| Explore | Update: Most of our trees seem to be in good health, however, some of our trees have exposed roots and cankers. Each one of us has a different type of tree. |
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| Research Question | The research question we would like to study is, "How do exposed roots and broken branches affect the overall health of a tree?". We came up with this question after going on a nature walk individually. We observed how some trees have exposed roots and broken branches due to environmental conditions. Some data/information we would record for the analysis includes how many crankers the tree trunk has and the quality of the leaves (spots, blights, blotches). To have a balance of qualitative and quantitative data, we would assign a numerical scale to evaluate certain characteristics of the tree. |
| Predictions | Exposed roots and broken branches affect the health of the tree by making it less healthy. This would be shown if the bark of the tree is peeling, the tree has cankers, and overall appearance. However, exposed roots isn't necessarily a bad thing, unless damaged by an outside environmental factor. For example, a lawnmower can affect the heath of the roots by cutting it and making it more vulnerable to disease. |
| Experimental Design | Our plan is to test at least six different trees to find how exposed roots affect the overall health of the tree. We will be taking data by collecting qualitative information from each tree and assigning an overall health score depending on its physical traits (ie. cankers, broken branches, quality of bark and leaves, etc.). We will measure and observe the physical traits on the trees that we will be testing on, and the trees themselves will remain constant. This data will be recorded by grading trees using set criteria. The trees will be graded on a scale of 1-3, 1 being the worst, 3 being the best. The grade is based on the number of cankers, peeling, holes, and discoloration of leaves on the tree. To be graded as 1, the tree will have 5+ cankers, 5+ broken branches, excessive peeling of the bark, and lots of holes or discoloration of leaves (when it’s not fall). To be graded a 3, the tree will have 0-1 cankers, 0-2 broken branches, little to no peeling of the bark, and little to no holes or discoloration of leaves (when it’s not fall). |
| Investigation Theme | TREE |
| Grade Level | High School Students (Grades 9,10,11,12) |
| Teacher Name | Crystal Davis |
| School Name | California Academy of Mathematics and Science |
| Session | Spring 2021 |