Environmental Education

Useful information about the plants that are native to Canada

This encyclopedia offers Canadians descriptions and preferred growing conditions for many native plants.

Wisconsin Fast Plants were developed as research tool at the University of Wisconsin – Madison and have been used by K-16 teachers around the world for nearly 30 years as an educational model-organism.

Full-page descriptions and colour photos of a variety of common species are included in this field guide for Grades 6-12.

The scientific study of the traditional knowledge and customs of Indigenous peoples concerning plants and their medical, religious, and other uses.

This database provides information and photos of many of the plants that are native to North America.

PlantingScience is a free online resource that provides volunteer scientists, resources, and activities to support innovation in teaching, learning, and mentoring.

Chris Martine hosts this channel focused on biodiversity, botany, and ecology. Videos are short (less than 20 minutes), informative , and captivating.

A site that publishes reports about the health of the world's plants and fungi.

Learn how trees are able to communicate with each other through a vast root system and symbiotic fungi, called mycorrhizae.

The PLANTS Database provides standardized information about the vascular plants, mosses, liverworts, hornworts, and lichens of the U.S. and its territories.

Users will find pictures of the species, a description, growing requirements, and the preferred eco zone for each documented plant.

Learn more about wildfires and monitor the wildfire situation in Alberta. There are a number of resources here (including videos) about wildfire prevention, management and status.

This interactive map provides information about forest fire hotspots in Canada, as well as areas of low to high risk for forest fires.

Before removal from their traditional lands, Indigenous Peoples used controlled burns to manage forests and rangeland.

For millenia, fire was integral to many Indigenous peoples’ way of life. Fire was a tool that promoted ecological diversity and reduced the risk of catastrophic wildfires.

Prescribed fire is a colonial adaptation of cultural burning practiced by many different Indigenous groups in Canada. Learn about the differences.

Prior to contact, indigenous peoples used fire to modify the landscape. The "untouched, pristine" wilderness of North America was the result of the Indigenous use of fire, creating an mosaic of grasslands and forests across North America

The Native American practice of cultural burning — or ‘good fire’ — can help our forests thrive. Listen to this discussion about cultural burning leading the way.

This video explains some of the benefits of wildfire. Due to the way they grow, some trees (like lodgepole pines) need fire to survive. Learn about how wildfires contribute to the ecosystem.