Bill Smith's Unofficial Cub Scout Roundtable
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Webelos Activity Badges

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Webelos
Forester Activity Badge
Forester deals with the care and growing of trees.  A Webelos working on the Forester activity badge will learn how to recognize different species of trees by their shape, foliage, bark and types of wood.  He will learn how they live and grow.

America is a land of trees.  Thousands of products come from trees, from rayon clothing to books.  One very important value of trees is aesthetic.  Think what beauty would be missing without trees.

The Forester Activity Badge is part of the Outdoor group. The Webelos will learn how to identify the trees around them, how trees grow, and how to prevent forest fires.

FORESTER REQUIREMENTS
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Last Update: 2/6/04


OBJECTIVES
To make boys more observant and appreciative of trees. To instill the idea of conservation in Webelos. To teach boys the value and uses of trees. To make Webelos aware of devastation due to wildfire.

 

RELATED SCOUT MERIT BADGES
Skills required for advancement to First Class:
      • Nature,
      • Soil and Water Conservation,
      • Pulp and Paper,
      • Woodwork,
      • Botany,
      • Environmental,
      • Science,
      • Forestry.
 
RESOURCES
Official Boy Scout Handbook,
Boy Scout Field Book,
Boy's Life Magazine.
Webelos Den Activities
Zim, and Martin, Golden Nature Guide on Trees
U.S. Forest Service,
Environmental Protection Agency,
Watt, MT and Watt T., Pacific Coast Tree Finder
Arborist Association.

 
WHERE TO GO; WHAT TO DO


  • Learn how to measure tree heights. (Boy Scout Handbook.)
  • HOYT ARBORETUM:  4000 SE Fairview Blvd., Portland (503) 823-3655 Open dawn to dusk. Guided tours 2pm Sat. and Sun. For groups please call ahead for reservations. Free admission. Self-guided tour books available with 10 miles of trails. This is a walking tour, not a place to run around in.
  • MAGNESS MEMORIAL TREE FARM:  25 miles south of Portland, OR near Wilsonville, OR.  Information from World Forestry Center (503) 228-1367  70 acres of forest,  2 miles of hiking trails, picnic areas, fire lookout, 9 separate forest management units.  John Nagle trail for disabled persons for a nature experience.  Some tent camping and 3 bunk houses.  Call for costs.  Classes available for Webelos Program for Forester activity badge by staff forester.  Call early for reservations. You must make reservations thru the World Forestry to use this facility
  • Visit a lumber yard, saw mill or tree farm. Talk to the salesman or operator about the different woods available for use.  How is wood treated for gardens, etc.  What are the standard sizes of boards and plywood?  How does a contractor know how much wood it takes to build a house?

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  • Visit a local nursery or tree farm, or an orchard in production.

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  • Contact a local tree service and ask  if you can watch their crew in action.  Watch a tree felling or brush clipping operation.  Find out about the safety features used.
  • CAMP 18: - On Hiway 26 (Mile Post 18, naturally)  Elsie, OR., A restaurant and outdoor logging  museum on the way to the coast. Great rest stop or place to visit on the way back from another activity. Allow time for kids to roam the yard full of old-time logging equipment. 1-800 874 1810 See how timber was harvested in the early days. As a side trip, visit the largest Sitka Pine in the Unites States a few mile to the west.

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  • WORLD FORESTRY CENTER:  4O33 SW Canyon Rd., Portland, OR.  (503) 228-1367 Open: daily 9 to 5. $2/scouts and $3/adults. 1 hr self guided tour.
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    Careers/Speakers
    Forest ranger, greenhouse operator, forester, tree surgeon, forest fire fighter, lumberjack, Fish and Game warden, park ranger, Department of Natural Resources employee, Bonsai club member, Environmental Protection Agency employee.
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    Tongue Twisters
    Six thick saplings of quaking aspen swayed in the thick of the forest.
    Five frightfully frightened frogs frantically fled the forest fire.
    Ten timid titmice toiled in the tall, tall tree.

    ACTIVITIES
    Service Project
    Ask your local park if your den can plant trees if they provide them.  They park will designate where to plant them.
    Adopt a Tree
    For a long-term project, adopt a tree in the back yard where you meet.  Measure its girth, estimate its height if it cannot be measured, record its buds, what color it turns, when it loses its leaves, bird's nest, etc.  Keep the information in a diary.  Measure it every month.

    DIRECTIONS
    Can you walk a straight line?  Nine out of ten people will veer sharply to the right if not focusing on a landmark.  Now imagine what that means to a person who becomes lost in the woods.
    Mark a line about 50 feet long with a flag at both ends.  One at a time, blindfold the boys and have them start at the first flag, pointed in the direction of the second.  After walking a given distance, tell them to stop and remove their blindfold.
    Boys stand in place, moving slightly if a blindfolded boy is coming near.  How many veered to the right?  Who was closest to the line?

    MEET A TREE
    Work in pairs.  Blindfold your partner and lead him through the forest to any tree.  Ask the blindfolded Scout to feel the tree so that he can identify it later without his blindfold.
    After five minutes, walk him back to the starting place and remove the blindfold.  Now the Scout must find the tree he explored.
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    Closings
    The other day in Colorado a great tree fell.  It was nearly 800 years old.  It was a mere sapling when Columbus lived.
    It had been stuck by lightning 14 times.  It had braved the storms of five centuries.  It had defied earthquakes and hurricanes.  It had laughed in scorn at the winter's blizzards.
    But in the end, tiny beetles killed it.  They bore under the bark, dug into its heart and finally, one day when the mighty king tree could stand no more, down it came.
    We have a lesson to learn from this.  It is the little things that make or break us in our homes, and our lives.
    BB, Viking
    BSA OUTDOOR CODE
    Close your meeting each week by reading the Outdoor Code.  Give a short talk on the meaning of each sentence.
    As an American 
         I will do my best to be clean in my outdoor manners.
    As an American 
         I will do my best to be considerate in the outdoors.
    As an American 
         I will do my best to be conservation minded.
     

    TREE QUIZ
    Find tree name hidden in the following sentences:
    • The ranger's map led us safely through the woods.
    • Will owls hoot in daylight?
    • It's fun to hike and tramp in every direction.
    • Forest rangers wear white helmets.
    • We saw a honey bee checking clover blossoms for honey.
    • Many forest fires are caused by human carelessness.
    • We got soaked when we were caught in a cloudburst.
    • The boy's face darkened when she kissed him on the cheek.
     
    Answers: 1. Maple 2. Willow 3. Pine 4. Elm
    5. Beech 6. Fir 7. Oak 8. Cedar
    C-10

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