Posted by Howard Richman on April 09 2008 at 09:54:07:
The Pennsylvania Forestry Products Woodmobile will be touring Pennsylvania and will be open to homeschool groups. Click here to see their schedule. For more information, call 717-772-3715 or e-mail dbender@state.pa.us.
Here´s part of their recent press release:
HARRISBURG, Pa., April 8, 2008, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ -- WoodMobile Kicks Off 6th SeasonHowardPennsylvania students can continue to learn how lumber, aspirin, baseball bats and shoe polish are derived from the same raw material thanks to a new truck, said Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff.
The truck, donated by the Pennsylvania Forest Products Association, was unveiled today as part of an event to kick off the sixth season of the WoodMobile. The WoodMobile is a traveling classroom that helps to educate elementary and middle school students about Pennsylvania´s $17 billion hardwoods industry using hands-on activities.
"Pennsylvania´s hardwoods industry is a national example for environmental responsibility and sustainable forestry, and it is important that we educate the public about the good work foresters are doing to protect the environment," said Wolff. "The WoodMobile is a partnership between the Department of Agriculture and the timber industry to educate our youth about wood products and sustainable forest management. With a new truck to haul the classroom trailer throughout the state, the WoodMobile can continue to help ensure our forests will thrive for years to come."
Home-schooled students joined Wolff for a tour of the WoodMobile. The tour was guided by Pennsylvania´s founding father, William Penn, who was portrayed by Hardwoods Development Council staff member Wayne Bender. Following the tour, forest products association representatives presented Wolff with keys to the new truck.
"The support from the hardwoods industry has been outstanding," said Keith Craig, executive director of the Hardwoods Development Council. "Their involvement has helped to ensure a lasting dialogue between industry and consumer about the importance of sustainable forest management."
Most of Pennsylvania´s 2,600 forest products companies use best management practices, such as erosion and sediment control, to ensure forests can produce the trees needed today while regenerating forests, maintaining biodiversity and preventing soil loss for the future.
Pennsylvania is a national leader in the variety of training opportunities it makes available, with more than 3,000 loggers having completed sustainability training courses. Pennsylvania also leads the nation in the number of landowner outreach activities that help educate private landowners about the importance of sustainable forestry.
The WoodMobile travels nearly 150 days per year from April to November, delivering free, educational programs to some 11,000 elementary and middle school students and 150,000 members of the public. Since its debut, the WoodMobile has exhibited at more than 280 events hosting nearly 750,000 visitors. The WoodMobile expects to reach 1 million visitors next year.
The Pennsylvania Hardwood Development Council was formed in 1988 by the legislature to promote the commonwealth´s strong hardwood industry.
For more information on the WoodMobile, including a schedule or the Pennsylvania hardwoods industry, visit www.agriculture.state.pa.us, click on "Students and Educators" and follow the link to the WoodMobile under "Agricultural Education."