Forest Education Initiative
FEI is a partnership that strengthens the relationships between the timber industry and the education sector. Encouraging the timber industry and schools to work closer together helps young people gain a better understanding of the economic, social and environmental importance of trees, forests and timber and the role that they play in their own lives.
This is achieved through a network of regional FEI cluster groups made up of representatives from local industries, forestry, schools, community groups, environmental bodies and local authorities. FEI cluster groups develop a range of resources and services in partnership with schools.
These include:
- 'Forest School’, an intensive programme of visits to the same woodland site
- the ‘Musical Tree Tour’ where pupils build musical instruments and create their own ‘woodland’ songs
- a ‘Woodland Bus’ which takes the wood to the school grounds
- development of teaching resources such as a ‘Woodland Maths Trail’
- facilitating school visits to a local sawmill.
FEI is a partnership between Forestry Commission, Timber Trade Federation, The Tree Council, Groundwork, British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV), Field Studies Council and Woodland Trust.