Kids Who Care
VideoDesertWaterTreesCommunityChild RightsStudent Action Guide
Trees
. Background for the Teacher »
. The Elements of Life and How they Interact »
. Losing Forests »
. Names of Trees »
. Trees of West Africa »
. Fast Facts »
. Skills Developed »
. Internet Activity »
. Video »
   
 
  Forests are essential to economic development and the maintenance of all forms of life.
  ~ The UN conference on Environment and Development's statement of principles on forests.

 

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Teacher's Sheet = Teacher's
Student's Sheet = Student's
   
 
Teacher'sActivity 1:
Student's
Tree Scientist  
   
 
Teacher'sActivity 2:
Energize!
   
 
Teacher'sActivity 3:
The Disappearing/ Reappearing Forest
   
 
Teacher'sActivity 4:
Trees as a Source of Life and Knowledge
   
 
Teacher'sActivity 5:
Student's
Chain of Events
   
   
 

Names of Trees
Trees have two types of names: a popular, generic name and a scientific name. The popular name of a tree can be misleading, since it usually refers to a group of trees (called the genus) which, in turn, belong to a certain tree family. "Birch" is an example of a popular name that applies to a certain genus, within which several kinds of trees (called species) exist - the sweet birch, paper birch, cherry birch, black birch, and so on.
  • Family: a group of closely related genera (plural of genus)
  • Genus: a group of closely related species
  • Species: a specific kind of tree
Popular names change with different languages, and as we have seen with "birch", do not necessarily refer to a single species. There are also some trees that have several popular names. To solve these problems, scientists agreed to call each species of tree (and plant and animal, for that matter) by a unique Latin name. In doing so, they established a global standard suitable for scientific purposes.

Latin names can consist of two (sometimes three) words and an abbreviation. The first word is always capitalized and refers to the genus to which the tree belongs; the second word (usually a descriptive word) designates the particular species of tree. Lastly, the abbreviation (if any) indicates the name of the scientist who was the first to describe the species.

West African Trees used to Combat Desertification
The variety of trees and their unique characteristics are evident when we look at the particular kinds of trees used in West Africa to fight desertification.

In addition to preventing erosion and improving soil quality, all of the trees used to fight desertification in West Africa have a number of other important uses. Many supply wood, something that is quickly becoming a scarce resource, particularly in rural and poorer urban areas. In some parts of West Africa, people have only one cooked meal a day because of wood shortages. In the past, demand for wood was met by collecting dead trees and branches. Population growth and the loss of existing forests means that more and more live trees must be cut down to meet wood demand, contributing to desertification.
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