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Writer's pictureCaroline Milton

Fostering Forests: Educating Students on the Importance of Forest Health and Taking Action to Cultivate Hope in Our Community

As the crisp fall air settled in and the buzz of a new school year kicked off, students gathered outside with one shared mission. And no, it wasn’t to dodge the chill of the new season. Their true goal? To protect our community and environment by ensuring a healthy, thriving forest. 

Through SWEP’s annual fall program, Fostering Forests, students had the chance to take what they’d learned in the classroom about local forests and put it into action—helping to maintain and protect these vital ecosystems.


Why Forest Health Matters?


Maintaining a healthy forest is essential not only for the forest itself but also for the people who live within its ecosystem—especially here in Tahoe and Truckee, where our communities are deeply intertwined with the surrounding forest. Living in these beautiful, forested areas means we rely on our forests for clean air, water, and natural resources. Healthy forests provide us with protection from soil erosion, regulate the local water cycle, and help keep our air clean by absorbing carbon. They also reduce the risk of destructive wildfires, which are a serious concern in our region. For those of us who call Tahoe and Truckee home, the forest is more than just a scenic backdrop—it’s part of our everyday lives, offering recreation, wildlife, and even a sense of cultural connection. By maintaining a healthy forest, we ensure that both the land and the people who live here can continue to thrive in harmony with the environment around us.



Guardians of the Forest: Kids Creating Defensible Space 

As part of our Fostering Forests program, students from Glenshire, Truckee, and Donner Trail Elementary schools participated in Defensible Space Stewardship Day, where they learned about the role of fire in forest health and took action to create defensible space around their schools and neighborhoods. Defensible space is a buffer zone around buildings where fire fuels like pine needles, leaves, and branches are cleared to prevent the spread of wildfires. Working alongside the Truckee Fire Department, students suited up with helmets, goggles, and gloves provided by SWEP, and helped clear brush and debris, filling up a 14-foot-long dumpster with burnable materials. By the end of the day, the kids were sweaty, dirty, and proud of the hard work they did to make their community safer from wildfires.



Creeks, Canyons, and Curiosity: High Schoolers Exploring Science Outside!


In late September, students from Truckee, North Tahoe, and South Tahoe High Schools took part in the annual Tahoe Basin Watershed Education Summit in Blackwood Canyon as part of our Fostering Forests program at SWEP. With support from local resource specialists, they learned about watershed monitoring, stream cross-sections, water quality, and forest fire resiliency.

The students gained hands-on experience by wading into the river to collect data, making learning both fun and practical. Students also had the opportunity to take on the role of Forest Health Monitors as they examined test plots throughout the forest to assess its current health. In addition to fieldwork, they explored careers in environmental science, forestry, and conservation—helping to shape the next generation of environmental leaders!




Into the Woods: 7th Graders Discover, Explore, and Learn About Local Forests


Lastly, our Forest Health Field Day programs at Alder Creek Middle School and North Tahoe Middle School were a chilling success! Literally! 

Students embraced the changing season as they participated in a variety of outdoor activities designed to teach them about the importance of forest health. They learned about the benefits of different tree species, assessed the current state of local forests, and explored the role of low-grade, controlled fires in maintaining ecosystem balance. Taking action to help combat uncontrollable wildfires and reduce tree diseases, students created defensible spaces around their school and planted blister-rust-resistant sugar pine trees to strengthen forest health and resilience—all while having fun outside! 


Our Fostering Forests programs were a huge success, thanks to all the students who participated! We’re already looking forward to next year and can’t wait to inspire even more students to get outside and make a difference in our local environment!


Thank you to our partners at the Truckee Fire Protection District, Truckee Donner Land Trust, Sugar Pine Foundation, Tahoe Truckee Unified School District, Glenshire, Truckee and Donner Trail Elementary Schools, North Tahoe and Alder Creek Middle Schools, and North Tahoe and Truckee High Schools for making our Fostering Forests program possible and helping us care for our local forests.


Thank you to our funding supporters at the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation, Excellence in Education Foundation, and The Patchwork Collective for supporting SWEP programming and helping us promote stewardship.


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