A forest is more than just a bunch of trees ... it is a treasure trove of the natural world! Some 75 pupils of the Liebfrauenschule who wanted to learn about forest ecosystems and biodiversity underwent training to become “Tree Experts” as part of the EU-funded MULTIPLIERS project coordinated by the University of Bonn. This spring they visited the “Marteloscope”, which is a kind of classroom out in the middle of the one-hectare Kottenforst in Bonn.
The forest is a place to learn about nature conservation, biodiversity and sustainable forest usage. In the training course, participants have to make forestry decisions in a software-guided process.
Multipliers at the forest day
Equipped with tablets and binoculars, the students set out in search of clues and ended up learning how to measure the economic and ecological value of a tree—based for example on species, height, girth and the number and kind of microhabitats it supports. The course was led by staff members of Wald und Holz NRW, the State Forest and Timber Management Agency of North Rhine-Westphalia, and researchers from the European Forest Institute (EFI) in Bonn.
Wieder mit dabei: Mitarbeitende von Wald und Holz NRW und EFI, die weitere Fragen zum Thema Wald und Waldforschung beantworteten.
Watch the movie about another Multipliers Project
Im Rahmen des MULTIPLIERS-EU-H2020 Projekts besuchten die Dritt- und Viertklässler*innen der Michaelschule aus Bonn im September 2023 den Campus Wiesengut in Hennef, einen ökologischen Lehr- und Versuchsbetrieb der Universität Bonn.
Ten in mid-March the students held presentations about their experiences at the MULTIPLIERS forest day held in Kottenforst, talking about individual trees with their attending family members in relation to forest management considerations. Assuming the role of forester, they made decisions on how to manage the forest, such as, is a given tree to be felled for economic reasons, i.e. for timber, or should it be protected for ecological reasons, as part of the forest habitat?
The students functioned as multipliers at Forest Day, disseminating their newly acquired knowledge on forest use vs. protection to others, just like the project name indicates.Staff members of Wald und Holz NRW and of the EFI were on hand once again to answer more involved questions about forests and forestry research. "The topic is treated much more abstractly in school books,” explains Sabriye Ali Oglou, state teacher-in-training, “starting with general questions like 'should we cut down this forest completely to build a playground, and would this create jobs?'” One difference is that the perspective explored here—considering the future of each individual tree and such things—is not part of the process. “Learning about the profession of forester and nature conservation approaches is much more valuable an experience than working in textbooks only.”
The students’ parents and siblings were surprised at how interesting the learning content was: “We often go for walks in the woods, but now I have gotten to know the forest in a whole new way. I never thought about how foresters have to make decisions of such complexity regarding each individual tree,” said one girl who took the course. “What I really liked was coming to see trees from such different angles, both the economical and the ecological, and learning so much. I enjoyed the group discussions the most. It was good to find out about what a forester really does, and how research can aid this work. It became clearer to me how man really needs the forest, and how extremely important it is as a natural habitat,” relates Linda, a pupil at the Liebfrauenschule.
That indeed was the purpose behind the forest module of the Horizon 2020 MULTIPLIERS project. Vice Rector for Sustainability Professor Annette Scheersoi and her Biology Didactics team are the project coordinators, working to make the teaching of science at school more authentic and practically oriented. School pupils from six EU countries are intensively studying current global challenges together with scientific experts. Upon the completion of each module the students assume a “multiplier” role vis-a-vis family, friends and classmates, passing on their knowledge and experiences, like at Forest Day in Kottenforst, with hands-on activities.
Prof. Annette Scheersoi: “MULTIPLIERS is such a great project because it is totally practical in nature. The project aims to open schools and create spaces for research-based learning about scientific topics. We have thus rolled out a number of different educational programs for school pupils of different age groups. We are very proud of all our young multipliers who are now disseminating the knowledge they recently acquired at the University of Bonn on tree ‘vaccination’, forest protection and other topics throughout our society, and we wish to thank all the researchers who supported the project.”
Did you know?
The city of Bonn is “European Forest Capital 2024”, a title bestowed by the European Research Institute (EFI) in recognition of the importance of the forest for Germany’s former capital and its residents. Sustainable forest and timber management in Bonn is an important part of efforts to mitigate the climate crisis and adapt to the changing conditions. The EFI has awarded the title of European Forest City annually since 2014. The aim is to raise awareness of the importance of Europe’s forests and make people aware of the myriad forest functions and benefits—and of the threats and challenges forests now face.
Several events will be held this year in connection with the award, in cooperation with the City of Bonn, the University of Bonn, the Rhine-Sieg-Erft Regional Forestry Agency and other international and regional project partners. Among the latter were the Liebfrauenschule, participating in the EU Multipliers project hosted by the University of Bonn.