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Welcome to the HJ Andrews Experimental Forest!  

Developed by Connor Paschke, Daisy Jones, Kaylynn Wohl, Madison Rush- Winter 2020 
 
Adapted from:​ Wildlife of North America game, Pre-Trip Lesson: Stoking The Flame Canopy 
Connections 2018 
 
Time:​ 45 minutes 
 
Overview 
This in-class lesson will prepare students for what to expect at the awe-inspiring H.J. Andrews 
Experimental Forest. They will become acquainted with the fundamentals of old-growth 
characteristics according to the OWLS acronym (old trees, woody debris, layers, and snags), 
providing them with an overview of what to expect when they arrive to HJA. Students will be able 
to make connections between climate change and its relationship with the dynamic systems that 
constitute old-growth forests like H.J. Andrews through a trivia game. This offers them with the 
first steps to a place-based connection and opportunities for critical, systems-oriented thinking.  
 
Rationale:  
By becoming familiar with the HJA site through a card game and discussion, students will feel 
more prepared and ready to go out on their field trips in the Spring. The card game activity 
engages students’ critical thinking and problem-solving skills as well as collaboration skills they 
will use when answering the provided questions. Students will additionally become familiar with 
some of the leaders who will be teaching them out at the forest, this will help build rapport and 
make students more comfortable with the leaders they will be working with.  
 
Learning Outcomes 
By the end of this activity, middle school students will be able to:  
 
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1. Describe the three themes (watersheds, forest ecology, and fires) they will be learning 
about at HJA. 
2. Describe in writing one or two new facts they learned from the trivia game. 
Links to Standards:  
 
NGSS Standards used in this curriculum:  
1. MS. Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems  
2. MS. Weather and Climate  
 
Materials Needed 
 
❑ 12 copies of the HJA trivia cards/game 
❑ Journal/Passports for the kids (one per student) 
❑ Four 8x11 laminated photos of the forest 
❑ Flipchart for OWLS diagram or paper for document camera (if available) 
❑ Photos of animals for document camera, or prepared slides (when applicable) 
 
Background Material: 
 
Climate change​ is the change in global and regional climate patterns characterized by a rise in the 
average temperature of Earth's climate system. It is largely attributed to the post industrial era 
and increased amount of carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere produced largely by the 
burning of fossil fuels. 
 
Old-growth forests​ have grown with minimal human interaction for at least 120 years and can be 
self-sustaining for thousands of years. Old-growth forest ecology is crucial for understanding 
climate change since these forests help combat greenhouse gas emissions by sequestering large 
stores of carbon. Having survived different climate conditions over long periods of time, old 
growth trees may contain genes that enable them to survive global climate change better than 
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younger trees. 
(​https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/forests_types/oldgrowth/ecological-importance.html​) 
(Minnesota DNR 2020) 
❖ OWLS: 
➢ Old trees: Large, old trees that are of at least 100 years of age. We will introduce 
Douglas-fir, wester redcedar, and western hemlock. 
➢ Woody debris: This includes fallen branches, logs, and nurse logs--all of which 
provide excellent habitat for other plants, fungi, and animals. 
➢ Layers: This includes the vertical diversity found in old-growth stands. It consists 
of plants like pacific sword fern, oregon grape, and salal. Understory shrubs or 
small trees include vine maple and western hazel. Large trees, like Douglas-fir, are 
found in the upper canopy and shade the understory, where trees like western 
hemlock compete for sunlight.  
➢ Snags: This refers to standing dead trees which serve as crucial habitats for 
animals like the northern spotted owl. 
 
A​ watershed​ is a​ n area or ridge of land that separates waters flowing to different rivers, basins, or 
seas. 
Understanding the functions of a watershed is integral to describing the impact of climate change 
on the water cycle of a region. 
 
Fire​ is an important agent of change in our environment. Over thousands of years, fire has helped 
shape the landscape of North America through both naturally occurring and human-induced 
processes. In many forests, it is essential for the survival of plants and animals to have fire as a 
part of ecological succession.  
● Prescribed/controlled burns - fires that are set intentionally by humans as a way of 
forest management so that the understory fuel (dry dead trees and woody debris) 
do not add to the severity of future fires.  
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● Climate change - exacerbates the damage fires can do, making them hotter, faster, 
and more destructive.  
○ Upon this, animals cannot easily escape intense wildfires, and as a result, 
species that cannot quickly migrate risk undergoing regional extinctions. 
○ Another factor includes mass influxes of sediment falling into the water 
systems, depriving ecosystems of oxygen. 
 
Activity Description 
 
Step 1. Getting Started: Introductions (1-5 minutes) 
Introductions with names and pronouns. We will additionally begin with an acknowledgement of 
Kalapuya land.  
● Name and pronouns 
● Hometown 
● Favorite native plant  
 
● Lead facilitator opening statement: 
● Explain roles as Environmental Leadership students at the University of Oregon. 
○ “Our Majestic Trees team is really excited for you to spend some time in the truly 
unique H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest, where we hope that you find a sense of 
adventure and curiosity as you learn about the world around you.” 
 
Step 2. Preparing to go to HJA discussion (10-15 minutes) 
1. Explain activity: For this activity form four groups of students, or five when class size is 
over 30, to make groups of about five students each. Tell them that each group will receive 
a different laminated photo that depicts a unique feature of the old-growth forest they 
will be visiting. Describe that this is a very special type of forest which is very rare today 
and that they will be investigating by themselves to define the term as a class. Tell them to 
choose a notetaker who will jot down unique features they notice in their photo. Write on 
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the board, or on the document camera “What unique features stand out to you in your 
photo?”, “Does any of this look familiar to you?”, “What do the trees look like?”. Explain 
that after five minutes, we will come together again to discuss what they noticed. 
2. Pass out a photo and a marker for each group.  
3. One leader will assist their own group as students make observations. Reiterate questions 
written down if few notes are being written on the photo. 
○ For the photo depicting large old trees, lead the group to make notes about how 
old the trees might be, why they might be so large, how their massive size affects 
the forest etc.  
○ For logs/a nurse log, ask them how this woody matter might be useful for other life 
in the forest. “What might use the logs or branches to live in, or grow on?”. Define 
nurse log as a log that plants and other trees grow on as it decays.  
○ For layers, lead them to point out the ground, understory, and canopy. Ask about 
each layer, and ask what life might be found in each area.  
○ For snag, define the term as “a standing dead tree”. If the group does not know 
that snags are important habitats for certain organisms, ask them more 
specifically how these structures could be useful for birds (like the pileated 
woodpecker or the northern spotted owl).  
4. After 5 minutes, call on groups and write their notes on the board or paper. 
○ Elaborate the acronym: define what each letter stands for on the board or camera. 
Connect observations to the owls acronym. Call on the respective groups, one at a 
time, and highlight how each photo connects to OWLS. 
5. Student observations will lead into a discussion of the acronym OWLS (Old trees, woody 
debris, layers, snags).  
○ Did anybody mention the age of the trees in any of the photos? 
i. Remark on the importance of varied tree age, with emphasis of old trees, in 
an old-growth forest. Show photos of red tree vole--remark importance of 
old trees that provide shade and keep the forest moist (tree voles require 
high humidity so they can eat needles on Douglas-fir). 
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1. Ask why large old trees might help support biodiversity. 

ii. Woody debris, like nurse logs, are vital for establishing diverse life in the 
forest. 
1. Show photos of rough-skinned newt, reminding them that woody 
matter allows for the newt to thrive in the understory.  
2. Make a note on nurse logs, explain that they are important in 
establishing new growth in the forest.  
iii. Mention snags and define for the entire class.  
1. Introduce pileated woodpecker and northern spotted owl. Show 
photos on slides or under camera. 
iv. Vertical layers of diversity: 
1. Make a note that this feature is a combination of all of the parts of 
OWLS. 
2. Comment on what happens when a tree falls. “A break forms in the 
canopy, so what might happen when more sunlight is available in a 
certain area?” 
○ Transition to next activity. “Next, we are going to be learning some more about HJ 
Andrews.” 
 
Step 3. HJA Card Game (15 - 20 minutes) 
 
1. Students will be split into pairs or small groups of three.  
2. Make sure to remind students that  
a. They don’t have to know the answer, this is a game meant to teach them 
something new, not test them on things they already know.  
b. They don’t have to get through all the cards.  
c. Remember to read the explanation to your partners out loud. 
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3. Each group will be given a stack of cards all of which contain questions relating back to 
climate change and one or more of the three main concepts (watersheds, fires, forest 
ecology).   
4. In their groups, students will take turns asking each other multiple choice questions 
located on the back of the cards, with picture hints on the front. Cards will have multiple 
choice questions rather than open inquiry questions in the event that students have not 
learned the concepts found in the curriculum. Multiple choice will encourage them to still 
answer even if they don't know the correct choice.  
5. Be sure to set a facilitator at each table to make sure that students are playing the game 
correctly and can ask questions if they get stuck.  
6. The game is a collaborative effort for the team, trying to see how many questions they can 
successfully answer.  
7. Quick 2-5 minute wrap-up at the end, ask them to popcorn out some things they learned, 
some vocabulary, ask them to say their name before they answer the question. 
8. Ask them to pass cards to end of the table. 
 
Step 4. Assessing Understanding (10 min)  
Students will all be given their own “passports”, inside of their journals, which they will use again 
at the site in the Spring. They are meant to help them keep track of the things they learn at HJA, 
and will help us to assess how well they are understanding the material. 
As they are passed around asmr students to  
● Fill out the cover with their first and last name  
● They will be able to fill out the first page of the passport at the pre-trip lesson, answering 
an inquiry question that tests their understanding of the key concepts we went over in this 
lesson.  
● Inquiry question: “Today we got a glimpse of some of the things we will be learning out at 
the HJA forest. What is the coolest fact you learned from the trivia game today? What are 
you most excited to learn more about out at the forest?” 
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● Upon completion, have each table pass the journal back up, explaining that they will see it 
again on the day of the field trip  
 
Step 5. Wrap Up (5-10 minutes) 
● Question: So, now that we are all thinking about the HJA forest, what do we think it means 
to be respectful during a field trip? 
○ If nobody answers, pick on students at random 
■ They should remark on importance of keeping plants alive 
■ Be safe--make sure we or an instructor knows their whereabouts 
■ Be kind 
■ Be respectful of learning environment  
 
● We will open it up to questions and comments in the end. 
 
Closing statement:  
Lead Facilitator Concluding Statement: 
Our goal for this experience is to get you all excited about our place in the Pacific Northwest, 
where we are so lucky to be as close as we are to all this incredible nature. We are all going to be 
learning from one another once we are in the amazing old-growth forest, so keep in mind how 
you want to learn from this experience. We want you to be curious, ask questions--and most of 
all--to have fun! From the whole Majestic Trees team and H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest, we 
can’t wait to share this incredible experience with each of you and we’ll see you soon! 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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http://wildfoodsandmedicines.com/douglas-fir/
 
 
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https://naturesdepths.com/nurse-logs/
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https://andrewsforest.oregonstate.edu/research/highlights/carbon-stored-reflects-timber-harvest-history
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https://catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/em9161/html