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Forestry

Scouts BSA · Merit Badge · Nature

Printable worksheet (PDF)

Forestry is about understanding forests, from single trees to whole watersheds, and how people care for them. You'll identify trees, study wood, and see forest management in action. It's a great badge for anyone who loves spending time in the woods.

Why it's worth it

Forests give you the paper in your notebook, the lumber in your house, and a lot of the clean water that comes out of your tap. After this badge, a walk in the woods turns into reading a story: which trees came first, where a fire or storm passed through, and how people are helping the forest recover. Foresters, wildland firefighters, and park crews do this every day, and the tree ID skills you build will stay with you on every hike and campout.

Start this week

  1. Pick five trees on your street or at a nearby park, take a close look at the leaves and bark, and start your field notebook with sketches of each.
  2. Ask your Scoutmaster for the name of a Forestry counselor, and send them a short message with a parent copied to set up a first meeting.
  3. Look up your state forestry agency's website and find out if it offers forest tours, tree planting days, or fire prevention events.
  4. Find out where your town's drinking water comes from, so you have a head start on the watershed part of requirement 3.

Stay safe

  • Stay far back from any active logging or tree felling, and follow your guide's directions exactly.
  • In the woods, watch for poison ivy, ticks, and dead branches overhead, and do a tick check after every outing.

Requirements · 8

Every official requirement and part, numbered to match Scouting America, in plain language. Sign off against the official wording (opens in a new tab) (updated 2025).

Note: Follow Leave No Trace and the Outdoor Code, get the land manager's permission before collecting samples, and don't collect in most national and state parks; photos or sketches can count as a collection.

  1. Requirement 1

    Keep a field notebook and a collection, and identify 15 different trees, wild shrubs, or vines in a nearby forest. Write about each, covering the points below:

    Tip: Bring a field guide and notebook on hikes. Sketch leaves and bark, and note where you found each species.

    For example: A notebook page can be simple: a leaf sketch or rubbing, a bark description, the tree's common and scientific name, where you found it, and one fact, like "red maple, wet spot by the creek, red stems even in summer."

    1. Requirement 1a

      What its leaves, twigs, cones, or fruiting bodies look like

    2. Requirement 1b

      The habitat where it grows

    3. Requirement 1c

      Key ways people or wildlife use it, and whether it's native or introduced (if not native, explain whether it's invasive or could become invasive)

  2. Requirement 2

    Wood, growth rings, or tree damage. Choose 1 of 3

    Tips for this section: Look at a tree stump or log slice and count the growth rings. Notice which years look wide or narrow.

    Example for this section: Find three cut stumps or logs and count the rings. Mark stretches of narrow rings and guess what happened those years, like a dry summer or crowding. In your notebook, note where each one was, like a sunny south-facing slope or a shady creek bottom, and sketch or photograph each.

    1. Requirement 2a

      Collect and identify wood samples from 10 tree species and list several uses for each species' wood

    2. Requirement 2b

      Examine three stumps, logs, or core samples whose rings show changes in growth rate. In your requirement 1 notebook, note where each came from (elevation, aspect, slope, slope position), discuss why growth varied, and photograph or sketch each

    3. Requirement 2c

      Examine two kinds of tree damage from animals, insects, or disease. In your requirement 1 notebook, identify each, explain its cause and its effects on the trees, and photograph or sketch each

  3. Requirement 3

    What forests give us

    Tips for this section: Think about what forests give us, like wood, clean water, wildlife habitat, and places to play. Find out where your town's water comes from.

    Example for this section: Trace your water: rain falls on a forested hillside, soaks into the soil, feeds a creek, flows to the reservoir, and comes out of your faucet. Explain how cutting all the trees on that hill could change the water.

    1. Requirement 3a

      Describe what forests contribute to each of these:

      1. Requirement 3a1

        The economy, through forest products

      2. Requirement 3a2

        Social well-being, including recreation

      3. Requirement 3a3

        Protecting soil and making it more fertile

      4. Requirement 3a4

        Clean water

      5. Requirement 3a5

        Clean air (carbon cycling and sequestration)

      6. Requirement 3a6

        Habitat for wildlife

      7. Requirement 3a7

        Habitat for fish

      8. Requirement 3a8

        Threatened and endangered plants and animals

    2. Requirement 3b

      Name the watershed or other source your community gets its water from

  4. Requirement 4

    Describe what forest management means, covering each of these:

    Tip: Ask a forester or park ranger which management practices they use and why.

    For example: Explain each practice like a forester would, for example a thinning (an intermediate cutting) that removes crowded trees so the rest grow stronger, and a prescribed burn that clears brush so a wildfire is less likely to spread.

    1. Requirement 4a

      Multiple-use management

    2. Requirement 4b

      Sustainable forest management

    3. Requirement 4c

      Even-aged versus uneven-aged management, and the silvicultural system that goes with each

    4. Requirement 4d

      Intermediate cuttings

    5. Requirement 4e

      What prescribed burning and related practices do in forest management

  5. Requirement 5

    Forest visit or fire prevention campaign. Choose 1 of 3

    Tips for this section: Ask your state forestry agency about visits to a managed forest. Stay well back from active logging with your guide.

    1. Requirement 5a

      With parent or guardian and counselor approval, tour a managed public or private forest with its manager or a forester who knows it. Write a short report on the forest type, management goals, and techniques used to reach them

    2. Requirement 5b

      With parent or guardian and counselor approval, go with someone knowledgeable to a wood-using plant or to a current or past logging site. Write a short report covering:

      1. Requirement 5b1

        Which species and sizes of trees are cut or used

      2. Requirement 5b2

        Where the stands came from, such as planted or natural

      3. Requirement 5b3

        The forest's successional stage and future, and for a past operation, the planted or natural regrowth happening now

      4. Requirement 5b4

        Who owns the land the trees come from, or what kind of mill or plant they go to

      5. Requirement 5b5

        What products are made from the trees

      6. Requirement 5b6

        How those products are made and used

      7. Requirement 5b7

        How waste from the operation or plant is (or was) used or disposed of

    3. Requirement 5c

      With parent or guardian and counselor approval, help with a forest-fire prevention campaign alongside your fire warden, state wildfire agency, a forester, or your counselor. Write a short report on the campaign, how it prevents wildfires, and your role

  6. Requirement 6

    Hazard trees. Choose 1 of 2

    Tips for this section: Walk a campsite, trail, or street with an adult and look for trees with dead limbs, cracks, or a heavy lean that could fall on people or buildings.

    Example for this section: Walk a campsite with your counselor or a forester and list trees that could be dangerous, like a dead limb over a tent pad or a leaning pine with a cracked trunk. For each, note the species, the hazard, and whether to trim or remove it, then give the list to the camp ranger.

    1. Requirement 6a

      At your camp, a local park or recreation area, or your neighborhood, list trees in one area (campsite, road, trail, street) that could endanger people or buildings. Note species, the hazard, and a fix (trim or remove), and give the list to the right agency

    2. Requirement 6b

      At your camp, a local park or recreation area, or your neighborhood, review a professional's hazard tree report for the area, then visit those trees and see the results of the pruning or removal it called for

  7. Requirement 7

    Forest threats and fire

    Tips for this section: Learn about insects, disease, and fire in forests near you and what people do to prevent damage.

    1. Requirement 7a

      Describe how FIVE of these affect forests: wildfire, lack of fire, harmful insects, loss of pollinators, tree diseases, air pollution, overgrazing, too many deer or other wildlife, poor harvesting, and urbanization

    2. Requirement 7b

      Explain what can be done to lessen the effects you described in 7a

    3. Requirement 7c

      Describe what to do if you find a forest fire and how a professional crew might bring it under control. Name the wildfire control agency for your state or area

  8. Requirement 8

    Write a short report about one or more local foresters after visiting them, OR write about the forester's job, including education, qualifications, career opportunities, and duties

    Tip: Contact a forester through your state forestry agency or a local land trust and ask about their career.

    For example: If you write about careers, compare two: a forester who plans timber sales and tree planting, and a forestry technician who marks trees, measures plots, and works on fire crews. Include training and what a typical day looks like.

Places to visit

Ask an adult to set it up, and go with your family, den, patrol, or crew.

  • A state or national forest with active management

    You can see a thinned stand next to an untouched one, a replanted area, or a recent burn, and hear why each was done.

    How: Have an adult call the district office or state forestry agency and ask whether a forester can lead your patrol on a short walk.

  • A sawmill or lumber yard

    You can follow a log from the yard to boards and see how wood is graded and used.

    How: Have an adult call ahead and ask if they give tours to youth groups. Stay with your guide and wear the safety gear they provide.

Where it can lead

  • ForesterPlans how forests are cut, planted, and protected; usually needs a forestry degree.
  • Forestry technicianMeasures trees, marks timber, and helps on fire crews; many start with a two-year program or seasonal work.
  • Wildland firefighterFights and prevents forest fires; seasonal crews are a common way to start.
  • ArboristCares for trees in towns and yards, from pruning to removing hazard trees; a skilled trade with certifications.
  • Urban foresterPlans and protects the trees along city streets and in parks.

Ask yourself

  • Which trees do you already know by sight, and which ones near your home have you walked past for years without knowing?
  • What surprised you most about how forests are managed?
  • Who could help you identify the trees you're stuck on?
  • How has learning about forests changed what you notice on a hike or campout?
  • What would you want a forest near you to look like in 50 years, and what could you do to help?

Good questions to ask a forester or park ranger

  • How do you decide which trees to cut and which to leave?
  • What's the biggest threat to the forests in our area right now?
  • What does a normal week look like in your job, inside and outside?
  • How has fire changed the way you manage the land?
  • What's one tree here that most people don't notice but should?

Helpful reads

For leaders & parents

  • Plan a hike with a forester or ranger who can help Scouts identify trees.
  • Look for forest service projects like trail work or tree planting the troop can join.

People & places that can help

Pairs well with

Helps you earn

Into this? Explore more

Tips, examples, and questions are ideas from experienced leaders, not extra requirements. Your unit leader or counselor decides when a requirement is complete.