There is a wide array of jobs related to forests, offering opportunities for people with diverse backgrounds, skills, interest areas, and personal qualities.
To get PLT’s Green Jobs: Exploring Forest Careers unit, purchase a copy from Shop.PLT.org or find information about an in-person workshop in your area.
Below are some supporting resources for the Introduction to this unit, including a self-assessment to get started of STEM skills, encompassing technical and leadership skills, that are important for green jobs.
STUDENT PAGES 
Download the copyright-free student pages that are included with this activity:
Worksheet_Ten STEM Skills for Everyone
(PDF)
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES 
The following tools and resources may be used to enhance the activity.
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NGSS Toolkit for Green Jobs: Exploring Forest Careers
Download this PLT Green Jobs NGSS Correlations Toolkit. The Toolkit includes guiding questions, a list of science connections, and explicit NGSS correlations for each activity. Each is organized around the three dimensions of science, making it useful for educators even if their state has not adopted NGSS.
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PLT’s 12 Green Job Fact Sheets
Learn more about the wide array of jobs related to forests with PLT’s 12 Green Jobs Fact Sheets, which highlights the following green jobs: Forester, Environmental Educator, GIS Specialist, Indigenous Relations Specialist, Forestry Technician, Park Ranger, Hydrologist, Silviculture Technician, Urban Forester, Machine Operator, Wildlife Biologist, and Sustainability Manager. Green jobs offer opportunities for people with diverse backgrounds, skills, interest areas, and personal qualities. Youth and adults alike might be surprised at the range of green career opportunities. These jobs help sustain forest ecosystems and ensure that forest products are produced in the most sustainable way possible also ensure that wildlife habitat is conserved, trees are replanted, and workers are treated fairly.
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America The Beautiful: Exploring Science in Our National Parks
Learn about unique STEM stories in National Parks across the country by watching these YouTube videos created by PBS NewsHour STEM Student Reporting Labs. In 2017, students at Mercy Academy in Louisville, Kentucky worked alongside the National Park Service to explore the underwater passages of Mammoth Cave National Park. These students, with the assistance of their teachers, designed a drone capable of surveying and collecting data on undiscovered and unexplored areas of this cave system – expanding their skills in design, mapping, research, and data collection.
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Podcast Series: Her STEM Story
Learn more about the work of a science communicator in this episode from the podcast series Her STEM Story. Dr. Sophie Arthur received her Ph.D. in stem cell biology from the University of Southampton, UK, and works at the MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences. After creating a successful science blog, she realized her passion for science writing and changed her career path from scientist to science communicator. In this podcast, Dr. Arthur interviews fellow women working in STEM and discusses their motivations and research, and shares advice for those women and girls interested in a career in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
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STEM Teaching Tools
The University of Washington’s Institute of Science and Math created Practice Briefs. These free articles highlight ways of working on specific issues that come up during STEM teaching. These briefs helps K-12 educators and administrators stay informed on teaching STEM issues, including STEM issues relating to teaching NGSS and implementing meaningful STEM learning. Each brief is separated into digestible sections and includes recommended actions for educators.
