Witness the dew dripping off of the wildflowers, smell the burning bark of the charred Yellowstone National Park, and let the canopy of leaves offered up by the towering redwoods and massive sequoias shade you. You are in the forest. Experience the sensations that the forest has to offer and understand the healthy balance between forests and us.

Let FORESTS introduce you to the awesome splendor of forested areas in the continental United States, from the diverse deciduous communities of the Great Smoky Mountains to the towering redwoods of Northern California. With more than 1,200 still images and 50 minutes of video, you can explore in great detail the interactions of living and nonliving things and the processes which sustain a forest.

Examine the intricate relationships between plant and animal life, from within the soil to the treetop canopy. Observe how an abandoned field becomes a forested area over time. And with spectacular video from the 1988 Yellowstone conflagration and its aftermath, assess the vital role of fire in maintaining forests.

Side 1 discusses plant and animal inhabitants; the processes which take place in a forest system; and conditions influencing which types of forests grow in particular places. Side 1 also visits some unique forested areas, including the New Jersey Pine Barrens and the oak / hickory forests of the Ozarks.

Side 2 highlights specific areas - New England's stunning fall foliage; the great diversity of forest communities in the southern Appalachians; the unique mix of temperate and tropical species in South Florida; the extension of Canada's boreal forest into Northern Minnesota; the dramatic effects of elevation changes in the Colorado Rockies; and the debate over Logging versus Preservation in the Pacific Northwest.

The video segments in FORESTS have parallel audio tracks, one with narration and the other with natural sounds and music. A Lesson Guide offers multi-disciplinary uses, and the Print Directory helps you easily locate videodisc images.

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