Discover The Forest

Lorax Partnership

THE LORAX PARTNERSHIP
Through the Discover the Forest campaign, the U.S. Forest Service has partnered with the Ad Council and Universal Pictures to launch a series of public service advertisements (PSAs) and educational materials featuring characters from the animated adventure Dr Seuss’ The Lorax. The PSAs and the educational materials aim to encourage parents, caregivers and their kids to go out to the forest to experience and reconnect with nature.

Like Truffula Trees, forests are renewable resources that offer numerous benefits. Trees provide shade, oxygen, clean water, food and homes for humans and wildlife, and wood products that meet many other public needs as well. As an enduring symbol of forest conservation, Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax offers a message of hope and renewal, restoration and responsibility.

LESSONS OF SUSTAINABILITY
Dr. Seuss’ timeless book “The Lorax” is an important allegory for sustainability. It tells the tale of a man whose activities abused the environment and about what he learned from the experience. In the story, the Once-ler harvests trees too fast for them to be replenished.

So that doesn’t happen in America’s forests, forest managers (including government agencies, private industry, and family forest owners) use tools such as standards for certification, best management practices, reforestation, and thinning to control wildfires to help ensure the long-term health and productivity of the forests. Thanks to sustainable forest management tactics such as these, the United States now has 751 million acres of forests that have remained remarkably stable during the past 50 years, despite the fact that the amount of wood products generated by forests is increasing.

Given the many threats to America’s forests including pests and pathogens, drought, severe weather, wildfire and fragmentation, sustainable forest management is more important now than ever. Through active management, the Forest Service – along with state and local partners, private companies and family forest owners – is working to sustain the health, diversity and productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands so that they may thrive for generations to come.

THE PROMISE OF HOPE
This PSA partnership and the renewed attention to Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax’s message of forest conservation and hope will encourage the next generation of American families to appreciate the forests and all the benefits they provide.

LORAX IN SCHOOL - ACTIVITIES FOR THE CLASSROOM

Who Speaks for the Trees?
Students read (or watch!) Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax and examine the importance of the sustainable management of natural resources. Download Now (PDF)

We All Need Trees
Students are often surprised to learn how many different products we get from trees. Use this activity to help your students learn just how much we depend on trees in our daily lives. Download Now (PDF)

Three Cheers for Trees
It’s easy to take for granted both trees and the many benefits they provide. In this activity, students picture how their community would be different without trees and think about how much trees add to people’s lives. Download Now (PDF)

Forest for the Trees
In this activity, students will role-play managing a Tree Farm. By using a piece of land as a Tree Farm, they will begin to understand the economic factors that influence management decisions for private forest lands. Download Now (PDF)

400-Acre Wood
In this activity, students will play the role of managers of a 400-acre (162 hectare) piece of public forest. Through this role, students will begin to understand the complex considerations that influence management decisions about forest lands. Download Now (PDF)

Plant a Tree
Never underestimate the power of a tree! Besides giving us an amazing array of paper and wood products, trees provide a host of other benefits—from shading our backyards to assisting in the maintenance of the global climate. Students can express their appreciation of trees by planning and carrying out their own tree-planting project. Download Now (PDF)

ADDITIONAL LORAX ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS AND FAMILIES

Where is it?
In this activity, you will complete a scavenger hunt by using a compass to locate hidden objects. Using a compass and map to navigate is called orienteering. Compasses are often easier to obtain than Global Positioning System (GPS) devices, and using a compass can be a fun way to learn about navigation. A compass also does not need a battery the way a GPS device does. This activity will provide you with a basic introduction on how to use a compass to navigate. Download Now (PDF)

Create a Critter
Dr. Seuss was great at creating imaginary creatures, like the Swomee-Swan and the Brown Bar-ba-loot. Now it’s your turn to create a creature from your own imagination! Download Now (PDF)

Reading a tree’s life history
In this activity, you will learn to read a tree’s life history! The life history of a tree is contained in tree rings. If you were to cut a tree down, you would see a series of rings on the stump. Download Now (PDF)

Plant a tree with the Lorax!
Join the Lorax and plant a tree near your home or in your community! A healthy tree will be around for years, but it takes a little planning before you reach for the shovel. Download Now (PDF)

Nature at your service!
Scientists have studied ecosystem services for a long time. Identifying ecosystem services enables scientists to let people know that ecosystems are important to everyone. This identification also helps people to understand which natural resources need to be protected and why they need to be protected. Now it is your turn to identify ecosystem services! Download Now (PDF)

Lorax Obstacle Course
Some kids (Friends of the Lorax) attempt to get seeds to the end of the obstacle course, where the Unless platform is located. Their object is to get as many seeds as possible to the Unless platform. Other kids (the Once-lers) attempt to take the seeds and put them in the Thneed Factory instead. Once-lers who tag a Friend of the Lorax take possession of their seed. Other kids (Eco-Once-lers) will carry leaves, which identify them as sustainable foresters. Their job is to protect the Friends of the Lorax. Download Now (PDF)

Find a Forest or Park near you!