About the Program

Forestry Education for 30+ Years

Who Can Attend?

FIT welcomes all California educators. Past participants have included TK-12+ credentialed educators, nonformal educators, administrators, and education program leads.  Whether attending solo or as a team, you'll have time to collaborate with peers.

How much does it cost?

Room and board for the week are included with the ​$125 application fee.  Participants are responsible for arranging travel to and from session locations.  Carpooling is encouraged and can be coordinated directly with each session Director once acceptance is confirmed.

Thanks to funding support from state and federal grants, and private donations, FIT is able to offer a $300 stipend for participants that implement forestry-related curriculum projects demonstrating their professional growth.

Forestry Institute for Teachers (FIT) has provided professional learning to California educators since 1993. Each FIT session provides participants the knowledge, skills and tools to teach about stewardship of California’s forest ecosystems.

Summer Sessions

Four FIT sessions are offered every summer at sites in Humboldt, Shasta, Tuolumne, and El Dorado Counties.  Each session accommodates 30+ educators and combines classroom and field instruction with environmental education curricula to engage with current issues in California forests.

FIT-Focus Sessions

As of 2023, FIT offers 3-day FIT-Focus sessions hosted over the course of the school year. Designed for both graduates of the core summer program as well as prospective FIT participants, these sessions explore special forestry topics and ecosystems throughout the state.

Why Choose FIT?

How do FIT graduates benefit?

FIT endeavors to provide a balanced, science-based approach to commonly misunderstood and controversial issues surrounding California’s forests.  Throughout the week, participants work with natural resource professionals and education specialists to explore how forest ecosystems and their management impact rural and urban communities.  By integrating environmental education with a student's education experience, we can prepare future generations for the difficult choices they must make about forest health, ecosystem management, consumption and local economies.

FIT sessions are located in forested communities to provide a diverse learning experience including firsthand experience with:

  • forest health and resilience​

  • timber harvesting operations

  • lumber manufacturing

  • wildfire restoration

  • wildlife conservation and enhancement projects

California's K-12+ students are ultimately the audience for the knowledge gained by FIT participants. Environmental education in forest ecology, ecosystem monitoring, economics and stewardship empowers conceptual learning, critical thinking and decision-making skills in your classroom. On program completion, participants will receive:

  • A foundational understanding of forest ecosystems and forest management practices from a balanced set of perspectives.

  • 50 hours of professional learning

  • Eligibility to apply for 3 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) from UC Davis or Cal Poly Humboldt

  • Eligibility to Earn a $300 stipend upon implementation of curriculum project during the academic year

  • Certification in Project Learning Tree (PLT) and Project WET

  • Environmental education curriculum guides and materials aligned with Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards.

Who Makes FIT Possible?

FIT Staff

Each FIT session is led by a local natural resource specialist from the University of California Cooperative Extension and a credentialed team of FIT instructors certified to lead Project Learning Tree (PLT) and Project WET educator trainings.

Participants work individually and in small grade-band groups with instructors to model the integration of PLT and WET activities with core forest sciences.  On completion of FIT, participants leave with a developed "curriculum project" proposal aligned with relevant California Department of Education content-area standards, making them eligible for a stipend and in-classroom support from the FIT program's network of graduates and resource professionals.

Program Support

Throughout the week, over 40 natural resource professionals from University of California, USDA Forest Service, USDOI Park Service, California Department of Forestry, Department of Fish and Wildlife, private industry, consulting land managers and environmental advocacy groups volunteer to share their experience working on public, private and agency managed forests.  These volunteers include nationally recognized experts in wildlife biology, fire ecology, hydrology, soil microbiology, and forestry.

Volunteers remain available after the conclusion of FIT to participants to share their expertise with planning, protecting, and implementing forest enhancement projects.

Program Partners

Project Learning Tree uses trees and forests as windows on the world to increase students’ understanding of the environment and actions they can take to conserve it. Since 1976, PLT has reached 135 million students and trained 750,000 educators to help students learn how to think, not what to think about complex environmental issues. 
Project Learning Tree helps develop students’ awareness, knowledge, and appreciation of the environment, builds their skills and ability to make informed decisions, and encourages them to take personal responsibility for sustaining the environment and our quality of life that depends on it. From its beginnings in 1976, PLT has exemplified high-quality environmental education. 
Project Learning Tree® (PLT) is an initiative of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative. Learn more

Project WET’s mission is to reach children, parents, teachers and community members of the world with water education that promotes awareness of water and empowers community action to solve complex water issues.
Water education is more than just teaching about the water cycle (although Project WET does offer a great activity for doing just that!). Water education also helps children connect to their local watersheds and understand their relationship to local water resources. Ask Project WET educators from North Carolina to California or anywhere in between how they teach about water in their communities and each will have a different story. Learn more

I learned so many things!  People who work in the forests are generally knowledgeable about a variety of things - soils, water, wildlife, vegetation.  There are many jobs available for people who would like to work in forests (far more that require a college degree than I ever realized).  A burning forest can be a good thing.

Forest management issues - fire, soil, thinning, clear cutting, etc.  are very complex.  I've moved away from my "Don't cut down any trees stance" to an understanding of the need to manage this renewable resource.  I was especially interested in the research that Cajun and others are doing on buffer zones/creeks.  I am glad to see increased exchange of ideas/knowledge among scientists and timber people.  I learned numerous hands on environmental activities to do with my second grade to increase their awareness, develop community, and make them better stewards of the earth.

I learned a whole new perspective on forestry.  I learned a lot about fire, wildlife, and Sierra Pacific's practices and philosophies.  I also learned about California's regulations and the need to encourage other states to follow.  I learned a lot of activities and lessons I will be able to do.  I learned about the complex issues involved w/forestry and that we use too much wood.