School forest highlights

Using woods next to three schools in Minneapolis

Anwatin Middle School and Bryn Mawr Elementary in Minneapolis use 11.5 acres of school property as the Anwatin-Bryn Mawr School Forest. Their committees have worked to reduce invasive species, establish native plants, and develop a series of interpretive signs about plants growing in their school forest, with plant names in both English and Dakota. Minneapolis Nature Preschool also uses the site. This school forest is adjacent to Theodore Wirth Park.

Children explore the pond in the Anwatin-Bryn Mawr School Forest, Minneapolis.

From a boring lawn to diverse outdoor classroom

Located in highly urban Apple Valley, the Cedar Park Elementary STEM School transformed a 2.45-acres lawn to a bustling hub of outdoor learning. The school created a rain garden, prairie garden, weather station, raised garden beds, two sheds, and a nature play area. They have also planted trees native to Minnesota. The diverse student population finds common grounds outdoors in their school forest every day.

Exploring the natural world in the Cedar Park School Forest in Apple Valley.

A forest used by students, skiers, and geocachers in central Minnesota

Located behind Forestview Middle School in Baxter, the 60-acre Dean Makey School Forest is a hub of activity for students, wildlife, and the community. Well-marked trails guide explorers and cross-country skiers through forests of aspen, oak, and mixed hardwoods. Students study wildlife through images collected from sets of trail cameras. Every year, Dean Makey, a DNR forester who lives in the area, provides the incoming class of kindergartners a tree to plant in the “Kindergarten Grove.” Each tree is labeled by year and teacher name. When the kindergartners enter middle school, they will see how their tree has grown along with them. Map and photos

Middle school students use loppers to remove saplings to reduce competition with their planted trees.

School forest at the edge of the prairie

The Discovery School Forest in Alexandria is a 95-acre school forest located behind the school building. The site has well-marked trails through forest and prairie open to classes and public users. Student projects on the site include engineering and building bridges, setting up geocaches, planting pollinator habitats, and studying macroinvertebrates in the pond. The music classes also use the forest to record nature sounds to incorporate into digital music.

The Discovery School Forest map identifies trails and ponds behind the school.

A working forest generates funds for their school

Minnesota schools in the School Forest Program can collect profits generated from timber harvests to reinvest into their school forest. The forestry students at Grand Rapids High School actively manage the 192-acre Jon Rowe Memorial School Forest by inventorying trees, setting up harvests with their DNR forester, and performing small logging operations. Money can be used to create shelters, purchase class sets of snowshoes, or buy other materials. Classes can also harvest forest products such as balsam boughs and create and sell Christmas wreaths. Their FFA club, along with their teacher, has earned many national awards for their work. The school also hosts field days for Grand Rapids fourth graders.

DNR foresters work with the high school forestry class as they mark timber for a real harvest.

Worth the drive

The rural Nevis School District provides on-demand bussing between the K-12 school in Nevis and their school forest 3 miles north of town. The 83-acre site has a parking area, a large garden area filled with pollinator-friendly plants, and benches built and installed by the high school shop class. Several wide, well-marked trails guide classes through forests of oak, aspen, and pine. The school plans to add a portable toilet and a dock to access a beaver pond. How Nevis got funding and volunteers

A class of kindergarten students gathers at the benches in the Nevis School Forest.

Nearby nature used every week

Linwood Community Park and School Forest located behind the school building in Wyoming, Minnesota, has 200 acres of trails, benches, and a dock over the pond. The principal encourages teachers to take classes outdoors often, where students can interact with the outdoors as they practice reading, math, and other lessons. Importantly, Linwood recognizes how their school forest allows children to self-regulate emotions, focus on lessons, and connect with nature. A class set of hammocks does the trick to create semi-private reading spots.

Students enjoy using Linwood School Forest’s class set of hammocks.