General Learning Outcomes

. View the organization of a territory
. Interpret elements of a territory
. Develop a global awareness

Transdisciplinary Learning Outcomes

. Communication
. Use of ICT
. Critical and creative thinking
. Personal and social development
. Culture and heritage
. Work method

Specific learning outcomes

. become aware of the complexity of an environmental issue
. analyse the position of each player in the evironmental issue
. assess consequences of decisions related to the environment
. decide on a position to solve problems related to the environment

Preparation of teaching

Suggested task:

. Students will arrive at the conclusion that the forest industry needs to apply the principles of sustainable development to their operations in the forest sector.
. Students will acquire notions of sustainable development linked to the logging operations so as to be able to develop an awareness of the issue.
. Students will develop an opinion on sustainable development applied to the logging industry and related complex issues.

. English
. math
. biology
. ecology

Material:
.computers and multimedia projector
.Film ( "The Borealis Error" NFB)

. Suggested websites:
-www.cidif.org/toucherdubois/ (CIDIF, photos, documents)
-www.nbforestry.com (New Brunswick Forest Products Association)
-www.gnb.ca/0078/index-f.asp (N.B. Dept. of Natural Resources)
-www.idfn.com/ (Irving Forest Discovery Network)
-www.acadiantimber.com/ (Acadian Timber)
-www.canadian-forests.com/index.html (Canadian Forests)
-www.umce.ca/foresterie/ (Faculty of Forestry, U de Moncton)
-www.gnb.ca (Province of New Brunswick)
-www.nrcan-rncan.gc.ca/sd-dd/index_f.htlm (Natural Resources Canada)
-www.greenpeace.org/canada/ (Greenpeace Canada)
-www.cifq.qc.ca/ (Forest Industry Council of Quebec)

. keywords: sustainable development, sustainable forest, natural resources, Canada, New Brunswick, Wikipedia, experimental forest, Greenpeace, sylviculture.
. classroom textbook and newspaper
-

Resource persons:

. Professor from the University Faculty of Forestry or a student of forestry science.
. Biologist, forest engineer or forester employed by a logging company.

Suggested Procedure:

A. Preparation
. Invite a person from the forest industry (biologist, forest engineer, forester or a professor) to speak to students and answer questions prepared by students in first part of the research.
. In a textbook or on a website find a photo of clear-cutting and a forest destroyed by fire and explain the issue of two pages or posters for the class.

B. Context (duration: 10 minutes)
. With a multimedia projector or a projector, show clips of clear-cutting to students.
. Ask students to comment on clear-cutting.

. Next, present a picture of a forest destroyed by fire. Ask students how this differs from the previous demonstration of clear-cutting.
. Question students on practices of the logging industry.

Inquiry: Basic Questions

. Is clear-cutting ok?
. Is it necessary?
. Are there any advantages to the practice of clear-cutting in the woods?

. Is is ok to burn forests?
. Is it necessary?
. Is it a normal procedure?
. How do practices of the logging companies compare? Are the results comparable?

. Do you think the logging industry is concerned with the future of the forest resources?
. What do forest companies do to secure a constant supply of wood for the years to come?

Suggested procedure

Realization of Learning (duration:100 minutes)
. Explain that the forest industry is encouraging sustainable development methods such as forest management and sylviculture.
. Bring the students to the computer room to show them what logging companies do to guarantee a supply of wood for the years to come. At the same time, invite students to research the following concepts: Sustainable development, forest management, sylviculture.
. Ask them to research the following the keywords: sustainable development in Wikipedia and keep the definition. Ask them to draw the diagram showing the three pillars of sustainable development.
. Suggested website: www.ifdn.com/english/index.htm (keyword:IFDN) to see the forest management cycle, students can search the site to discover the stages of forest management and sustainable exploitation of the forest.
. Ask students to visit website: www.nrcan-rncan.gc.ca/sd-dd/index_f.html (keywords: natural resources Canada, sustainable development, sustainable forest).
. Let students view the opposite side of the issue by researching this website:www.greenpeace.org/canada/(keywords:Greenpeace Canada forests).
. Hold a group discussion on concepts researched and explain how the logging industry is concerned by issues related to the protection of the environment.
. After the computer research, review with students what they learned on sustainable development and what they think of it.

Inquiry: Basic Questions

. What is sustainable development?
. Explain what is forest management and sylviculture.

. How can we have both forest exploitation and sustainable develpment?

Integration of Learning

Suggested procedure:

. Allow students to express their opinions and worries about the exploitation of forests. Develop their awareness that forests are regenerated by showing clips found on the CIDIF site on the nursery theme: www.cidif.org/toucherdubois/collection.php

. Show to the class an extract of the documentary film "The Borealis Error" by Richard Desjardins.

. To expose another viewpoint, research the website of the Forest Industry Council of Quebec: www.cifq.qc.ca/ and a sequal of the Borealis Error ("8 years After") to show the results of clear-cutting.

Application of Learning (duration 60 minutes)

. Invite a forest engineer, a biologist from a logging company or a professor from the Faculty of Forestry to speak to students about the various methods used in the woods concerning cutting practices, planting trees, experimental forest, protected zones, river banks, etc...
. Ask students in advance to prepare questions for the resource person and ask the resource person to address those questions.
. Visit a forest, with a guide, where logging activities are in operation. Discover the reality of the effects of logging operations on the forest environment.

Inquiry: Basic Questions

. Do you think that forests that were cut do not regenerate?
. Was sustainable development praticed in the past by logging companies?

. Does sustainable development exist in our woods?

. What happened in the Quebec northern forests?
. Is it always possible?
. Why do we decry clear-cutting and not forest fires even if the results are apparently the same?
. Could we live without forest products?