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Forest Ecology Walking Tour
More than
1,000 students, parents and teachers in the Bay of Islands
- Corner Brook - Humber Valley area take to the trails of
the Corner Brook Stream every fall to participate in the Western
Newfoundland Model Forest Partnership’s annual Urban
Forest Ecology Walking Tour.
We lead
students ranging from Kindergarten to Level 3, as well as
members of local groups and the public on a tour of the forest
in our backyard, bringing them to the urban forest environment
of the Corner Brook Stream Trail and letting them see, smell
and feel the forest around them.
There’s
no better way to learn about the forest than to spend some
time exploring it. The boreal forest is the largest ecosystem
in Canada, extending from British Columbia to Newfoundland
and Labrador.
We don’t
want to just tell students how important the forest is to
our environment, our economy, and our lives – we want
to share the forest with them. The tour highlights the flora
and fauna of the boreal forest, focusing on animals, plants,
diseases, soils and ecology of the area, and identifying tree
and plant species along the trail.
Participants
have an opportunity to experience life within a forest ecosystem,
learn about how different plant and animal species interact,
and spend time outdoors to enjoy the forest at a beautiful,
dynamic time of the year.
The WNMF
has been offering walking tours every fall for the last seven
years. Providing an opportunity for students to explore a
little bit of forest in the heart of the city is an important
component of the Model Forest program
We all
have a part to play in working towards sustainable forest
management for the future. Whether it’s government and
industry leaders making management decisions, researchers
and educators learning about our forests and sharing their
knowledge with others, or students understanding how one tree
in the forest interacts with the environment around it - we
are all responsible for our forests. The WNMF walking tour
is one way to encourage students to think about the forest
around them.

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Kindergarten
students from Sacred Heart Elementary joined tour
leader Peter Smith for an autumn walk. The children
learned about trees and animals, collected leaves
and plants, and had a snack in the woods. Photos
by Linda Skinner, WNMF.
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