| Explore | After exploring our neighborhoods and looking at the trees in our backyards, we made observations of 6 different trees. Some of these trees had green/yellow leaves, brown leaves, or no leaves at all. Additionally, we observed trees in varying sizes. Some of them were short to medium height while other trees were very tall. For one of the trees, it had brown spots sticking out and birds living in it. Another tree had big branches growing out of the main stem. Another tree we observed had large cankers and had no leaves. A different tree was a dwarf lemon tree that appeared to be really healthy and had thin branches. We were also able to measure the diameter of our trees and calculate the benefit of each tree. We thought about how trees and plants may get infected by the surrounding bugs and insects. |
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| Research Question | For our research question, we have decided to ask "Are trees in natural environments healthier than trees in residential areas?" For this question, we are going to compare the living conditions of trees in the suburbs versus trees in natural environments (trees located in hiking trails and/or nature reserves). For this experiment, we will record the number of cankers, the color of the leaves (green or dead), how healthy it looks(scale of 1-10), the % of discolored leaves, etc. |
| Predictions | The possible outcomes are either natural trees are healthier than suburban trees or vice versa. We believe natural trees will ultimately be healthier due to a lack of human interaction. |
| Experimental Design | For our experiment, we will go to El Dorado Nature Center to look at the trees, record the following in the Evaluation Sheet and compare it to trees in our neighborhoods. Data Collection Qualitative Data - Twig break or bed - snap one twig off a branch to see if it's dormant or dead. Living twigs bend and dead twigs break - Strong bark - there should be an absence of loose or peeling bark on a tree's leader and branches - No bark abnormalities/bare or loose bark pieces - Abundance of leaves - Healthy leaves: leaves (or needles in the case of evergreen trees) should be abundant and in the proper color, shape, and size according to the season - Dark green, large = healthy - Yellow and small = unhealthy - Signs of disease - Visible insects - Wilting - Tree is beginning to lean Quantitative Data - Number of cankers - Average height - Number of mushrooms - none = healthy - visible on large branches = unhealthy Visible on main trunk = unsafe Number of co-dominant branches - None = healthy 1-2 = unhealthy >3 = unsafe - Height of mulch - % of trunk intactness trunk wounds The variable we will test is the location of the tree. The constant variables are what we're evaluating per tree. |
| 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 |