About Learning about Forests

The vision of the Learning about Forests Programme is to see an increased level of awareness and knowledge about the key role forests play for sustainable life on our planet. The Programme reflects all the functions forests fulfil for people; cultural, ecological, economical and social. Understanding the balance between those uses is crucial when studying how humans interact with forests. Learning about Forests' mission is to spread environmental education concerning forests and all their values among school children all around the world, through the action-oriented, participatory and positive methods of the Programme.

Programme Description
The Programme aims to increase the knowledge of forests and all its values with products and activities, and deepen the understanding among the youth. The Programme will stimulate activities that will help students to reach a higher degree of environmental maturity, irrespective of age, stage and previous experiences.

The philosophy of the Programme rests on three fundamental ideas:
1) All educational activities should be adapted to the local needs of teachers and their students and be suitable for the local curriculum
2) The Programme will reflect all the functions forests fulfil for people; cultural, ecological, economical and social. Multiple-use of forests is a reality all over the world. Understanding the balance between those uses is crucial when studying how humans interact with forests
3) Forests, forestry, forest products and recycling are knit together in an everlasting loop. Forests will play an important role in a sustainable society supplying recyclable materials and products based on renewable raw materials

LEAF Network
LEAF programme provides a platform for networking among national school forest programmes. It will help start new national programmes in new countries and support existing ones by exchanging experience and creating inspirational contacts. Through the national programmes activities are adapted to local conditions (for example national curricula, urban surroundings or teachers' previous experience) and branch out to schools, teachers and students.

International Exchange
LEAF programme promotes the exchange of educational ideas, activities and materials, either personally, on national operators meetings, inspirational courses or student's camps, or via the Internet, where the page will provide both contacts and hands-on activities.

LEAF programme enables its participants to look at international differences and experience the broad diversity of forests and functions they fulfil all around the world.

Project Theme
As a tool to support international exchange of experience LEAF will promote a common project theme for all countries. For the period 2008-2010 “Bio energy from forests” is our theme.

For more information about this programme please visit our website: www.leaf-international.org.

Contact LEAF

For more information about Learning about Forests (LEAF), please contact the International LEAF Coordination:

International LEAF Coordination
c/o Forestry Extension Institute
Honne
2836 Biri
Norway
Tel: +47 6114 8200
Fax: +47 6114 8199
Mail: bhb@skogkurs.no
Web: www.leaf-international.org

LEAF Coordinator: Bjørn Helge Bjørnstad

Interested in Learning about Forests?

If you are interested in Learning About Forests and you are from a country with a FEE member organisation, please contact the national FEE member organisation.

If you are interested in Learning about Forests and you are from a country without a FEE member organisation, an appropriate organisation must first of all become member of FEE. For more information about a suitable FEE member organisation, please consult the Membership page and please contact the FEE Secretariat for further information.

For more information about how a new FEE member organisation can implement the Learning about Forests Programme, please consult the Learning about Forests website and contact the Learning about Forests Coordination.