Main syllabus links

• HSIE - State and National Parks
• HSIE - Australia - you’re standing in it
• Science and Technology - Living things
• Science and Technology - The Earth and its surroundings

Cumberland program activities

The full-day program consists of the three activities outlined below. Activities are normally of one hour duration with the excursion running from approximately 10 am-2 pm.

Excursions for 2009 are charged at $3.30 per student.

To ensure maximum educational benefits and minimal environmental impact on the forest, student group numbers are limited to a maximum of 90 students per day.

Activity 1. NSW Forests – growing habitat for wildlife and people

Take a guided walk through Cumberland State Forest and discover how forests in NSW are sustainably managed. Students will experience a native forest and see a variety of different native tree species. The habitat of the forest and its biodiversity is explored.

Students will examine:

• the activities available in a state forest;
• what resources forests provide; and
• the rules and regulations surrounding forestry.

A comparison is made with the management values of national parks and what makes the land tenures different.

Activity 2. Guess who - at work in the forest

This activity highlights the variety of jobs undertaken in a forest. Students will take part in a 'guess who' competition to learn about rangers, firefighters, foresters, ecologists/scientists, harvesters and the work they do. Students will look at the importance of conducting wildlife or biodiversity surveys, using fire as a management tool and the characteristics of timber as a renewable resource.

Students will then take a walk in a pine forest and work in groups to look at the life cycle of one tree.

Activity 3. Planting trees - the carbon challenge

Native forests and plantation forests play important roles in the environment. This activity highlights the importance of planting trees and the many and diverse benefits they provide including the storage of carbon.

The survival requirements of plants will be examined. In this hands-on activity students replant seedling stock from seed trays into tube pots. They can take these seedlings away with them to plant at home or create a native garden at school.

Students discover how carbon is stored in trees and timber products. Groups will also have the opportunity to visit a nursery and explore the intriguing plant world of a greenhouse.

Further information & contact details

For further information about Cumberland State Forest and Strickland State Forest, and for contact details, see Forests excursions.