Review of research evidence in relation to the role of trees and woods in formal education and learning

Children working together at Forest School

Young people clearing up a small London woodland

Summary

In recent years there is evidence of a growing interest, within government, relevant organisations, and amongst the public, in using the natural environment including trees, woods and forests as a context or resource for education and learning. The approaches used are broad and range from formal academic learning to informal self-guided interpretation of sites.

The Forestry Commission in England, Scotland and Wales is one of a number of organisations which delivers a wide range of education and learning opportunities and activities in woods and forests for all ages.

The Forestry Commission in each country delivers education and learning through a range of mechanisms:

Direct formal provision of education and learning: curriculum and non curriculum based, forest apprenticeships and work placements
Facilitation: partnerships such as the Forest Education Initiative, grants and funding such as the Forest School Woodland Improvement Grant, teacher/educator support and training
Resource provision: physical resources and educational materials
Interpretation: led visits and self use interpretation
Play: provision of play infrastructure, activities and opportunities
Campaigns and events: through national media or schools
Delivery of projects/programmes where education and learning is often an outcome but not a specific focus of the project e.g. health projects, volunteering, ‘friends of’ groups.

Research summary ^(PDF-245K)

Objectives

The aim of this review was to explore research relating to formal education and learning outdoors and particularly explore that which takes place in, or focuses on, trees, woods and forests. A desk based review was undertaken supplemented by a small number of interviews.

Results

Education and learning in woodlands

Results from research on education and learning in woodlands, for instance programmes such as Forest School, suggest that it can have a range of positive impacts on participants including:

Increases in confidence and self esteem
Improving social skills, communication and language, motivation and concentration
Improving physical skills.

Outdoor learning can also provide greater opportunities for physical activity and be of benefit in terms of broad health and well-being.

Governmental policy

It was shown that whilst there is general governmental support for outdoor and environmental based education and learning there is variation in policy between the countries, for instance only the Welsh Government has made the provision of outdoor education a statutory duty in the early years.

Support within organisations

In the Forestry Commission, as in other related organisations, there is also broad support with a number of specific policies designed to support and deliver trees and woods education and learning to a range of audiences in a variety of formats.

Educational context

Trees and woods were found to be used as a context for both formal (e.g. academic lessons or skills acquisition) and informal (e.g. self-led interpretation of sites, species or events) education and learning. The majority of more formal provision is directed at school aged children and young people, particularly those in the primary age group.

Evidence base

Whilst there is good evidence to suggest that trees and woods education and learning is likely to be beneficial, the evidence base is limited in scope, breadth and reliability. In particular there is little evidence which has investigated the impact of using or focusing on the specific context of trees and woods in comparison to other outdoor or natural environments.

Potential opportunities for future research

These could include a focus on the:

Impacts of different types of trees and woods education provision
Impacts of trees and woods education on educational outcomes and attainment
The specific added or different benefits of the woodland environment for education
Long term impacts of education in woods and forest on different groups
Wider impacts of education in woods e.g. in terms of impacts on health, knowledge of climate change, employment, and community impacts
Impacts of various forms of education in woodlands on different populations, particularly adults.