This short video and connected article describe the management of forests within the Menominee Nation in northwestern Wisconsin and the threats the forests face from climate change and invasive species.
The video focuses on the economic benefits of properly managing the forest and creating products within the Menominee community, as well as the desire to preserve the forest for their community seven generations into the future.
The article below gives additional details about the types of trees found within Wisconsin's forests and the possible ways their ranges may be affected by climate change.
There are ideas for activities related to invasive species and tree carbon sequestration linked on the right side of the webpage so that students may further explore the importance of protecting forests in a changing climate.
Teaching Tips
Positives
The video and article provide a glimpse of Indigenous communities managing their resources to benefit their communities and the environment.
Multiple examples of threats to forests from climate change are presented, and many of these examples apply to forests all over the world.
The teaching tips recommend engaging students in community science projects to help monitor and remove invasive species. These opportunities are often easily accessible through forest preserves or community conservation organizations.
Additional Prerequisites
Students should be familiar with the terms invasive species, species range, pests, and habitat fragmentation.
Students should understand the sovereignty of native tribes in the United States.
It will benefit students to have background knowledge about climate change.
The CUFR Tree Carbon Calculator link on the side of the article is broken.
Differentiation
To help provide context for this video, show students a map of northwestern Wisconsin, including information on tree cover and where tribal nations are located.
Begin the class by asking students what types of ecosystem services are provided by forests and why these are important to the local community.
Have students research invasive species and pests affecting the forests in their communities and share their findings with classmates.
Consider leading students on a field trip during which they identify and remove invasive species or identify and collect information about native trees in a local forest.
Scientist Notes
This resource from PBS Wisconsin provides a ~3.5-minute long video that discusses Wisconsin's extensive forested landscapes, which cover nearly half of the state and offer various benefits. The Menominee Nation's forests in northwestern Wisconsin preserve old-growth trees and serve as a unique transition zone between northern and southern forest ecosystems. However, climate change poses challenges, potentially causing the extinction of some native species in the Northwoods while benefiting invasive species and heightening threats like pests, diseases, and forest fires. These climate impacts will complicate long-term forest management for the Menominee Nation. This resource would be a great addition to a classroom discussion on the effects of climate change on the environment.
Standards
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
MS-ESS3-3 Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.
HS-ESS3-3 Create a computational simulation to illustrate the relationships among management of natural resources, the sustainability of human populations, and biodiversity.
LS2: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
MS-LS2-4 Construct an argument supported by empirical evidence that changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem affect populations.
LS4: Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity
HS-LS4-5 Evaluate the evidence supporting claims that changes in environmental conditions may result in: (1) increases in the number of individuals of some species, (2) the emergence of new species over time, and (3) the extinction of other species.
Common Core English Language Arts Standards (CCSS.ELA)
Reading: Science & Technical Subjects (6-12)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.6-8.2 Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; provide an accurate summary of the text distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.11-12.2 Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; summarize complex concepts, processes, or information presented in a text by paraphrasing them in simpler but still accurate terms.
Speaking & Listening (K-12)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.7.2 Analyze the main ideas and supporting details presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and explain how the ideas clarify a topic, text, or issue under study.
College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Standards
Dimension 2: Geography
D2.Geo.10.9-12 Evaluate how changes in the environmental and cultural characteristics of a place or region influence spatial patterns of trade and land use.
D2.Geo.9.9-12 Evaluate the influence of long-term climate variability on human migration and settlement patterns, resource use, and land uses at local-to-global scales.
