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Tropical Four-est Inventory – Using Measurement to Understand the Condition of Forests in Micronesia

In this research, the scientists wanted to describe and summarize the forests managed for conservation in the Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands and compare this information with a description and summary of the forests not managed for conservation.

Tropical Four-est Inventory – Using Measurement to Understand the Condition of Forests in Micronesia

Meet the Scientists

Julian Dendy

Geographic Information Systems Analyst

Ashley Lehman

Biological Scientist

Wendolin Roseo Marquez

Senior Grants Officer

What Kinds of Scientists Did This Research?

Biological Scientist: This scientist studies living organisms and living systems.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Technician: A GIS research technician creates and uses digital maps and data sets and maintains and updates geographic databases. He or she collects, organizes, and stores geospatial data and performs geospatial analyses using GIS software and tools to answer research questions. This technician also writes research papers and reports.

Biological Field Technician: A biological field technician sets up and maintains field (outdoor) instruments and equipment. This technician gathers field data and biological samples, records data, and conducts tests and other kinds of analysis related to field research. This technician also writes research papers and reports.

Senior Grants Officer & Micronesia Challenge Terrestrial Measures Lead: This professional provides support for research grants, contracts, cooperative agreements, and other awards involving money to make sure that all regulations are properly followed. This profession also provides leadership, technical, and financial support to the Micronesia Challenge terrestrial resources monitoring.

Thinking About Science

To understand how forests are changing over time, the Forest Service conducts yearly inventories and analyses of the Nation’s forest and non-forest lands. First, scientists identify whether an area is forested or not forested. For forested land, scientists identify and record information that describes the forest. This information includes what kind of trees are growing; the height, size, and density of the trees; the trees’ health; and how many trees have died or been removed.

An inventory is a list of all things in a place or business. For example, a store will keep a list of everything available for sale. This list, along with the items themselves, is called an inventory. When you buy something, the store’s computer system will take your item out of the inventory.

A forest inventory is similar, except that forests are usually too large to count every tree and plant. A forest inventory relies on measuring and counting plants in a sample area. A sample is a small part of the whole. It is made in a way so that every item studied has an equal chance of being selected for study. A sample is, therefore, believed to be an accurate representation of the whole. If foresters sample one-tenth of a forest, they will multiply their measurements by 10 to establish an inventory of the entire forest.

The Forest Service has been conducting inventories and analyses of forest land since the 1930s. A sample of the Nation’s land is examined every year. The continual inventory and analyses enable scientists to better understand how forests are changing over time.

A map showing several Pacific Islands. — **Figure 1**. Micronesia is a group of islands located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. FIND Outdoors map by Carey Burda.

Beginning in the 2000s, the Forest Service began conducting forest inventories and analyses in the Pacific Islands. In this research, scientists in Micronesia used the process developed by the Forest Service to describe and analyze forests growing on the Pacific Islands of Micronesia (figure 1). They increased the amount of forest land sampled and analyzed on these islands to get a better idea of the current condition of forests in these Pacific Islands.

Thinking About the Environment

Micronesia is a region in the western Pacific Ocean. Micronesia includes five independent nations, two U.S. Territories, and four main island groups (table 1).

Table 1. Nations, territories, and island groups in Micronesia.
Independent Nations	United States Territories	Island Groups
Republic of Palau	Guam	Caroline Islands
Federated States of Micronesia (FSM)	Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI)	Mariana Islands
Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI)		Marshall Islands
Republic of Kiribati		Gilbert Islands
Republic of Nauru

What Is a Republic?

A republic is a form of government in which the State is ruled by representatives of the citizens. A direct democracy, in contrast, is ruled by the citizens themselves. Most modern democracies are republics. A republic is not ruled by a monarchy. A monarchy is the undivided rule or supreme power by a single person. Is the United States a republic? Why or why not?

What Is a United States Territory?

A United States Territory is an area of land that is partially self-governing under the authority of the U.S. Government. Citizens of U.S. Territories elect a representative to the U.S. House of Representatives, but this representative cannot vote on Federal legislation.

The five permanently inhabited U.S. Territories include American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

What is a U.S. National?

A U.S. national (who is also not a citizen) is a person who has all the rights of a U.S. citizen except he/she cannot vote in Federal elections or hold a Federal office. American Samoans are U.S. nationals.

Residents of the other U.S. Territories are U.S. nationals as well as U.S. citizens.

Micronesia covers about 7.4 million square kilometers (km) of Earth’s surface. Of this area, less than one-half of 1 percent is land; the rest is ocean (see map above).

Even though it has a small land area, Micronesia has a high diversity of plant life (figure 2). Over 350 plant species living in Micronesia are endemic (en de mik). An endemic species is one that is found only in a particular area. Micronesia’s native forests have the highest number of endemic plant species per forest area in the world.

An island coastline in silhouette at sunset — **Figure 2**. Micronesia’s tropical landscape includes a high diversity of plant life. USDA Forest Service photo by Rich MacKenzie.

Unfortunately, only 30 percent of Micronesia’s and Polynesia’s native forests remain. Micronesia, therefore, is one of the most vulnerable areas in the world to endemic plant extinctions.

Introduction

In the early years of the 21st century, the U.S. Territories and independent nations of Micronesia recognized the importance of protecting their natural resources. To better protect these natural resources, the nations formed an agreement in 2006. They called this agreement the Micronesia Challenge (MC). The agreement identified 20 percent of land resources and 30 percent of nearshore marine resources that would be managed for natural resource conservation (figure 3). Each nation determined which of their own natural resources would be managed for conservation.

An illustration showing the shoreline and the nearshore area. The nearshore area stretches into the water until the water reaches a depth of 55 meters. — **Figure 3**. A nearshore resource is a resource in the area from the high tide line to a water depth of 55 meters (m). FIND Outdoors illustration by Liz Sisk.

Natural resource conservation management means that actions are taken to protect the natural environment now and into the future. In Micronesia, many natural resources, such as nearshore resources, are managed as a public good. Managing these natural resources for conservation benefits everyone.

In the Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands, forests managed for conservation as well as forests not managed for conservation were included in the scientists’ inventory and analysis. In this research, the scientists wanted to compare forests managed for conservation in the Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands with the forests not managed for conservation.

Reflection Section

Methods

The illustration on the left shows a Landsat satellite orbiting Earth. The photo on the left is a Landsat map of Guam. — **Figure 4**. NASA uses satellites to take photographs of Earth from space. (A) This satellite is called Landsat. Scientists use Landsat to study Earth’s land cover. (B) This map of Guam was made using Landsat. Left: NASA illustration. Right: Courtesy photo by DigitalGlobe, Inc.

The scientists began by using satellite images of the islands (figure 4). A grid was laid over the islands’ satellite images (figure 5). Any rectangle within the grid that had at least one acre of forest land was identified. The grid was also used to identify areas that were not forested. These non-forest areas were eliminated from the inventory. Each forest plot was chosen randomly.

An illustration of a lake, river, and surrounding land with a grid overlayed — **Figure 5**. A grid is a network of evenly spaced horizontal and vertical lines. A grid is used to identify locations on a map. In this research, the grid was used to identify forest plot locations. FIND Outdoors illustration by Stephanie Pfeiffer Rossow.

What Does "Random" Mean to a Scientist?

For a scientist, when something is chosen randomly, every possible choice has an equal chance of being selected. When you toss a coin, each side has an equal chance of landing up. The result of a coin toss, therefore, is random.

Two people walk among tall mangrove trees — **Figure 6**. Biological field technicians and other field crew members take measurements in a mangrove forest plot. USDA Forest Service photo.

Biological field technicians and other field crew members visited each forest plot (figure 6). They collected data on the condition of the forest within the plot (table 2).

Table 2. The table shows the information scientists collected.
What was measured	Forest inventory and analysis data used	Acreage/number of trees	Percent of forest/trees
Human disturbance	Human-caused impact and fire damage	Acreage (number of acres)	Percent of forest area
Plant species diversity	Tree species per plot	Not applicable (N/A)	N/A
	Vascular* plant species per plot	N/A	N/A
	Tree species	Square feet per acre	Basal area of each species/basal area of all trees*
	Percent cover of understory species (understory includes plants under the tree canopy)	Acreage	Percent of forest area
Forest structure	Tree diameter at breast height (DBH)	Number of trees	Percent by DBH class****
	Tree height	Number of trees	Percent by height class****
	Basal area	Square feet per acre	N/A
	Stem density	Number of trees per plot and acre	Percent of all trees
Invasive species	Species of invasive tree	Number of trees	Percent of all trees
	Invasive species vegetation cover	Acreage	Percent of forest area
Tree abundance	Tree species	Number of trees	Percent of all trees
	Tree rank order: Endemic and invasive species	Number of trees by category	Percent of all trees
Mangrove stem density	Stem density per acre	Number of trees per acre	N/A
Mangrove basal area	Basal area	Number of square feet per acre	Dominance of different tree species
Forest community	Forest community: the types of trees that make up a particular forest	Number of acres	Percent of forest area

*A vascular (vas skyə lər) plant has a channel for the movement of fluid, such as sap.

** The area of a breast-height cross section of a tree or of all the trees in a stand (see page 107 for an illustration of basal area).

***Basal area of each species/basal area of all trees: This is a fraction, like ½. The number represented by the basal area for each tree species is divided by the basal area of all trees.

**** DBH class: A grouping of tree diameters into classes of a specified range. Height class: A grouping of tree heights into classes of a specified range.

What Is Diameter at Breast Height, or DBH?

An illustration of diameter at breast height including: (left) a tree on which the height 4.5 feet is market, (top right) a tree trunk encircled with a diameter tape, (middle right) a cross section of the trunk where diameter and circumference are labeled, and (bottom right) how DBH is measured on an upright tree and a leaning tree. — FIND Outdoors illustration by Stephanie Pfeiffer Rossow.

The diameter at breast height (DBH) is the diameter of a tree trunk 1.37 meters (4.5 feet) above the ground. Measuring DBH is a standard way to measure the size of trees. When the tree is growing on a hill, DBH is measured on the uphill side of the tree.

Measuring DBH provides a standard way to measure the size of a tree.

A person wraps a measuring tape around a tree trunk at breast height. — USDA Forest Service photo by Paul Scowcroft.

This field technician is measuring the DBH of a tree.

A woman wraps a diameter tape around a very large tree trunk. — USDA Forest Service photo.

Ashley Lehman, a scientist in this study, measures the DBH of a large tree. Notice that she is measuring the DBH from the uphill side of the tree.

What Is Basal Area and Stem Density?

Basal area is the average amount of an area occupied by tree stems. Basal area is calculated as the total area of the cross-section of all tree stems at breast height. Basal area is usually expressed in number of square feet per acre.

Two illustrations: on the left is a stand of trees seen from the side; on the right is the trees in cross-section from above. — FIND Outdoors illustration by Liz Sisk.

The illustration above shows two views of basal area. In the second view (on the right), each circle represents a stem’s size at breast height.

Stem density is the number of tree stems per area. The basal area of the trees in these illustrations below are about equal, but the stem density is different. Which illustration has a lower stem density?

Two illustrations: the one on the left shows a stand of trees as seen from the side; the one on the right shows those trees in cross-section from above. — FIND Outdoors illustration by Liz Sisk.

Five forest communities were sampled in Micronesia. These forest communities include lowland rain forest, montane rain forest, strand forest, agroforest, and mangrove forest (figures 7-11).

Dense rainforest foliage — **Figure 7**. Lowland rain forests grow on relatively flat land at lower elevations. Conservation Society of Pohnpei photo.

Dense foliage through which can be seen a mountain. — **Figure 8**. A montane rain forest is found at higher elevations than lowland forest. The tree and plant species found in tropical montane forests are different than the tree and plant species found in lowland tropical forests. Conservation Society of Pohnpei photo.

A beach lined with trees on the inland side. — **Figure 9**. Strand forests grow in the sand at the top of the beach. These forests include trees, shrubs, grasses, and other small plants. Strand forests protect the shoreline and inland areas. Conservation Society of Pohnpei photo.

Dense foliage in a rainforest — **Figure 10**. Agroforests are forests planted to provide a variety of food crops for people. These forests include food crops and trees planted among native plants and trees. In Micronesia, foods grown in agroforests include breadfruit, coconuts, cacao, papaya, guava, mango, and other fruits. Breadfruit comes from a tree that is related to fig and mulberry trees. Agroforests also provide products used for medicines, and their wood may be used for building boats and houses. Foods available in this agroforest photo include yam, breadfruit, banana, taro, sakau, and noni. Micronesia Conservation Trust photo by Roseo Marquez.

**Figure 11**. Mangroves are a group of trees and shrubs that grow in the coastal intertidal zone. Mangrove forests have a dense network of roots that slow tidal waters and allow sediment to settle on the mangrove forest floor. Courtesy photo by Babs McDonald.

Most tropical rain forests are classified as lowland tropical rain forest (see figure 8 above). Lowland rain forests grow on relatively flat land at lower elevations (figure 12). Lowland rain forests are usually taller and have more plant diversity than montane rain forests.

An illustration about elevation — **Figure 12**. Elevation is the height above sea level. FIND Outdoors illustration by Stephanie Pfeiffer Rossow.

In the forest inventory done in the United States, one plot of forest is intensely investigated, measured, and the data are recorded for every 6,000 acres of forest. For this research in Micronesia, one plot of forest was investigated for every 222 acres of forest.

Reflection Section

Findings

Despite the more intense sampling done in Micronesia compared with what is normally done in the United States, small sample sizes made comparisons difficult. The scientists, however, found differences between forests managed for conservation and those not managed for conservation (table 3).

Look closely at the last two columns in table. Forests managed for conservation in the three areas had, in general, fewer invasive species and more endemic species as compared with non-conservation forests. Results were mixed between conservation forests and non-conservation forests for the other variables.

Table 3. Measured forest characteristics in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), the Republic of Marshall Islands (RMI), and Guam.
		Average DBH in inches	Average height in feet	Average stem density in stems per acre	Average basal area in square feet per acre	Average percent invasive trees	Average percent endemic trees
FSM	Conservation forests	5.4	31.3	572	168	0.00	34.30
	Non-conservation forests	4.1	26.5	619	140	6.50	21.30
RMI	Conservation forests	3.4	20.6	1062	35	0.00	0.00
	Non-conservation forests	4.3	24.3	672	89	0.03	0.04
Guam	Conservation forests	3.0	21.1	1132	87	28.80	37.80
	Non-conservation forests	3.1	23.5	965	82	30.70	7.00

Reflection Section

Discussion

Recall that Micronesia is at a high risk for losing its endemic tree species. This study indicates that with conservation management, Micronesia’s endemic tree species may be conserved into the future.

Micronesia has a relatively small acreage of land area, and the five forest communities measured are distinct forest communities. The tree species between each community, therefore, are mostly different.

Other than lowland rainforest, each forest community was sampled only a few times by management type (conservation and non-conservation) in each country and territory. In addition, forests have only recently begun to be managed for conservation. Differences between conservation forests and non-conservation forests may not yet be observable.

The forest inventory and analysis process, however, offers advantages for understanding Micronesian forest change over time. Because this process is well defined, data may be compared over time and between forests and areas if future inventories and analyses are conducted.

Reflection Section

Adapted from Dendy, J.; Kuegler, O.; Lehman, A.; Marquez, W.R. 2020. Forest status and trends across Micronesia from an assessment of Micronesia Challenge terrestrial measures and Forest Inventory and Analysis data. Micronesica. (2020-2): 1–16.

Part Of

Pacific Islands - Vol. 1 No. 21

Explore Full Journal

Julian Dendy

Geographic Information Systems Analyst

My favorite experience related to science is the combined feeling of exhaustion, peace, and wonder after putting in a hard field day out in nature. However, the feeling most particular...
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Ashley Lehman

Biological Scientist

My favorite science experience is collecting forest monitoring data. My favorite place to collect data is on the permanent Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) plots in the mangrove forests in...
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Wendolin Roseo Marquez

Senior Grants Officer

My favorite science experience is conducting the Forest Inventory and Analysis in Micronesia. I enjoy the whole process. This process includes research planning, community consultation, data collection, assuring quality, data...
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Standards addressed in this Article:

ESS3.C-H1
ESS3.C-H2
ESS3.C-M1
ESS3.C-M2
ESS3.D-H1
ESS3.D-H2
ESS3.D-M1
LS2.A-H1
LS2.A-M1
LS2.A-M3
LS2.C-H1
LS2.C-H2
LS2.C-M1
LS2.C-M2
LS4.D-H1
LS4.D-H2
LS4.D-M1

What Is a Natural Inquirer Journal?

Three Natural Inquirer journal covers with NI bee

A Natural Inquirer journal is a collection of 4-8 articles on a related science topic. Journals are written for a middle school audience, but they can also be adapted for both high school students and advanced upper elementary students. Some journals are particularly suited to high school students; you can find our grade level recommendations in the tags on the product page or by filtering journals by grade level.

Journals include:

Four to eight articles based on published, peer-reviewed research papers; the articles keep the research paper format (see more below) but are written in language students can understand.
A FACTivity for each article, which is an activity to complete after reading the article. The FACTivity helps reinforce major science concepts from the article. These activities are designed to be easy to implement, with few material requirements and options for adapting them for your audience or available resources. Some articles in a journal may have two FACTivities.
A short “Welcome to the journal” article about key background information and science concepts that unify the articles included in the journal
A glossary of new terms for each article and the introductory materials.
A list of related Natural Inquirer publications for each article as well as outside references.
Standards correlations, including Next Generation Science Standards, addressed in the articles and the FACTivities.

Journals may also include additional essays (called spotlights), other activities (like crossword puzzles or vocabulary challenges), and more.

A screenshot of the article resource tile for "A Flame Changer" showing the three different format option buttons.

Reading Modes

Journals are available in three different formats:

Hard copies can be ordered from the website and shipped, all free of charge.
PDF versions of the printed journal can be downloaded free on the website. The PDF version directly replicates the content and layout of the printed version. You can also download individual articles as pdfs.
The “Read Distraction Free” option allows the individual articles to open in their own window, without the rest of the website being visible. These articles can be found under the “Articles” tab. This version allows readers to scroll to particular sections of the article using the sidebar menu on the left side of the screen. This version also has interactive Reflection Sections and Number Crunches. Students can enter their answers, submit them, and then receive the correct answers to double-check their work. Submitted answers are not saved on the website and will disappear once the window is closed.

What's in a Natural Inquirer Article?

Here, we'll go into more detail about the parts of a Natural Inquirer article and give you some ideas about how they can be used.

Meet the Scientists
This section introduces the scientists (and others) who worked on the study. In their own words, they each share a memorable science experience, a favorite research project, or something they learned during the course of their education or research.

Use this section to:
- Introduce kids to the variety of people who work in science
- Introduce kids to the variety of scientific fields and give brief descriptions of science-related jobs
- Explore ways that people interact with science every day
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) applications:
- Science and Engineering Practices
- Crosscutting Concepts: Influence of Science, Engineering, and Technology on Society and the Natural World
Note that specific standards for this particular monograph are linked on this educator guide tab.

Other resources:

Many of the scientists and engineers featured in this section are also featured on our collector cards. Learn more about their work, how they got interested in their fields, and interesting projects they worked on. Cards can be printed as posters, too.
Thinking About Science
This section briefly describes a concept about science or scientific research. This overview can touch on topics like
- study type (longitudinal study, quantitative vs. qualitative data),
- behaviors of scientists (conducting literature reviews, collaborating with other specialists, replicating earlier studies),
- the practice of science (the scientific method, engineering design, data collection, randomization, controls and variables),
- or other aspects of science (bias, correlation vs. causation).
Use this section to:
- Reinforce steps in the scientific method and the process of science
- Encourage students to think about the practice of science and what it can and cannot tell us
- Consider the many types of scientific study and what information each type can provide
Next Generation Science Standards applications:
- Science and Engineering Practices
- Life Science Disciplinary Core Ideas (depending on topic)
- Most Crosscutting Concepts (depending on topic)
Note that specific standards for this particular monograph are linked on this educator guide tab.

Other resources:

You can use key words to search for other or related scientific topics on our website (e.g. “longitudinal study,” “bias,” or “sampling”).
Thinking About the Environment
This section provides a brief overview of a topic or concept in environmental/life science. The topic or concept is directly related to the research study that follows. Examples of topics include the carbon cycle, the water cycle, habitat fragmentation, phenology, biodiversity, and ecosystem services.

Use this section to:
- Provide important background information to help students understand the research study
- Serve as a quick reference during reading or class instruction
- Connect the research article with other activities or media on the same topic
Next Generation Science Standards applications:
- Life Science and some Earth Science Disciplinary Core Ideas (depending on topic)
- Most Crosscutting Concepts (depending on topic)
Note that specific standards for this particular monograph are linked on this educator guide tab.

Other resources:

You can use key words to search for more resources on life or earth science topics on our website (e.g. “habitat,” “carbon,” or “genetics”).
Introduction
This section begins the scientific article format. Much like the published, peer-reviewed study this article is based on, the introduction provides background information for the study – what is currently known and what remains unknown. The introduction culminates in the question(s) the study hopes to answer.

The introduction is also the first section with a Reflection Section. This section includes two or three questions to help kids reflect on what they’ve just learned in the Introduction. If they are using the online distraction-free reading mode, they can answer these questions directly on the website.

Use this section to:
- Review important background information that kids need to understand the study
- Connect the study to the concepts addressed in the Thinking About Science and Thinking About the Environment sections
- Understand research questions and hypotheses, including generating their own hypotheses given what they already know
Next Generation Science Standards applications:
- Life Science and some Earth Science Disciplinary Core Ideas (depending on topic)
- Most Crosscutting Concepts (depending on topic)
Note that specific standards for this particular monograph are linked on this educator guide tab.

Other resources:

Use one of the guided reading lesson plans to help kids follow the format of a scientific paper.
Methods
This section is the nuts and bolts of the study design – the who, what, when, where, why, and how of the research. Contained within the Methods section are usually maps of the study location or the set-up of study plots, as well as details about what data was collected and how.

The Methods section also ends with a Reflection Section – two or three questions to help students think through what they just read. These questions are interactive on the distraction-free reading mode.

Use this section to:
- Show students how experiments and studies are designed and carried out
- Explore sampling methods and randomization
- Introduce various data collection tools (e.g. camera traps, surveys, insect collection tools, weather stations, etc.)
- Explain bias and how studies are designed to remove bias
- Help students gain experience with map reading
Next Generation Science Standards applications:
- Life Science and some Earth Science Disciplinary Core Ideas (depending on topic)
- Most Crosscutting Concepts (depending on topic)
Note that specific standards for this particular monograph are linked on this educator guide tab.

Other resources:

Many Methods and Findings sections contain Number Crunches, which are simple math exercises designed to help students interact with the data from the study.
Findings
This section summarizes the data collected during the study. The Findings section usually includes data tables or graphs and highlights the significant data points from the study. This section often mentions statistical analysis or the use of computer programs to model or analyze the data, though these methods are only discussed generally.

The Findings section also ends with a Reflection Section – two or three questions to help students think through what they just read. These questions are interactive on the distraction-free reading mode.

Use this section to:
- Have students practice reading and interpreting graphs and tables
- Compare results between variables and controls
- Explain the concept of statistical significance
- Discuss how no data or negative results still provide valuable information
Next Generation Science Standards applications:
- Life Science and some Earth Science Disciplinary Core Ideas (depending on topic)
- Most Crosscutting Concepts (depending on topic)
Note that specific standards for this particular monograph are linked on this educator guide tab.

Other resources:

Search the website for “map” or “graph” to find activities where students can practice making and reading maps and graphs.
Discussion
This section concludes each article. In it, we summarize the main findings of the scientists’ study. Additionally, we present the scientists’ ideas about the limitations of their study, the big-picture impacts of their research, and the scientists’ plans for future study or action.

The Discussion section ends with a Reflection Section – two or three questions to help students think through what they just read, especially general take-aways from the study. These questions are interactive on the distraction-free reading mode.

Use this section to:
- Discuss what conclusions can and cannot be drawn from the available data
- Explain the difference between correlation and causation
- Explore study limitations and opportunities for further study
- Brainstorm ways the study findings could be applied to real-world situations
Next Generation Science Standards applications:
- Life Science and some Earth Science Disciplinary Core Ideas (depending on topic)
- Most Crosscutting Concepts (depending on topic)
Note that specific standards for this particular monograph are linked on this educator guide tab.

Other resources:

Use the “Designing Your Own Study” resource page for videos of scientists discussing their own research studies. The page also includes educator resources to help students plan their own scientific studies.

Additional Resources on the Website

A screenshot of the product tabs for an NI monograph On the website, we pair each journal with a variety of other resources, as well. Use the tabs on the product page to browse through the following:

Related activities, including the FACTivity for each article
An “About” essay that gives some larger context for the research the scientists conducted or more information about the science topic from the journal
A glossary of all boldfaced terms from the journal
A “Scientists and Collaborators” page that lists the people involved in the studies in the journal; click on a researcher to reach their bio page and see what other articles they might be featured in
A “Related Content” page that lists both Natural Inquirer resources about similar topics and also outside reference materials

Article Selection and Review

Natural Inquirer partners with the USDA Forest Service, so we source research studies by Forest Service scientists that have been peer-reviewed and published in reputable journals. Some of our articles have also been created in collaboration with scientists from other Federal agencies, such as U.S. Geological Survey and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, universities, and other non-profits.

All journal articles are reviewed by scientists who conducted the original research study to verify scientific accuracy. Journals are also reviewed by student editorial review boards of middle or high school students before publication. Additionally, all journals are reviewed by the Forest Service and the U.S. Department of Agriculture before publication.

A screenshot of the citation for "Lights, Camera, Tracks" Every journal article includes a citation of its source study. Many educators pair the original research paper with our article to help more advanced students learn how to read formal research papers. The journal article then serves as adapted primary literature, bridging the two articles.