Forest Education

The Northern Lights Forest Education Society’s (NLFES) purpose is to educate and promote forestry awareness in the Mackenzie Region of Alberta.  Thus, the NLFES undertakes forest tours and participates in classroom discussions and presentations to help students and the public understand often complex natural processes of the Boreal forest.

Our main activity is running Science Camps for grades 4 and 6 students, linking into Alberta's Science Curriculum. Teachers interested in these camps can download the application form here. Applications are due January 31, 2012 -- see the application form for more information.

Below are some of our potential tours and topics;

Field tours

• Harvesting
• Silviculture
• Forest Succession
• Footner Lake Arboretum
• Upper Hay Region Fire Protection Base

Class Presentation / Discussion Topics

• Forest issues and ideas
• Tree and shrub identification
• Fire Smart Program
• Forest Fire fighting and fire ecology
• Forest products and uses of the forests

The society has hired John Thurston as a part time Forest Educator. His primary role is to interact with the schools and provide assistance with environmentally related topics such as:

• Science Camps
• Learning resources
• Career and vocational training
• Professional development for teachers
• Field trips
• In-class presentations

For more information or to schedule a presentation / field trip please contact the NLFES Forest Educator: