Forest Mapping
​​Inquiry Activity
 by Tom J. McConnell 

Tigers and Orangutans are both endangered! Much of the reason for this is because of the loss of their habitats. Tigers live in forests in eastern Russia, India, Indonesia and parts of China. Orangutans live only in forest of Sumatra and Borneo. In both these areas, deforestation has a big impact on these animals. Many other species suffer the same threat.

In many of the places where tigers and orangutans live, there are protected patches of forest. But these patches are often not enough. Tigers and orangutans both need huge areas of uninterrupted forest to survive. Both kinds of animals are rather large, and tend to live alone. They need big areas to find food, and they wander across enormous ranges.

In this activity, you will use two types of technology to see and measure the amount of forests in an area, and then compare different locations. 

Grade Levels: 6-12
Timeline: 2-4 class periods
Materials:  Access to a computer with internet access and Excel to use a spreadsheet.

Objectives:

• I can use Google Earth to view and measure the percent of forests in an area of land.
• I can use Excel to record data, calculate results and graph my data to compare different areas.
• I can identify differences and similarities in data from two different locations.
• I can explain how deforestation and fragmentation may affect species.
  
  

When humans clear much of the ground around forests and cut roads through the forests, it can disrupt the habitat of forest species. We call this phenomenon "fragmentation" - breaking big forests into small chunks. When we drive through the country, we may see "forests" or "woods," but only by seeing the area from above can we see the larger pattern of land use. Satellite images have become a tool that scientists use to do this.

And YOU can use the same tools to see patterns in deforestation, too! Let's do this in three steps! Click the links below or use the links in the right hand bar to continue!

1) Use Google Earth measure percent of forest coverage
2) Use Excel to record and analyze the data
3) Discuss the differences between the areas and possible the impact on wildlife.

For the Teacher
Grade Level: 3-5
Class Periods: 1-2

NGSS Standards
Performance Expectations

• 2-LS1-2

​Practices 

• Developing & Using Models
• Analyzing and Interpreting Data

​Disciplinary Core Ideas

• LS1.D

​Croscutting Concepts

• Patterns​​​ ​
  

Navigation Links

​Use Google Earth

Analyze Data

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