This site is for teachers and students at all grade levels who want to learn more about forests and the management of forests. Within this site are:

• research resources
• lists of teaching resources categorized by topic and grade level
• list of teaching units by topic
• downloadable PowerPoint slides that can be used in computerized presentations or converted to overhead transparencies
• an environmental quiz that has been administered to thousands of students and adults nationwide
• links to other forest-oriented information sites

The Forest Resource Environmental Education (F.R.E.E.) Network began as a coalition of representatives from state and federal government agencies, the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota forest products industry to facilitate dissemination of information about forest resources and the products that flow from them. In 2007, administration of the F.R.E.E. Network website was transferred from the University of Minnesota to Dovetail Partners, Inc.

Dovetail Partners, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation that fosters sustainability and responsible behaviors by collaborating to develop unique concepts, systems, models and programs. 

Why the F.R.E.E. Network was Formed:

While a great many educational products focus on forests and environmental issues related to forests, there is relatively little information today about forests and the products that flow from them that:

• is scientifically sound,
• links consumption and production of key raw materials used by society, and that
• accurately portrays consumption of wood resources and other raw materials, management of forest resources, and environmental impacts associated with production of the principal raw materials and associated products used by society.

The F.R.E.E. Network was created for the purpose of identifying and facilitating the distribution and use of educational materials that meet the above criteria.

What We Do:

The F.R.E.E. Network collects and evaluates existing educational materials related to forests, forest management, and forest products. We determine if they are scientifically accurate and if the following concepts are addressed:

1. everything is made from natural resources and natural resources must come from somewhere,
2. the gathering and processing of all natural resources have environmental impacts, and
3. responsible production and use of wood - a renewable resource - is environmentally sound.