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Have students brainstorm about why forests are important to us and how we use forests and forest products. Record their ideas. Next ask students to think about why some organisms are considered “pests” and to give some examples. Record their ideas. Discuss as a class that the term “pest” can differ from person to person and place to place, and that pests can be plants, animals, or micro-organisms.

Place students in groups of three and denote one of each group as A, B, and C. Direct students to the topic What’s Eating Canada’s Trees? on the CBC Radio and Television Archives Web site. Students will collect information to answer the two questions assigned to them on the download sheet Forest Pests.

After they have answers to their assigned questions, students will re-form their original group of three and each will provide answers to the other two members of the group.

Ask each group to make a brief presentation to share its findings. Compare their new knowledge with the notes from Before Exploring and ask: How has your understanding of the problems facing our forests changed?

Assessment Tip
Assess students’ understanding of the problems facing our forests by asking them to write a paragraph to answer the question.

Students can reflect on the question: Should scientists focus their efforts on finding ways to kill pests or ways to prevent outbreaks? They can write a couple of paragraphs to discuss the pros and cons of each option.