Geography in the Forest

Nature's Compass Learn about compass points and investigate the effect that different aspects have in nature.

Geography in the forest lesson plan Geography: place knowledge; human and physical geography; geographical skills and fieldwork Science: plants; seasonal changes; living things and their habitats.

Forest Feature Mapping Create a map of an area of local woodland or forest to show the human and natural features present.

Produce a poster or essay about woodland urbanisation Create a poster or write an essay discussing the impacts of urbanisation on British woodlands in this activity from the Woodland Trust.

Identify and plot British trees Identify British tree species, plot them on an Ordnance Survey map and work out their grid references in this activity from the Woodland Trust.

Landscape change lesson plans The first lesson sets the scene by defining landscape and then considering – through a range of examples from the UK and around the world – the physical and human processes leading to landscape change. The second and third lessons focus on two detailed and contrasting UK case studies involving sustainable forest management. Thames Chase, located to the east of London, is an example of a community forest planted on a brownfield site.

Sustainable forest management lesson plans This resource is split into three lesson plans to help you to teach your students how England’s forests are used as a natural, sustainable resource. It covers the distribution of the UK’s forests, how forests are used as a resource as well as a deeper dive into the timber industry. The final lesson covers how forests can be managed sustainably for the benefits of people and wildlife.

Map Skills Interpret Ordnance Survey maps in the classroom and the field, including using grid references and scale, topographical and other thematic mapping, and aerial and satellite photographs.

Virtual woodland walk and resources Visit one of the world's largest climate change experiments. Take a virtual walk around the woodland for information about forest ecosystems, the range of measurements we are taking in this woodland and the role of forests in climate change mitigation.

Fieldwork in the Forest Resources for GCSE and A Level Fieldwork as well as independent investigations.