Planting seeds of stewardship

“If children don't grow up knowing about nature and appreciating it, they won't understand it, and if they don't understand it, they won't protect it, and if they don't protect it, who will?”  

-- Sir David Attenborough 

As young students around the world start making their way into classrooms this month, it's worth taking a moment to reflect: what if we treated lessons about forests the same way we teach calculus, literature, chemistry? 

One community in Valea Doftanei, in central Romania, already does.  

On July 11, 2026, the small community of less than 6,000 people at the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains hosted one of its largest annual events. The “Discover Valea Doftanei” is a two-day event with thrilling mountain bike rides and races for both children and adults, as well as activities and workshops that bring hundreds of children together to learn about their local community and the nature of the area. 

Hosted in the heart of an FSC-certified forest, these events gave children a first-hand glimpse of all that forests have to offer, and how responsible management can support local and international communities’ needs while protecting forest health, biodiversity and resilience.  

Beyond the sporting challenge, the event reflected a shared belief among the community: children should be introduced to forests early, not only as places to visit, but as living systems to understand, respect and care for. Through running and mountain biking activities, educational games and forest bathing -- a type of "forest therapy" -- children were encouraged to slow down, observe, listen and connect with their natural environment.  

Movement, play and direct experience helped turn the forest into an open-air classroom — one where children could feel the terrain under their feet, notice the life around them and begin to understand that forests are not just a backdrop for recreation, but living systems that support biodiversity, climate balance, clean air, water and human well-being. 

The setting made this message especially relevant. All activities took place in an FSC-certified forest that is responsibly managed for wood production, challenging a common misconception that harvesting timber is incompatible with maintaining healthy forests with thriving biodiversity.  

When managed responsibly, a production forest can offer many other benefits, including storing carbon, supporting biodiversity, improving soil health and helping maintain clean and well-regulated water systems.  

Forest literacy cannot be built through indoor theory alone. Children need direct, guided experiences that allow them to explore forests with their senses, curiosity and questions. By seeing, hearing, touching and smelling the forest around them, they begin to understand how trees, soil, insects, birds, water and people are all part of one connected ecosystem — and why caring for forests requires more than simply admiring them from a distance. 

Inside FSC's tent at the July event, children drew some of the many species found in nearby forests, explored FSC's dedicated book corner, and used magnifying jars to observe leaves, seeds, insets and other parts of the forest ecosystem up close. Others followed forestry experts into the wood, where they learned to look carefully for signs of wildlife.  

In the weeks since “Discover Valea Doftanei,” the message of the event continues to resonate: the future of forests will depend not only on how well they are managed today, but on how well they are understood by the next generations. Experiences like this help plant that understanding early. They show children that forests can be places of discovery, resources and resilience — supporting both people and nature when managed with care. 

A special thank you goes to Tornator, the forest owner in Romania that hosted the competition and continues to invest in forest education through two forest paths in their forests, where hundreds of children discover wood, nature and forest life throughout the year. We are also grateful to Pădurea de Mâine for facilitating the forest ateliers and helping children connect with the forest through guided, hands-on learning.