The Forest Education Foundation is offering a number of prizes for
individuals and class groups in the 2003 Science Talent Search.
For individual research
One prize is offered in each of the Upper Primary , Junior and
Intermediate divisions for research related to forest ecology, forest
management or forest issues.
Last year’s winners included investigations into diversity
in remnant forests in the Tasmanian midlands and the relationships
between underlying rock type, forest type and the fertility and
erodability of soils.
Some topic ideas
Compare two different forest communities, eg. dry and wet eucalypt
forests, in your area. Some things to consider include:
Diversity of trees, shrubs and groundcover
- Types of invertebrates found
- Nature of leaves, eg. soft/hard, large/small
- Birds observed in each habitat
- Nature and depth of litter layer
- Potential food sources for birds/mammals
Each year the Australian Science Teachers Association publish
a booklet containing a wide range of investigation ideas on a particular
theme. Last year the theme of the booklet was “Investigating
Science in the Bush”. This year the theme for Science week
is “Investigating Freshwater”. These booklets are obtainable,
for a small cost, from the following address:
ASTA Secretariat
Australian Science Teachers Association
P.O. Box 334
Deakin West ACT 2600
Ph: 02 6282 9377
Fax: 02 6282 9477
Email: Helen@asta.edu.au
For class groups
One prize is being offered for a class group research project.
The winning class will receive a free full day excursion to a forest
environment and/or a forest industry in their area as well as commemorative
plaque. The nature, time and content of this excursion will be negotiated
with the winning class.
Class topic
Produce a set of posters, a picture book or a PowerPoint program
to show differences between dry eucalypt and wet eucalypt forests
in Tasmania. The following suggestions might help you decide what
you might research.
- Forest layers
- Different habitats
- Relationships between plants and animals and food chains
- How the forests renew themselves
- How the forests change with age
- Where wet and dry eucalypt forests are found in Tasmania
- Any unique features of wet and dry eucalypt forests
Useful references
Forest Education Foundation web site:
www.forest-education.com
This site has links to a number of other web sites that could be
of use including the Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service, Forestry
Tasmania and Environment Australia Online.Tasmanian Education Department
on-line learning site www.discover.tased.edu.au
Click on ‘on-line learning’ then ‘on-line modules’
then Open-IT modules. Here you will find two relevant units “Forest
Ecosystems and Biodiversity” in the K-4 and 5-8 sections and
“Fire in the Tasmanian Landscape” in the 9-12 section.
The Forest Education Foundation’s publication “Project
Forest: learning about our forests”. (See our web
site for details)
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