Forestry Institute for Teachers | Summer 2025

🕒 Early Bird registration closes Dec. 31st - Space is limited  🕒

🌲 What is the Forestry Institute for Teachers (FIT)?

At FIT (forestryinstitute.org) join fellow educators and natural resource professionals for an immersive week of in-woods professional learning.  At each week-long session, FIT’s team of credentialed instructors and local experts weave environmental education with unique forestry field experiences to explore California’s forest resources and expand your teaching practice! As a residential program, accommodations and meals are provided by FIT; you just have to get there. Participants also receive environmental education curricula certifications, teaching materials and targeted support to design a personal FIT Curriculum Project related to each session's forestry learning.

🫵 Who Can Attend?

FIT welcomes all active California educators. Past participants have included TK-12+ credentialed educators, preservice teachers, nonformal educators, administrators, and program leads.  Whether attending solo or as a team, you'll have time to collaborate with your session's cohort and grade-band breakout groups. If returning as a FIT Graduate, please review FIT's FAQ page. 

🧭 Which Session Should I Attend?

FIT offers four summer sessions at sites throughout Northern California.  Each session delivers the same curriculum, but leverages local issues and topics in forest ecology, management and stewardship to guide instruction.  Teams of natural resource specialists and instructors facilitate place-based learning experiences that ultimately cultivate connections between the state's rural and urban communities. 

See FIT website for more session information, including accommodation details. If your desired Session/Educator Grade-Band ticket is sold out, please add to the Waitlist. You will be notified if space becomes available. 

✅ Does Registration Guarantee Acceptance?

After you have registered the FIT Team reviews all prospective participants to ensure: 

1. Active, in-state (California), educator status
2. Complete answers to order form questionnaires (completed upon check-out) have been provided 

Expect follow-up correspondence By January 31st detailing acceptance decisions.

💡 Perks of Participation!

Continuing Education Units (CEUs) and Stipend

Participants receive 50 hours of instruction and upon successful program completion become eligible to apply for 3 CEUs from UC Davis or Cal Poly Humboldt. An additional $300 stipend is offered to those who design and implement a personal FIT Curriculum Project during the 2025-26 academic year.

Environmental Education Certifications

FIT certifies participants as trained educators for Project Learning Tree (PLT) and Project Water Education Today (WET), two nationally-recognized environmental education curricula; participants also receive PLT and WET curriculum guides, online access to supplemental environmental education resources, and first-hand experience engaging with curriculum activities throughout their session.

FIT Program Certification and Future FIT Opportunities 

Successful program graduates gain access to a network of educators and professionals throughout the state, and become eligible for future teacher-leader and professional learning opportunities.

Interdisciplinary Professional Learning

FIT supports a cross-section of disciplines through curricula, activities, and pedagogy aligned with: 

• Next Generation Science Standards
  
• Common Core State Standards 
• Career and Technical Education Standards
• Environmental Education Curricula (Project Learning Tree, Project Water Education Today and more!)
• California's Environmental Principles and Concepts
• Climate Science Education

🤝 Program Expectations

FIT strives to provide 50 hours of instruction over the course of seven days.  To ensure Continuing Education accreditation, the program's agenda is designed to provide participants with a rigorous, high-quality and rewarding educational experience.  As a residential program all participants are expected to stay on-site, with days often starting early and ending late.

During a session expect:

• Travel in bus/van to off-site, rural field locations; routes sometimes take winding roads
• Mild/moderate walking on and off established paths and uneven terrain
• Outdoor instruction in variable environments and inclement weather
• Limited cell service/internet access (site-dependent) 

For program completion, stipend and CEU eligibility, participants must:

1. Attend all days of program - plan arrival and departure accordingly
2. Actively engage with planned program activities

IMPORTANT 👁️ 👁️ Please Read Before Registering  

FAQs and Session Information

FIT is supported by the California Society of American Foresters whose mission is to advance sustainable management of forest resources through science, education, and technology; to ensure the continued health, integrity, and use of forests to benefit society in perpetuity.