Introduction

There are many important considerations when creating a schoolyard forest or living schoolyard. From understanding your school site needs to the long-term maintenance and stewardship of a dynamic, living green space, thoughtful planning and design are key to success.

In this section of our library, we provide school district facilities staff, landscape architects, school communities, and other partners working to improve schoolyards with guidance on how to design, build, and maintain schoolyard forests. We also encourage student voices to be included in the process whenever possible and have included activity ideas.

How to Create a Schoolyard Forest

These resources provide school district facilities staff, landscape architects, and other partners, including teachers, with guidance on how to design and build schoolyard forests.

• How to Create a Schoolyard Forest

• Design Principles and Components

• Spacings App – Visualize Your Forest (free augmented reality tool)

• Schoolyard Forest Photo Gallery

• Engaging Students in Design

Selecting Trees

The following resources are available for school districts, landscape architects, and school communities to be able to easily select trees that will thrive with climate change and that are appropriate for a schoolyard setting. For California, in addition to a master tree palette, which includes all tree species and detailed attributes, we provided a tree list for each Sunset Zone.

Planting Guidance

Properly planting a tree is critical for its long-term survival and health. There are many resources that offer guidance on how to plant trees. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) has provided the resources below in both English and Spanish.

• Tree Planting Cue Card (English)

• Tarjeta para la Plantación de Árboles (Spanish)

Best Practices for School Communities and Maintenance Staff

Ongoing and sustained stewardship of a schoolyard forest requires strong relationships between members of the school and district community, as well as with the natural world that exists in the schoolyard. This resource is intended for school communities, non-profit partners, and district staff that deal with the day to day and year to year maintenance of outdoor spaces, and outlines the key components and foundational understanding that are necessary for sustaining ongoing stewardship of schoolyard forests in any district.

For more on how to engage students in stewardship and maintenance and how to incorporate stewardship into outdoor lessons, please see our educator resources related to students and stewardship:

• Stewardship Tasks with Students

• Stewardship Lessons