Since 1976, Project Learning Tree (PLT) has been promoting environmental education and forest literacy, using trees and forests as windows on the world. The root of most PLT activities is exploring the world with our senses, but technology can help us see more detail and make connections between places. The best tech doesn’t compete with the outdoors; it gives students a reason to look closer once they’re there.

As young people think about their future careers, technology will be an ever-growing part of their jobs, even those that take them deep into the forest. The forest industry is already high-tech, using tools like GIS mapping, drone-based forest inventories, and data analysis in sawmills. Having students who are adaptable and quick to embrace new tech is essential, and it all starts with their K-12 education.

So how do we combine environmental education and tech? Three tools, Forests to Faucets 2.0, iTree, and iNaturalist, pick up right where field investigations leave off.

Forests to Faucets 2.0

Forests to Faucets 2.0, a tool created by the USDA Forest Service, is a GIS mapping program that lets learners explore watersheds in their own communities. 

• PLT activity: Project Learning Tree’s activity collection, “Forests, Water, People,” includes three inquiry-based lessons that build in Forests to Faucets 2.0 to examine the connections between forests and watersheds. Pair it with “Every Drop Counts” or “Water Wonders” in the Explore Your Environment guide  to build a foundation in watershed science.
• Tech tool: Forests to Faucets 2.0 lets students dig into land and water use and threats to their own watershed, adding a data layer to what they explored hands-on.

iTree

iTree is a tool developed with the USDA Forest Service and PLT that allows students to quantify the ecosystem services trees provide, like energy savings, clean water, and carbon sequestration. 

• PLT activity: PLT’s free activity collection guides students through identifying, measuring, and assessing the health of trees. Pair it with “Get Outside” or “Forest in the City” in PLT’s Explore Your Environment guide to explore the health benefits trees provide.
• Tech tool: iTree then guides students in finding the monetary value of those same trees, turning a schoolyard tree count into an economic and ecological analysis.

iNaturalist

iNaturalist allows students to add their observations into a global database used by nature enthusiasts and scientists. It’s free to use and includes an Educator’s Guide, making it a worthwhile add-on to a field investigation you’re already running.

• PLT activity: Start with “Backyard Naturalist” or “Discover Diversity,” which have students document the diversity of life they see within a study area. Both lessons are included in PLT’s Explore Your Environment guide.

• Tech tool: Pair it with iNaturalist to connect students’ observations to citizen science efforts, giving their fieldwork an audience and purpose.

Idaho PLT recently partnered with Boise Parks & Recreation to create a free lesson plan for high schools to participate in the annual City Nature Challenge (CNC) using iNaturalist. CNC is a global citizen science event held each year at the end of April, with participating cities all over the world, so wherever you’re teaching, there’s likely a local event to join.

Why Environmental Education?

Forests to Faucets 2.0, iTree, and iNaturalist are just three examples of how technology can support what happens outdoors, but the foundation underneath all of it is environmental education itself. 

Environmental education has been shown to improve academic achievement and support STEM learning. It also builds cooperative learning, critical thinking, and real-world problem-solving skills. These tools work because they’re built on that foundation, giving students a reason to keep asking questions once the field investigation ends.

Connect with Idaho PLT

Ready to try one of these tools in your classroom? If you’re interested in connecting about PLT curriculum offerings or professional development, please reach out to Haven at plt@idahoforest.org. 

About the Author

Haven Davis-Martinez is the Education and Outreach Coordinator for the Idaho Forest Products Commission and the state coordinator for Project Learning Tree. She holds a Master of Natural Resources in Environmental Education and Science Communication and a B.S. in Elementary Education from the University of Idaho. Haven has taught as a Peace Corps reading teacher, led first-grade classrooms, worked as a math interventionist and enrichment specialist, and guided outdoor science programs at the McCall Outdoor Science School. She works to connect Idaho youth to the outdoors and build their confidence exploring it.

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