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Join us in monitoring the development of Maine's forests through community science
Explore the wonders of Maine forests with FERN! This experiential field-based program for students, conservation organizations, and landowners combines place-based environmental education methodology with standard forest data collection protocols. FERN empowers community scientists to answer their burning questions about the Maine Woods.
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A Plot in Every Town.
We invite schools, land trusts, and environmental organizations to join us in our mission to educate young people about forests and to build a long-term dataset for forestry professionals.
Imagine connecting learning in your classroom to the outside world and to a professional forester. Imagine contributing data for one year, ten years, or longer and how that service will inform our collective understanding of how Maine’s forests change over time.
Resources
Find all of our protocols and supplemental resources to help you establish a FERN plot and collect data with your students.
The Investigative version of the Forest Ecology Research Network (FERN) is a classroom-based community science initiative that gives students grades 5-12 and their teachers an opportunity to get outside and learn about forests while developing skills in measurement, data collection, analysis, systems-thinking, and comfortability outside.
Click the button below to view the Investigative Facilitator Guide
Student Worksheets
FERN is part of E-RISE RII: Enhancing Maine Forest Economy, Sustainability, and Technology Ecosystem To Accelerate Innovation (Maine-FOREST) and is supported by National Science Foundation award #OIA-2416918