LESSON 1 Discovering Wisconsin’s Forests BIG IDEAS NUTSHELL In this lesson, students compare • Different forest biomes exist around the world. Some temperature and precipitation examples include tropical forests, temperate forests, and data from three forest biomes of boreal forests. Most of Wisconsin’s forests are temperate the world – tropical rainforests, forests, but some boreal forests exist in the extreme temperate, and boreal. They northern region of the state. (Subconcept 4) discover which biome Wisconsin • Different types of forests exist within a biome. Some of the is located in and learn about six types of forests in Wisconsin include coniferous, deciduous, types of forests found in that and deciduous and coniferous mixes. (Subconcept 5) biome by watching a short video. • Regions in Wisconsin differ in climate (e.g., precipitation, Through a mapping activity, temperature) and the results of glaciation (e.g., soil, students explore the factors topography). These variations lead to different forest that influence the location of communities with differing species, thereby contributing the different types of forests. As to biodiversity. (Subconcept 18) a conclusion, students present their findings in a travel brochure. OBJECTIVES Upon completion of this lesson, students will be able to: BACKGROUND • Differentiate between biomes of the world and distinguish INFORMATION which forest biome Wisconsin is in. BIOMES • Compare and contrast different types of forests Biomes, also referred to as major within Wisconsin. habitat types or major ecosystem • Summarize how climate, soils, and topography affect the types, are large areas with location of different types of forests in Wisconsin. similar climates and ecological communities. This classification SUBJECT AREAS system helps describe the natural Arts, Language Arts, Mathematics, Science world, but is not necessarily agreed upon by all scientists. Generally, LESSON/ACTIVITY TIME though, terrestrial biomes are • Total Lesson Time: 115 minutes + Concluding Activity grouped into six major types: • Time Breakdown: tundra, taiga/boreal forests, Introduction...........15 minutes temperate forests, tropical forests, Activity 1 ...............40 minutes grasslands (including prairies and Activity 2 ...............30 minutes savannahs), and deserts. There are Activity 3 ...............30 minutes also both freshwater and marine Concluding project can be done as homework or in class. aquatic biomes. Climatic conditions If in class, allow one 50-minute period. play a major role in where biomes are located. Temperature and TEACHING SITE precipitation determine what kind Classroom of plants can live in an area. FIELD ENHANCEMENT CONNECTIONS (Continued on page 18.) This lesson ties closely with Field Enhancement 1, Tree Identification. 16 Lesson 1: Discovering Wisconsin’s Forests LEAF Guide • 7-8 UNIT MATERIALS LIST FOR EACH STUDENT • Copy of Student Page 1, Biome Data • Large chunk of ice (one per class period) • Calculator (optional) • Graph paper (optional) • Overhead of Teacher Page A4, Landforms • Copy of Student Page 2, Wisconsin’s of Wisconsin map Forest Communities • Overhead of Teacher Page A5, Wisconsin • Copy of Student Page 4, Wisconsin’s Glaciation map Forest Communities Travel Brochure Rubric • Overhead of Teacher Page A6, Wisconsin • Supplies for creating a travel brochure Tension Zone map FOR THE CLASS FOR THE TEACHER A • Overhead projector and markers • Copy of Teacher Page 3A-B, Wisconsin’s Forest Communities Video Script • Four meters of adding machine tape (or any paper that can be cut into long strips) • Overheads of Student Pages 3B, Aspen/Birch Forests in Wisconsin and • Ruler with centimeters 3E, Oak/Hickory Forests in Wisconsin • Overhead of Teacher Page A1, Biome Precipitation Graphs TEACHER PREPARATION • Overhead of Teacher Page A2, Biome • Make overheads of Teacher Pages A1, Temperature Graph Biome Precipitation Graphs, A2, Biome A • LEAF – Wisconsin’s Forest Communities video Temperature Graph, 6, Wisconsin Tension Zone, A4, Landforms of Wisconsin, and A5, • TV/VCR Wisconsin Glaciation, and Student Pages • One copy each of Student Pages 3A, Pine 3B, Aspen/Birch Forests of Wisconsin and Forests in Wisconsin, 3B, Aspen/Birch 3E, Oak/Hickory Forests of Wisconsin Forests in Wisconsin, 3C, Spruce/Fir FOR EXTENSIONS Forests in Wisconsin, 3D, Maple/Basswood Forests in Wisconsin, 3E, Oak/Hickory • Freeze water in 1/2 pint milk cartons (or Forests in Wisconsin, and 3F, Urban similar-sized containers). The cardboard can Forests in Wisconsin be peeled off when it’s time to use the ice. Pebbles can be added to the ice if desired. • Container (9" X 13" clear, if possible) (optional) • Fill 9" X 13" container 1/3 to 1/2 full of damp • Sand or sand/gravel mixture (optional) sand or a sand/gravel mixture. LEAF Guide • 7-8 UNIT Lesson 1: Discovering Wisconsin’s Forests 17 FOREST BIOMES VOCABULARY Taiga/boreal forest is found in sub-arctic northern latitudes across North America, Asia, Biome: A regional ecosystem of the world and Europe. Winters are severe and summers characterized by distinct seasonal climatic are relatively short but feature long days. differences, vegetation, and animals. Precipitation is generally in the 45 to 125 cm Climatic Zones: Regions of different range annually. Soils tend to be acidic and are temperature and moisture conditions. often waterlogged during the summer. Relatively few trees are adapted to these conditions. Those Coniferous Forest: Type of forest containing that are (fir, spruce, hemlock, cedar, and pine) cone-bearing trees. have needles with a waxy coating to prevent Deciduous Forest: Type of forest containing water loss. This is an important adaptation since trees that shed their leaves annually. water is frozen much of the year. Many of the Glaciation: To be covered by large masses smaller boreal animals such as squirrels, insects, of slow-moving ice formed by accumulated and birds rely on seeds from the cones of these snow. trees for food. Larger herbivores such as deer, moose, and elk eat bark and young shoots. Precipitation: All forms of moisture that fall There are also some larger omnivores and from the sky, including rain, snow, hail, etc. carnivores such as bear and wolves. Taiga/Boreal Forest: Type of forest found in the circumpolar regions of the northern In Wisconsin, there are small amounts of boreal hemisphere. forest in the northwest along Lake Superior and in the northern portion of the Door County Temperate Forest: Type of forest found Peninsula. These forests are not necessarily in in regions with an average temperature of the boreal biome, but have similar characteristics ± 50ºF for two to four months of the year. to such forests. They probably would not exist Topography: The relative elevations and except for the cooling effect created by the configuration of features in a landscape. Great Lakes. High lake-effect snowfall and low temperatures, due to winds from the north Tropical Rainforest: Type of forest found in along Lake Superior, create conditions for the regions with high temperature, humidity, and existence of boreal forest that may not otherwise rainfall with an average temperature of 65ºF be found in northern Wisconsin. Cool, moist air for the coolest month. moving across Lake Michigan in the summer and moist soils create conditions in Door County for boreal forest to grow in certain pockets. (Continued from page 16.) Due to local conditions, the boreal forests in Wisconsin are not typical of boreal forests in The vegetation, in turn, influences what other more northern regions of the world. (There are types of organisms can live there. No matter higher precipitation levels in Wisconsin.) These where a biome exists throughout the world, it will forests account for only about two percent of the have similar organisms. In this lesson, the focus original vegetation cover of the state. is on three of the world’s forest biomes – boreal, temperate, and tropical rainforests. 18 Lesson 1: Discovering Wisconsin’s Forests LEAF Guide • 7-8 UNIT Temperate forests grow in the mid-latitudes Tropical rainforests exist near the equator of North America, Europe, eastern Asia, and in Brazil, the Congo, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Australia. These include both temperate dry Tropical rainforests have warm temperatures that forests and temperate rainforests. Wisconsin don’t vary much daily or seasonally. Humidity is is dominated by temperate dry forests, both high and rain falls nearly every day, averaging coniferous and deciduous. These forests 240 cm or more each year. This relatively have moderate average temperatures and unchanging climate means that plants here don’t precipitation (75 to 200 cm annually) and four need to have adaptations for changing seasons distinct seasons. While deciduous broadleaf as in the boreal and temperate forests. This trees (oak, hickory, beech, maple, poplar, etc.) allows for a tremendous diversity of plants and dominate, some conifers can also be found animals, including millions of insect species, here. Losing leaves in the fall is one way that more than 40,000 plant species, and a similar deciduous trees are adapted for the temperate variety in other organisms. Most of the nutrients climate because they become relatively inactive in a tropical rainforest are tied up in the after doing so. Leaves and needles from vegetation as opposed to the upper layer coniferous trees decay and help create a richer of soil. When vegetation is cleared, the few soil than is found in boreal forests. The lack of nutrients remaining in the soil are used up rapidly leaves on the trees in early spring also allows and topsoil is subject to erosion. Therefore, sunlight to penetrate to the forest floor so many these forests don’t regenerate smaller herbaceous plants have a chance to well and can go from extremely productive grow. This contributes to species diversity. to desert-like in a very short time. These forests have many layers, each with Layers in tropical rainforests are distinctly its own characteristic organisms. Many insects, different from one another. Light barely reaches spiders, and worms live in the soil or just at the the forest floor, while the canopy grows extremely forest floor.