Ayer Devens | Pocket Forests
Pocket Forest
Educational Resources
"Apart from the climate resilience benefits, the pocket forest has additional benefits for our school. It creates opportunities for students to be outside and connect with nature, as well as engaging them in real science and hands-on learning"
-Ms. Pierce, Ayer Shirley Regional Middle School, Lead Science Teacher
From the early stages of project development and site selection the community expressed strong interest in locating the pocket forests at schools with a goal of engaging students in nature, outdoor learning, and enhancing climate literacy. We are grateful to our partners -- the Ayer Shirley Regional School District, the Ayer and Shirley, and Devens Communities– for working with us to locate three pocket forests in locations with easy access to schools.
The following are examples of lesson plans that can be used in conjunction with pocket forest activities. A list of opportunities for matching Massachusetts curriculum standards with pocket forest topics is also provided. Finally, we offer a link to other international pocket forest curricula available online.
Middle School Educational Standards Related to Pocket Forests
Existing Curriculum and Lesson Plans that Align with Pocket Forests
Monitoring Guide and Field Datasheets
Rewilding Guide for Municipal Land Managers
During the pocket forest site section process, the project team visited many publicly-owned lands that were not ideal for pocket forest plantings, but which had potential for rewilding to a native and lower maintenance landscape. The project therefore also developed resources for municipal land managers to increase native plantings and ecosystem services for marginal landscapes. The goal is to reduce emissions and workloads of maintenance staff, while also restoring habitat values.
