligible to win. Remember, like theGLIDE pass, THE NINE-LIVES PASS CAN BEUSED BY EACH PLAYER ONLY ONCE DUR-ING THE GAME. If at the end of the game aplayer still has her or his unused NINE-LIVESPASS, s/he may turn it in for 10 points.

11. After each player has crossed the finish line,a judge or a panel of the players must reviewthe score sheets for the correct answers. Theplayer with the highest point total wins thegame.

Correct Scorecard Answers

1.Category:Natural Predator

2.Category:Food Gathering

3.Question:No

4.Situation:False

5.Category:Young

6.Category:Travel

7.Question:the presence of a gliding mem-brane on each side of its body

8.VALUE BONUS:by feeding on tree buds, prob-ably stimulates better tree growth; is beauti-ful and harmless (See also #30.)

9.Category:Habitat

10.Category:Unnatural Disturbance/Predator

11.Question:No

12.Category:Nest

13.Situation:False

14.Question:True

15.Question:20 to 30 feet

16.Situation:False

17.Category:Travel

18.Category:Physical Appearance

19.Category:Natural Predator

20.Question:moths, beetles, insects, insect lar-vae, bird eggs and nestlings

21.Category:Habitat

22.Category:Unnatural Disturbance/Predator

23.Question:weasel, raccoon, hawks, bobcat

24.Situation:True

25.Category:Nest

26.Question:naked, pink and with eyes and earsshut

27.Category:Young

28.Category:Territory

29.Question:True

30.VALUE BONUS:part of the food chain; eatsharmful insects; plants nuts and seeds; re-turns body waste to the soil (See also #8.)

31. Category:Food Gathering

32.Category:Physical Appearance

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Player Tokens

Glide Passes

Nine-Lives Passes

25

Scorecard

1. C.______________________________________________

2. C.______________________________________________

3. Q.______________________________________________

4. S.______________________________________________

5. C.______________________________________________

6. C.______________________________________________

7. Q.______________________________________________

8. V.B. ____________________________________________

9. C.______________________________________________

10. C.______________________________________________

11. Q.______________________________________________

12. C.______________________________________________

13. S.______________________________________________

14. Q.______________________________________________

15. Q.______________________________________________

16. S.______________________________________________

17. C.______________________________________________

18. C.______________________________________________

19. C.______________________________________________

20. Q.______________________________________________

21. C.______________________________________________

22. C.______________________________________________

23. Q.______________________________________________

24. S.______________________________________________

25. C.______________________________________________

26. Q.______________________________________________

27. C.______________________________________________

28. C.______________________________________________

29. Q.______________________________________________

30. V.B. ____________________________________________

31. C.______________________________________________

32. C.______________________________________________

Spinner

Spin using a pencil.

25

1. C.It is early April, and you are a female flying squirrel

returning to your nest after foraging for food. You find thenest is empty. A tree-climbing snake has preyed

upon your young.

22. C.It is daytime, and you are sleeping in the cavity of a tree. A gloved hand

reaches in and jerks you out of your nest. You are so startled, you die of shoThe person who wanted you as a pet walks away empty-handed.

23. Q.In addition to tree-climbing snakes and owls, name a

native animal that preys upon flying squirrels.

14. Q.Since flying squirrels are active only at night, biologists

do not know exactly how many flying squirrels there are in Illinois.True or False.

15. Q.How far do flying squirrels normally glide?

17. C.You leap off a perch, spreading your four legs at right angles to

your body and stretching your gliding membranes until they catch the forceof the air. Using your tail to do most of the steering you turn at a 90-degreeangle to avoid a branch. Ready to land, you brake with your tail and touch

down on your hind feet. You then scurry to the top of the treewhere you launch off again.

18. C.You have survived the winter, and it is now March. By the end of

summer the fur on your head, neck and rump will by wearing thin. Fortunately,your fur will begin to molt in September or early October. By November,

you will have traded in your old coat for a new one.

19. C.There is a full moon. You know this night is risky for travel. You lift off your

perch and glide through the air. Sharp talons pierce your back, and agreat horned owl silently carries your body away.

20. Q.Name one animal food taken by the flying squirrel.

21. C.You seem to prefer a home that is heavily wooded but

not so heavily wooded as to prevent gliding, and you favor forests thatcontain plenty of old dead trees and rotten snags well-drilled with

woodpecker holes and cavities.

2. C.Fall is near, and it is time to begin storing and burying nuts. To bury a nut

in the ground, you scrape away dirt with your front feet, press the nutdown with your nose and then cover the nut with dirt.

3. Q.Do flying squirrels hibernate during the winter?

12 You build your den in the ab

woodpecker. Even though the ope inch in diameter, you bring

feathers and bits of le

SOUTHERN FLYINGSQUIRREL’S LIFE TO LIVE

Game Board13. S.

16. S.

CATEGORIES: Food Gathering; Habitat; Natural Predator; Travel; Unnatural Disturbance/Predator; and Young.

ock.

25. C.Winter is approaching. You move from your cool nest in the cavity of a

hollow limb at the top of a white oak tree to a cavity deep in the tree trunk. The nest is protected from wind and snow and is warmer. Five other

flying squirrels are sharing the nest with you.

26. Q.Describe a flying squirrel at birth.

27. C.You are a female flying squirrel. Lightning has just struck your

nest tree, and the nest is now exposed. Two of your young are dead. You must move the surviving two to a new nest. One by one, you carry the

young squirrels by biting their belly skin while they curl their feet and tail around your neck.

28. C.You are a female flying squirrel, and you defend your nest

tree and the area around it, about one acre. Another female flyingsquirrel enters your territory. You stare at the intruder and stomp your feet.

When she does not turn back, you lunge, strike her face and jumpon her back. A struggle follows, and the other squirrel

scurries away.

29. Q.Unlike the female flying squirrel, the male flying squirrel

does not defend a territory.True or False.

30. VALUE BONUS

31. C. Various nuts, fruits and berries are stock items on your menu.

During the winter, you nibble on the buds of trees. In spring, you eatsugar maple blossoms and the bark of many hardwood trees.

32. C.The “gliding” membrane on each side of your body is a

loose fold of skin running from your wrist to your ankle. The glossy furon the back and sides of your body is gray, while the underparts

are pure white. From the tip of your tail to your head, you are8 5⁄8 to 9 ¾ inches long.

5. C.It is your second week of life as a flying squirrel. Since you

were born, you have nearly doubled your weight and are almost completelycovered with hair. Your eyes will remain closed for another two weeks. It will

be four weeks before you begin to forage for your own food.

6. C.When not gliding, you run along tree branches and leap from

limb to limb. To search for food on the ground, you run and hop across the forest floor. Since you are not a fast runner, you

must be careful to guard against predators.

7. Q.What physical characteristic distinguishes the

flying squirrel from other squirrels?

8. VALUE BONUS

9. C.You are sometimes seen in an attic, under the

eave of a roof or around a birdhouse.

10. C.A domestic cat has pounced at you. You run for the nearest cover. Too late!

With one big swat, the cat scoops you up and bites your neck. You are dead.

11. Q.Is it legal to shoot, trap or capture a flying squirrel in Illinois?

2. C. bandoned nest cavity of a downy

ening in the side of the tree is only one g shredded bark, lichens, moss,

aves toline your new home.

4. S.

24. S.

Nest; Physical Appearance; Territory/Home Range;

This exercise requires you to become a spy of theforest and will take you to the four locations, orlayers, of the forest.

Location One: The Forest FloorBriefing: It is your mission at Location One to scourthe forest floor for signs of plant and animal life.

Strategy:A. Pick up a handful of forest litter. List three items

you see and feel in the litter. Dig with your fin-gers into the litter on the forest floor. What isthe grainy, dark-colored substance beneath thelitter?

B. Use a hoe or other tool to lift rocks for you tolook under. Do not use your hands. Do you seeany plant roots running through the soil be-neath the rocks? Are there any insects or otheranimals? If so, can you name them? If you donot know their names, write down a descrip-tion of them or draw them. Do you see anyburrows or tunnels beneath the rocks? Arethere animals in the burrows? Are the burrowsthat you see large enough to be used by theredbelly snake, the tiger salamander or thespringtail?

C. Locate a fallen and decaying log. Check thebark first. Are there any types of fungi, such asartist’s fungus, growing on the bark? Is theremoss, such as star moss, growing on the bark?

D. Peel off a small section of bark and examinethe wood of the log. Do you see any tunnels,cocoons or spider webs? Is the wood decayedenough so that animals could place their nest,young or eggs in it? If so, is the wood of yourlog big enough to hold the nest of the maskedshrew or the eggs of the gray ratsnake?

E. If you can, roll the log over. Can you see anyclue of plant or animal life in the area wherethe log was laying? If so write down your ob-servations.

Each of the animals drawn below lives at least partof its life under a decaying log. Which of the fol-lowing animals would be about the right size to livebeneath the log you have overturned? The hermitflower beetle, the white footed mouse, the graytreefrog? Be sure to carefully roll the log back overinto its original position.

Forest Sleuthwork

28

F. Crisscross the forest until you find a mound ofdirt that opens into an underground tunnel. Doyou know which animal the tunnel is used by?Is the tunnel the right size for the eastern moleor the woodland vole?

G. Look for mammal tracks. The forest floor is likea roadway for animals, especially mammals.Can you find any of the tracks illustrated onpage 16 of this booklet? If so, which ones?

Location Two: The Herb LayerBriefing: As you walk through the forest, the smallplants growing at your feet are the herbs. Herbs aregreen plants with soft, nonwoody tissues. Most ofthe herbs in the forest are wildflowers. It is yourmission to study the wildflowers and to uncoverany insect activity.

Strategy:A. Locate a wildflower. How tall is the plant youhave found? What colors are the plant? Smellthe plant, especially the flower or blossom, ifit has one. Does the plant have a scent? If so,describe the scent.

B. Study the construction of the wildflower. Lookat the drawing of a complete plant. Though theplant you have found may be different insome ways, you can use the drawing as aguide as you answer the following questionsabout your plant. Does the plant have a stem?Touch the stem gently. Is it smooth or coveredwith small hairs? Is the stem fatter or thinnerthan a pencil? Does your plant have leaves?Can you see any buds on your plant? Do yousee any seeds or fruits? If so, draw and de-scribe them.

C. If your plant has a flower, you should investi-gate it thoroughly. How many flowers are onthe plant? Does your flower have petals,sepals, a pistil or a stamen? Describe theflower of your plant in great detail and thendraw your flower in the box provided.

D. Your wildflower is a good place to look for in-sects. Insects carry out the very important taskof pollination. Do you see any insects on theplant you are studying? If so, name, describeand/or draw the insect(s).

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Draw the seedand fruit here.

Plant drawing

29

30

E. In order to search for more insects, move onfrom your plant and inspect as many differentherbs in the forest as you can. Be sure to de-scribe, name and/or draw the insects you see.

Location Three:Shrub and UnderstoryBriefing: It is your mission at Location Three to in-vestigate the sizes of the shrubs and understorytrees and to discover any bird activity.

Strategy:A. Locate a shrub. A shrub is a small woody

plant that has several stems rising from theground at the same spot. Some shrubs aresmall trees that eventually may grow intolarge trees. How tall is the shrub? Name ordescribe the shrub (include details on leaves,branches, buds and fruits). How wide is theshrub?

B. Draw the shrub. When you are done, the boxshould look something like SAMPLE BOX A.

C. Shrubs are only one part of Location Three.Trees that are smaller than the largest treesare called the understory trees. Together, theunderstory trees and shrubs make up LocationThree in the forest. Locate an understory tree.How tall is the understory tree?

D. Now go back to strategy B. Draw the under-story tree in the same box that you drew theshrub. Draw the tree in the space to the left ofand above the dotted lines. When you aredone, the box should look something likeSAMPLE BOX B.

E. The branches of shrubs and understory trees inLocation Three provide cover and nesting spotsfor many birds. One by one, investigate asmany shrubs and understory trees as you canfor signs of birds. On page 31 are some signsand birds you may find. If you see any of these

signs or birds, write your observations and/ordraw them in the box below. REMEMBER: DONOT TOUCH OR HARM ANIMAL NESTS.

Signs of birds at Location 3.

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31

indigo bunting

cup nest

Baltimore oriole

hangingbasket nest

woodpeckerdrilling holes

red-headedwoodpecker

blue jay

brown thrasher

stick platform nest

black-cappedchickadee

natural cavitynest hole

northern cardinal

bird droppings

feathers

31

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Briefing: It is your mission at Location Four to in-vestigate the branches, leaves and bark of thecanopy trees.

Strategy:

A. Select a deciduous canopy tree that hasleaves. A canopy tree is one of the largesttrees in the forest. Its leaves and branchesform a protective umbrella over the lower lay-ers of the forest. How tall is the canopy treeyou have chosen? How wide is its crown ofbranches? In the box below, draw the wild-flower you studied at LOCATION 2, the shrub

and the understory tree you investigated atLOCATION 3 and finally, the canopy tree youhave selected for study at this location. Besure to draw at the base of those plants whatyou investigated at LOCATION 1. When youare finished your box should look somethinglike the Sample Box.

B. Find a twig on your canopy tree. Break it offas close to the main limb as possible. Usethe illustration below to help you answer thefollowing questions about your twig.

Start at the outermost end of your twig. Isthere a bud? If so, what is that bud called? Isthere a leaf or a flower growing out of the endof the twig? Look on the side of the twig. Doyou see any buds? If so, what are those budscalled? Do you see any leaf scars on the twig?If so, how many? When the leaves fall off thetwig in autumn, what mark will they leave be-hind on the twig? Can you find a terminal budscale scar on your twig? If so, how many?

Location Four: Canopy Layer

wildflowershrubunderstory treecanopy tree

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C. Find a leaf. Listed and drawn below are threemajor types of SIMPLE LEAVES and three majortypes of COMPOUND LEAVES. Simple leaves,such as those of pawpaw, appear on the twigsingly. Compound leaves are different fromsimple leaves because they are made up ofmany leaflets that are arranged in pairs oppo-site each other. Carefully study the leaf typesbelow and then answer the following questionsabout the leaf you have found. After you answerthe questions, draw your leaf in the box pro-vided. Is your leaf a simple or compound leaf?If it is simple, is it a simple-smooth leaf, a sim-ple-lobed leaf or a simple-toothed leaf? If yourleaf is a compound leaf, is it a pinnately com-pound leaf, a palmately compound leaf or adoubly pinnately compound leaf?

D. Take a piece of white paper and press it againstthe bark of your canopy tree. While continuingto press the paper against the bark, rub acrayon over the paper so that the bark makesan impression on the paper.

Draw your leaf in this box.

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This forest collage shows many of the differentthings that forests provide for plants, animals andhumans. Study the collage carefully and on a sep-arate piece of paper, make a list of all the thingsyou see that forests provide.

The Need for Forests is GreatYour completed list demonstrates what is calledMULTIPLE USE of forests. In Illinois, forests areused for multiple reasons. Plants and animals de-pend on forests for natural habitats, and peopleuse forests for recreation, hunting, nature studyand the production of lumber. When Illinois wasfirst settled by pioneers in the early 1800s, thestate’s 14 million acres of forests provided a vasthabitat for plants and animals and a wonderfulabundance of forest for people to use. In modernday Illinois, however, the state’s supply of forestshas shrunk by 10 million acres to just 4.3 millionacres. Because of the shortage of forest as habitat,many forest plants and animals are fighting forsurvival. The growing human population in Illinoisneeds more forest products than ever before. Theneed for forests by plants, animals and humans isgreat, yet the supply of forests is shrinking.

Forest Management Can HelpMake the Most of Our ForestsGood forest management can help make the mostof the forests we have. Forests have one great ad-vantage: they are a renewable natural resource,meaning that forests can renew themselves bygrowing new trees. With good forest management,we can help forests grow bigger and healthiertrees, and we can even replant trees in areas thathave been cleared. Forest management is the jobof foresters and biologists working for state, fed-eral, county, local and private organizations.

Three Principles ofForest ManagementPRESERVE – Forest management often involves set-ting aside some of our forests as forest preserves.These areas provide plant and animal habitat, aswell as opportunities for people to study nature,hike, camp and participate in other outdoor recre-ation. Some of these areas provide an opportunityto hunt and fish. Since many of these areas havebeen preserved in the same condition they were inat the time when settlers first came to Illinois, theyare living museums of our natural heritage.

Forest Management – Making the Most of Our Forests

34

PROTECT – An importantpart of forest managementis protection. Forest man-agers work to protect forestsfrom the destruction that fire, harmful in-sects and grazing can cause. It also means pro-tecting forests from being cleared away unlessabsolutely necessary. When protected from harm,forests can better provide all of the things they areneeded for.

PRODUCE – Since we all need forest products, itis important to manage some forests to producea good crop of timber. Even though a forest willgrow trees without any assistance from people, aforest manager can help it grow straighter,healthier and better-formed trees by removingsome of the trees that are taking up too muchspace and sunlight (known as “wolf” trees) andsome of the trees that are diseased, crooked ordamaged. This practice provides more sunlight,soil, water and nutrient elements for the healthy,straight and well-formed trees. Of course, not all

of the “wolf” trees or damaged trees are re-moved. Many are left to provide food and

shelter for forest animals. The practice of re-moving some trees to help more valuable trees

grow is called Timber Stand Improvement (TSI).TSI is wise forest management because it helpsproduce better, faster-growing trees.

Another way to help a forest produce more tim-ber is by not overcutting it. An overcut forest isone in which all of the mature trees usable forlumber have been cut. An overcut forest providespoor habitat for plants and animals, and it takesmany, many years for an overcut forest to growmature trees that can be harvested. The best wayto manage a forest is to select some of the ma-ture trees to harvest but leave many others be-hind as growing stock. The growing stock canthen be harvested every few years as more treesmature. This type of harvesting is called SelectionHarvesting. A forest that is harvested in this waycan produce timber for all the years it is a forest.Plus, it will continue to provide habitat for plantsand animals.

Thinking Further1. What is meant by the “multiple use” of forests?

2. What are the three principles of forestmanagement?

3. Why is Timber Stand Improvement wise forestmanagement?

4. Why is it better to Selection Harvest a forestthan to overcut it?

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Recommending forest managementplans for private forest landownersis a very important part of forestmanagement and the chief job ofa forester. Since 95 percent of theland in Illinois is owned by pri-vate landowners, foresters workclosely with landowners to helpthem manage their woodlands inthe best way possible. To completethis exercise, it will be your job torecommend a forest managementplan for five Illinois landowners.These are all people who have con-tacted you as a forester becausethey need advice or assis-tance concerning their exist-ing or potential woodland. Youshould recommend to eachlandowner one of the five forest management plansfeatured on this page. The choices are Selection Har-vest Plan, Timber Stand Improvement Plan, ForestProtection Plan, Forest Preservation Plan and TreeFarm Plan.

Forest Preservation Plan: A forester recommends thisplan when a landowner wants to preserve his or herforest as a natural area, nature preserve, state, countyor local park, a forest preserve or a conservation dis-trict. Foresters consult with many other people whenpreparing this plan. The forester usually consults anatural heritage biologist about the plant and animalspecies living on the property. In addition, the forestertalks to different state, county or local officials aboutregistering the property as a protected area to preventtrespassing and damaging impacts.

Tree Farm Planting Plan: A forester recommends thisplan when a landowner would like to plant trees on anarea that is not presently forest. The forester visits thelocation and reviews the soil type and drainage pat-terns. If the location is suitable for raising trees, theforester prepares a plan for the landowner that rec-ommends which species to plant and how to plantand care for seedlings.

Selection Harvest Plan: A forester recommends this planwhen a landowner has a forest with mature trees thatare ready to be harvested. This plan calls for the cut-ting of some of the mature trees but recommendsthat a good supply of trees be left in the forest as re-

serve growing stock and to provide habitatfor plants and animals. More trees in theforest can then be harvested every sev-eral years as the trees mature. Thisplan allows the landowner to marketpart of his or her trees on a regularbasis while not upsetting the forestecosystem of plants and animals.

Forest Protection Plan: A forester recom-mends this plan when a landowner would like

to protect his or her forest against fire, insects orgrazing. For fire protection, foresters may recom-

mend putting in fire breaks. Firebreaks are narrow strips of landthat have been cleared of veg-etation down to the soil.

These breaks stop a spreading fire and also give fire-fighters access to the fire. For insect control, foresterssometimes recommend the use of pesticides. Forcontrol against grazing, the advice of a forester is sim-ple. DO NOT GRAZE CATTLE ON WOODLANDS. Cat-tle kill wildflowers, fungi and young trees growingfrom the forest floor. Cattle also pack down the soil sothat the soil can no longer hold water, leading to se-rious problems with soil erosion.

Timber Stand Improvement Plans: A forester prepares thisplan when a landowner would like to improve the qual-ity of his or her woodland. The goal of this plan is tohelp the forest produce healthier, better-formed treesthat could someday be harvested and sent to market.Timber Stand Improvement (TSI) calls for the girdlingof trees that are taking up too much room (known as“wolf” trees) or diseased, crooked or damaged trees.Girdling is done by cutting a ring around the trunk ofthe tree. The girdled trees die and are left to decay nat-urally in the forest. The unwanted trees are no longerable to steal sunlight, water and nutrient elements fromhealthy, well-formed trees. Of course, not all of the“wolf” trees or diseased, crooked or damaged trees aregirdled. Many “wolf” trees are left because hawks andowls perch and nest in their highest branches. “Wolf”trees that are producing fruits and seeds are also left soanimals can find food. Some of the diseased, crookedor damaged trees are left because they have naturalcavities where animals find shelter. TSI is not a harvestbut is more like a maintenance operation. TSI does forthe forest the same thing hoeing does for a garden. TSIis wise forest management because it helps trees pro-duce more good timber per acre while not harming the

Working as a Forester

36

natural habitat for plants and animals.LandownersMr. Boone owns 40 acres of forest, mostlystocked with white oak trees. When hecontacted you, he said “I’ve got all this for-est that’s not doing me any good. I’m pay-

ing high taxes on the land, and I need to make somemoney from it. I think I’ll just bulldoze the whole thingand plant some corn.” Several days later you inventoryMr. Boone’s forest and find that the mature trees, if har-vested, could produce 28,000 board feet of timberworth thousands of dollars on the veneer market. Inaddition, you find a very good supply of younger treesthat could be left in the forest as growing stock. Thatgrowing stock could be harvested later on the sus-tained yield basis to provide money for Mr. Boone andhis family for many years to come. You show your find-ings to Mr. Boone and explain that he could managehis forest as a crop just as a farmer manages a field ofcorn or soybeans. You point out to Mr. Boone that hecould harvest his forest to make money and still haveit as a place to watch wildlife, camp, picnic and hunt.After Mr. Boone agrees to your advice you prepare a__________________________ Plan.

Mr. Olson owns a 200-acre forest. Whenhe contacted you, he said “Our forest hasbeen in our family for 150 years. My an-cestors were some of the first settlers tocome to these parts. We’ve always har-vested most of our forest, but there’s one

55-acre tract of white oak we’ve left untouched. Thatstand has some of the biggest, most majestic oaksyou’ve ever seen. Some of those trees are probablyfive times as old as I am. That stand has many birdsand mammals living in it, and the forest floor is justcarpeted with beautiful wildflowers. I’d like to makesure this stand is kept the way it’s always been. It’s arecord of what Illinois was made of before humansshowed up. Can you help me get it set up to preservethis stand as an example of our natural heritage?” Tohelp you out in this case, you call in a natural heritagebiologist, and the two of you take a walk with Mr.Olson through his stand of white oaks. The naturalheritage biologist points out that the stand is uniquebecause the trees are more than 300 years old. Know-ing that Mr. Olson wants to preserve the stand, yourecommend a ___________________________ Plan.

Mrs. Smith owns a large farm. On thisfarm, there is a mixture of pasture andcrop land. When Mrs. Smith called youshe said “I love trees so much, but we justdon’t have many on our property. I’d like

to start a tree farm somewhere on my land. I know itwill take several years for the trees to grow large, butI’m a pretty young person and besides, my childrenwill certainly be able to enjoy them. I figure it could bean investment too. Someday, we could harvest someof those trees. We’ve got five people in our family, andI’d like to plant four acres of seedlings for each of us.Could you give me some advice on where, how andwhen to plant?” Upon inspection of Mrs. Smith’s prop-erty, you find a 20-acre abandoned pasture near thehouse with the right soil conditions for raising hard-wood species such as white oak, northern red oak andblack walnut. Mrs. Smith agrees that the pasturewould be a good place to begin planting. Knowingthat Mrs. Smith will need detailed and accurate infor-mation about tree planting, you recommend a_______________________ Plan.

Ms. Adams owns a 50-acre tract of oak,maple and hickory forest. When she con-tacted you, she said, “I have this lovelywoodland, and I don’t know what to dowith it. I don’t want to harvest it now,

but I’d like to harvest it later when my children areready to go to college to help pay for their tuition. Isthere anything I can do to help my woodland pro-duce the best crop of trees it can?” During a visit toMs. Adams’ forest, you find a good supply of well-formed healthy trees. However, there are a lot of dis-eased, damaged, crooked and wolf trees stealingsunlight, water, space and nutrient elements fromthe healthy well-formed trees. Without those prob-lem trees, Ms. Adams’ forest would produce a bettercrop of trees. Since Ms. Adams wants to improve herforest, you decide to recommend a____________________________ Plan.

Mr. Jones owns a 55-acre forest stockedwith oak, hickory and maple species.When Mr. Jones called you he said “Mywoodland appears to be in bad shape. Itused to be that I could go into my wood-

land and find many new trees sprouting up. I used tobe able to find mushrooms and beautiful wildflow-ers in the spring. I walk through the woods now, andit’s practically bare except for the larger trees. Tomake matters worse, the soil in my woods is allpacked down, and when it rains, the water justwashes down the slopes of the forest into the creek,carrying what looks like half of the soil with it. Whatis the matter with my woods and what can I do toprotect it?” When you inspect Mr. Jones’ property,you find that he is grazing cattle in the forest. SinceMr. Jones wants to protect his forest, you recom-mend a ____________________________ Plan.

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Preparing a Timber Stand Improvement PlanIn the previous exercise, you worked as a foresterand recommended a forest management plan forfive landowners. For one of those landowners, yourecommended a Timber Stand Improvement (TSI)Plan. It is your job in this exercise to continue work-ing as a forester and to complete the details of theTSI Plan. On pages 40 and 41, a sample plot of for-est is drawn. The sample plot is from the forestowned by the landowner for whom you preparedthe TSI Plan on page 37. To complete the details ofthe TSI Plan you should study the drawing and de-scription of each of the trees in the sample plot. Ablank TSI Plan is provided for you. Before youbegin to work, review the description of a TSI Planon page 36 and the situation of the landowner onpage 37, and study carefully the RULES OF THUMBFOR A TSI PLAN listed below.

RULES OF THUMB FOR A TSI PLAN

Introduction: The following items are the rules aforester follows when deciding which trees to re-move and which trees to leave in a forest as part ofa TSI Plan. Some of the rules have exceptions. Theexceptions are just as important as the rules andshould be considered carefully. Trees that aremarked to be removed are usually not actually cutand removed from the forest. In most cases, thetrees are girdled and left to decay naturally.

As you work to prepare your plan, keep in mind thatthe goal of TSI is to help the forest grow bigger,healthier and better-formed trees by removingsome of the “wolf” trees and crooked, diseased ordamaged trees. The good forester always leavessome of those trees to provide food and naturalcavities or shelter for forest animals.

1. Leave all healthy, native understory trees andshrubs. They are not competing with the largertrees for sunlight and are an important part ofthe forest ecosystem.

2. Leave the young, healthy and well-formedcanopy trees. These trees will continue togrow and are providing food and shelter foranimals.

3. Leave the mature, healthy and well-formedcanopy trees. These trees can be harvested laterand in the meantime, are providing food andshelter for animals.

4. Leave the dead trees. These trees provide goodnatural cavities for animals, and they are nottaking sunlight, water or nutrient elementsfrom live trees.

5. Remove crooked trees. They will never be use-ful as saw timber, and they take up too muchspace. Exception: Leave a poorly formed tree ifit is a valuable species, such as black walnut.Though the tree will not produce good timberit will put out seed for new generations of itsspecies in the forest.

6. Remove trees that have been badly damagedby lightning, disease, insects or fire. These treeswill never be valuable as saw timber and aretaking sunlight, water and nutrient elementsfrom well-formed trees. Exception: Leave somedamaged trees if they are providing food or cav-ities for animals.

7. Remove trees that are gutted by fungi. Be-cause these trees are usually rotten insidethey are often said to have “heart rot.” Again,these trees are stealing valuable sunlight,water and nutrient elements from well-formed trees. Exception: Leave some treeswith “heart rot” if they are providing cavitiesfor animals.

8. Remove “wolf” trees. “Wolf” trees have anexceptionally wide crown of branches.“Wolf” trees sometimes take up five timesthe space a well-formed tree requires.“Wolf” trees retard the growth of other treesby shading them too heavily. Exception:Leave some “wolf” trees to provide nuts andother fruits for wildlife. Also, leave some“wolf” trees since hawks and squirrels nestand perch in their highest branches andsince owls, woodpeckers and chickadees usecavities in their trunks and lower branches.

9. Remove less desirable trees that do not pro-duce quality timber if they are shading morevaluable trees. For example, in someforests, black locust is a less desirablespecies. Exception: Leave a less desirabletree if it is a good wildlife food producer.Red mulberry is an example of a less desir-able species in terms of poor timber quality,but foresters usually leave it since itsberries provide good food for animals.

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Prepared by ______________________________________

Name of Landowner _______________________________

Goal of Plan (what this plan will do for the forest)

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

_______________________________________________

_____________________________________________

Details of Plan

The 20 trees in the sample plot are listed below. In the spacebeside each tree, write the species of the tree, and eitherREMOVE or LEAVE. Then use the rest of the space to explainyour reasoning. Use this sample as a guide.

Tree #99 White Oak: REMOVE. Tree is crooked, does not havecavities for animals and is stealing sunlight, water and nutrientelements from the well-formed trees.

TREE #1: _______________________________________

_______________________________________________

TREE #2: _______________________________________

_______________________________________________

TREE #3: _______________________________________

_______________________________________________

TREE #4: _______________________________________

_______________________________________________

TREE #5: _______________________________________

_______________________________________________

TREE #6: _______________________________________

_______________________________________________

TREE #7: _______________________________________

_______________________________________________

TREE #8: _______________________________________

_______________________________________________

TREE #9: _______________________________________

_______________________________________________

TREE #10: _______________________________________

_______________________________________________

Timber Stand Improvement Plan

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TreeDescription

1. Tree #1 white oak: This treewas hit and badly damagedby lightning.

2. Tree #2 black walnut: Thoughthis tree has poor form, it isthe only black walnut tree inthe forest.

3. Tree #3 northern red oak: Thistree is diseased and has littlevalue as a wildlife cavitytree.

4. Tree #4 American hornbeam:This tree is a healthy under-story tree.

5. Tree #5 black oak: This wolftree provides shelter for thesquirrels and hawks thatnest in its mass of branches.Other animals nest in itscavities.

6. Tree #6 eastern hophornbeam:This tree is a healthy under-story tree.

7. Tree #7 northern red oak: Thistree is crooked.

8. Tree #8 shagbark hickory: Thismature canopy tree ishealthy and well formed.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

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9. Tree #9 white oak: This deadtree is a home for animalsand does not interfere withliving trees.

10. Tree #10 northern red oak: Thisyoung canopy tree wouldgrow faster if it was notshaded by Tree #11.

11. Tree #11 white oak: This wolftree has few dens for animals.

12. Tree #12 white oak: This youngcanopy tree would growfaster if not shaded by Tree#11.

13. Tree #13 white oak: This ma-ture canopy tree is healthyand well formed.

14. Tree #14 eastern redbud: Thisplant is a healthy shrub.

15. Tree #15 white oak: This wolftree is a good producer ofacorns and does not inter-fere with the growth ofother trees.

16. Tree #16 shagbark hickory: Thistree is damaged by fungibut has a natural den at itsbase and cavities in its trunkand branches.

17. Tree #17 black oak: This tree isgutted by heart rot and isheavily shading Tree #18.This tree does not have asmany cavities as Tree #16.

18. Tree #18 black cherry: Thishealthy tree would growfaster if not shaded by Tree#17.

19. Tree #19 wild plum: This plantis a healthy understory tree.

20. Tree #20 black locust: This treeis an undesirable species thathas little value as a wildlifefood producer. This tree iscompeting with Tree #18.

12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

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Introduction: (Read aloud by one student to the class.)“Carefully planning the use of the land in Illinois isvery important because there is only so much landto go around. Every time something new needs tobe built, the question arises as to where to put it.For example, when the people of a town decide tobuild a new school, should they build it on naturalland such as forest, wetland or prairie or on landthat is used as crop land? The decision is nevereasy and a planning commission is usually formedto settle the question. In making a decision, thecommission considers the interests of everyonewho may be affected by the decision. For exam-ple, if crop land is involved, the commission lis-tens to farmers who are usually reluctant to losecrop land. If natural land is involved, the commis-sion listens to outdoors people (including hikers,campers, hunters and naturalists) who usually donot wish to lose acres of forest, wetland or prairie.The commission also considers the needs ofplants and animals that depend on natural landsas places to find shelter and food and to reproduceand raise their young. No matter what kind of landis being considered for use, the commission stud-ies the position of the business people who usu-ally want the new development to be built nearroads and business areas.

This exercise is a class project that involves land-use planning. As a class we are asked to act as aplanning commission for Illini Town, Illinois. As aplanning commission, we will plan the location ofa new airport for Illini Town. Since the land-useplanning process involves many steps, our classshould follow Steps 1-7 before we recommend theplacement of a new airport for Illini Town.”

STEP ONE: FORMING A PLANNING COMMISSION(This step should be read aloud to the class by anotherstudent.)

“To form a PLANNING COMMISSION, we as a class,should elect one student to the position of PLAN-NING CHAIRPERSON. The PLANNING CHAIRPER-SON is responsible for making sure STEPS 2-7 arefollowed correctly. Once a PLANNING CHAIRPER-SON is chosen, the CHAIRPERSON should divide ourclass into five groups. The CHAIRPERSON shouldthen assign the students in each of those groups torepresent the five special-interest groups that makeup the PLANNING COMMISSION. Those groups are:FARMERS, TREE FARMERS, PLANTS/ANIMALS,

BUSINESS PEOPLE, OUTDOORS PEOPLE. Each stu-dent in those five groups should make a name tagthat says which group he or she belongs to. Each stu-dent should pin that name tag on his or her shirt.”(After a CHAIRPERSON and the five special-interest groupshave been formed the Planning Commission will be complete,and the class can move to STEP TWO.)

STEP TWO:APPOINTING SPECIAL-INTEREST GROUPSPOKESPERSON (Read aloud by CHAIRPERSON.)

“It is my first duty as PLANNING CHAIRPERSON toappoint a spokesperson for each of the special-in-terest groups.” (Chairman should appoint fivespokespersons and class should move to STEPTHREE.)

STEP THREE: LOOKING AT THE NEEDS OF THESPECIAL-INTEREST GROUPS (Read aloud by PLAN-NING CHAIRPERSON.)

“It is time for our class as the PLANNING COM-MISSION for ILLINI TOWN, to look at the needs ofthe special-interest groups. I ask now that thespokesperson for each group make a presentationto the Commission on the special interests of heror his group.”

FARMERS: (Read aloud by Spokesperson for FARMERS.)“The FARMERS do not want the airport to bebuilt on or near crop land. If it is built on cropland, we will lose more of the land that suppliesus all with food. If it is built near crop land, therewill be more traffic, noise and air pollution, van-dalism and littering on boundaries of the cropland.”

BUSINESS PEOPLE: (Read by Spokesperson forBUSINESS PEOPLE.)“We want the airport to be built near a majorroad. We also want the airport to be near eitherthe downtown area or the shopping mall. Wefeel the airport should be built on land that canbe purchased for the lowest price. We want whatis best for the businesses and the overall econ-omy of ILLINI TOWN.”

OUTDOORS PEOPLE: (Read by Spokesperson forOUTDOORS PEOPLE.)“We are a group made up of everyone who en-joys natural land. We are hunters, fishermen,wildlife photographers and naturalists who enjoynatural areas as places to simply watch and study

Land-Use Planning

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nature. We do not want the airport to be built inor near a natural land area. We feel that the air-port would take up too much natural land, andwe don’t have much natural land to spare.”

TREE FARMERS: (Read by Spokesperson forTREE FARMERS.)“The TREE FARMERS do not want the airport to bebuilt on forest land that is harvested to producethe wood we all depend upon. If the airport is builtin a tree farm, there will be fewer trees for plantsand animals and fewer trees to harvest to makelumber to build houses, schools and furniture.”

PLANTS/ANIMALS: (Read by Spokesperson for PLANTS/ANIMALS.)“We represent a group that cannot tell us whatthey want, but we know that plants and animalsneed a natural place to live. Therefore, we do notwant the airport to be built in or near a natural

habitat. The construction, traffic and air andnoise pollution of an airport might destroy thehabitat for plants and drive many animals fromtheir natural homes.”

(After the Spokesperson for each group has presented theinterests of his or her group, the class should move toSTEP FOUR.)

STEP FOUR: STUDYING THE LOCATION OPTIONS(Read aloud by PLANNING CHAIRPERSON.)

“Now that the Commission has heard the needs ofthe five special-interest groups, it is time to studythe four Location Options for the new airport. I willread a description of each location as well as the ad-vantages and disadvantages of placing the airportat that location. As I read the description of each lo-cation, each member of the Commission shouldlook at the location on the map of ILLINI TOWN.

This map of ILLINI TOWN shows the four Location Options for the new airport. The actual placement of the airportat each location is shown by the following symbol. An estimated total of 80 acres is needed for the new airport.

Location 4Tree Farm(300 acres)

Forest NaturePreserve(300 acres)

Location 2Crop Land(2,000 acres)

Location 1Forest Park(500 acres)

DowntownArea

Shopping

Mall

Lake Illini

Location 3Old Field(200 acres)

Major Road

Major

Ro

ad

Illini Town

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LOCATION ONE is a 500-acre forest park. This landwould sell for $2,500 per acre. The forest parkis a natural habitat for many forest plants andanimals. The forest park is open to many formsof outdoor recreation including camping, hikingand nature study. The forest park is also opento hunting. Advantage: The airport would beclose to a major road and to the downtownarea. Disadvantage: Placement of the airport inthe forest park would ruin the natural habitatfor plants and animals in some parts of the parkand harm the natural habitat in other parts.Placement of the airport here would also limitthe use of the forest park by outdoors people.

LOCATION TWO is a 2,000-acre tract of crop land.An acre of LOCATION TWO would sell for $4,000.LOCATION TWO is farmed and produces part ofthe food supply for ILLINI TOWN and the state ofIllinois. ADVANTAGE: No natural land wouldhave to be cleared if the airport is built in LOCA-TION TWO. DISADVANTAGE: A new major roadwould have to be built to connect the new air-port with the existing major road. Crop landwould be lost and less food would be produced.

LOCATION THREE is an old field that borders di-rectly onto a Forest Nature Preserve. The old fieldis abandoned and would sell at a rate of $1,500per acre. The Forest Nature Preserve is a uniqueforest since it has oak, hickory and walnut treesthat are several hundred years old. The ForestNature Preserve is used by outdoors people as aplace to hike and study nature. The Forest NaturePreserve is closed to hunting and camping. TheForest Nature Preserve provides an excellenthome for plants and animals. ADVANTAGE: Theland could be purchased for the lowest price. Theairport would be near a major road and close tothe shopping mall. DISADVANTAGE: The con-struction, increase in traffic, noise and air pollu-tion, vandalism and littering could disturb theforest ecosystem within the Nature Preserve.

LOCATION FOUR is a 300-acre tree farm. An acre ofthe tree farm would sell for $4,000 per acre. Thetree farm produces a large amount of oak andwalnut lumber each year for use by the towns-people and by people from all over the state. Thetree farm is closed to hunting and fishing, but allother forms of outdoor recreation such as hiking,camping and nature study are allowed. The treefarm provides a good forest habitat for manyplants and animals. ADVANTAGE: The airport

would be near a major road and close to theshopping mall. DISADVANTAGE: Approximatelyhalf of the tree farm (150 acres) would have tobe cleared to make room for the airport, a roadand proper runway clearance. The natural habitatfor plants and animals would be harmed, andthe opportunities provided for outdoors peoplewould be cut in half. The tree farm would pro-duce only half or less of the amount of lumber itproduces now.”

(After the four Location Options have been reviewed, theclass should move to STEP FIVE.)

STEP FIVE: PREPARING RECOMMENDATIONS (Readaloud by PLANNING CHAIRPERSON.)

“As PLANNING CHAIRPERSON, I now ask that eachspecial-interest group meet and prepare a REC-OMMENDATION FORM for the placement of theairport. The Spokesperson of each group is incharge of making sure that the members of his orher group discuss the four location options thor-oughly before a RECOMMENDATION FORM isdrawn up.”

(The five special-interest groups should meet by themselves todiscuss the location options and prepare a RECOMMENDA-TION FORM. Once all of the RECOMMENDATION FORMShave been turned in, the class should move to STEP SIX.)

STEP SIX: STUDYING THE RECOMMENDATIONFORMS (Read aloud by CHAIRPERSON.)

“The PLANNING COMMISSION must study theRECOMMENDATION FORMS submitted by the spe-cial-interest groups. I would like the spokespersonfor each group to present the RECOMMENDATIONFORM of his or her group to the Commission.”

(The Spokesperson for each group should stand before theclass and orally present the RECOMMENDATION FORM ofhis or her group to the class. The Spokesperson should ex-plain how his or her own group feels about the placementof the airport at each of the location options. At the end ofthe presentation, the Spokesperson should explain to theclass which location-option his or her group chose as thesite for the new airport and why. After all of the RECOM-MENDATION FORMS have been prepared, the class shouldmove to STEP SEVEN.)

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STEP SEVEN:MAKING A FINAL DECISION. (Readaloud by CHAIRPERSON.)

“The PLANNING COMMISSION has heard the rec-ommendations of the special-interest groups, andmust make a final recommendation. I ask now forall of the students to take off their name tags. Theyshould no longer think of themselves as membersof a special-interest group but rather as individualmembers of the PLANNING COMMISSION. Wewill now vote on the RECOMMENDATION FORMS

submitted by the special-interest groups. Youshould vote for your own preference. The RECOM-MENDATION FORM that receives the most voteswill become the final recommendation of thisCommission for the placement of a new airport forILLINI TOWN.”

(After the vote has been taken and one RECOMMENDA-TION FORM has been chosen, the CHAIRPERSON shouldannounce the choice to the class and circle the location onthe map.)

1. Name of town:________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Type of project being planned:________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Reasons why project should be built: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Total acreage project will require: ________________________________________________________________________________________

5. Name of special interest group preparing this recommendation:________________________________________________________________________________________

6. The special concerns of this group concerningthe project: (List here what your group wants in relationto the placement of the new airport. You may wish to re-view your group’s statement in STEP 3.)________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7. Evaluation of location options: (Write a descriptionof each location, including the type of land, total acresand what the land is currently used for. Then list the ad-vantages and disadvantages of placing the airport ateach location.)

LOCATION 1: Description: ________________________________________________________________________________________

Advantage:_________________________________Disadvantage: ______________________________

LOCATION 2: Description:________________________________________________________________________________________

Advantage:_________________________________Disadvantage: ______________________________

LOCATION 3: Description:________________________________________________________________________________________

Advantage:_________________________________Disadvantage: ______________________________

LOCATION 4: Description: ________________________________________________________________________________________

Advantage:_________________________________Disadvantage: ______________________________

8. Final recommendation: (Write here the final recom-mendation of your group for the placement of the airport.Be sure to state why this location is the best choice.)________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Recommendation Form

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Illinois Department of Natural Resources Division of EducationOne Natural Resources Way Springfield, IL 62702-1271217-524-4126dnr.teachkids@illinois.govhttp://www.dnr.illinois.gov