Schools and the DNR work together to help schools:
Get more classes outside more often, and
Maintain school forests that are safe, accessible, and healthy.
DNR responsibilities
Education and stewardship assistance
School Forest Staff: Program can provide lessons, help teachers develop curriculum, connect teachers with DNR programs, support school forest site committees, visit and walk your site, help with legal issues, or write grants. School forest staff also help schools protect their long-term investment: When school staff changes, the DNR will work to re-engage the school.
Foresters: DNR foresters are available to help schools identify and complete projects in school forests.
Stewardship Plans: A forester will work with each site to write a school forest stewardship plan free of charge. A copy of each site's current stewardship plan is kept at the DNR School Forest Program office.
Professional development
Activity Board: Hundreds of outdoor lessons by and for teachers to use school forests across the state.
Teaching in Your School Forest Workshops: The DNR offers free, site-specific workshops that teach staff how to teach outside and demonstrate grade-appropriate outdoor lessons from the School Forest Activity Board, Project Learning Tree, and other sources.
Annual Conference/Summit/Regional Training: Teachers can attend a free annual conference or summit to learn about new program happenings, discuss current issues and needs, and explore educational opportunities. The conferences are free. Substitute teacher stipends are usually provided.
Resources
Support mailings: The DNR mails your school resources to support and expand outdoor education two to three times each school year.
Newsletter: The School Forest Program emails a monthly newsletter to site coordinators during the school year. The newsletter contains information on grants, training opportunities, news, and activities.
Arbor Month tree seedlings: The DNR provides free tree seedlings from the State Forest Nursery to improve your school forest.
Grant opportunities: School Forest staff can connect your school with grants or partner support relevant to school forests.
Field desks: Program staff coordinate with DNR volunteers to deliver free classroom sets of field desks to interested school forests.
Tree cookies and other activity kits: Program staff can provide activity kits such as the popular tree cookie lesson (complete with a class set of “cookies”).
Kits to borrow: Schools can borrow sets of forest measurement tools, invasive species removal tools, GPS units, and other kits. No shipping fees are charged to the school.
Other DNR Support: Staff from other DNR programs can provide support for special projects.
School responsibilities
Appoint a site coordinator who will be the main contact with the DNR and share DNR benefits with all school staff.
Maintain a school forest committee that meets at least twice a year to ensure the school forest is being used.
Send an annual report to the DNR at the end of every school year.
The report must show evidence that the school is using its school forest for education at least five times every year.
Provide adequate funding. Schools must treat their school forest like any other classroom by providing sufficient funding to support transportation, maintenance, and teaching supplies. If necessary, schools will create a plan for revenue generated from the site. Money generated from the sale of timber or forest products (such as maple syrup or balsam boughs) from school forest land must be used to support your school forest or other natural resource education activities.
Take care of the land according to their stewardship plan provided by the DNR forester. If harvesting occurs, the school will follow Minnesota Forest Resources Council timber harvesting guidelines.
Accountability
The School Forest Program exists by MN Statutes, Section 89.41.
Site leaders can address comments or concerns to School Forest Program staff. If the DNR does not comply with the above criteria, school site leaders can appeal to the state forester or the DNR commissioner.
If the school is unable to fulfill their responsibilities, the School Forest Program staff will work with the school to create a plan that brings the site into compliance.
Sites that are unable or unwilling to fulfill their responsibilities lose program benefits and certification in the School Forest Program.
When schools that use tax-forfeited land fall out of compliance, the DNR will notify the appropriate state or county authorities to reconvey the land.