THE CO-BENEFITS OF PLANTING TREES

Consider the impact of planting a tree. Perhaps the tree was planted to provide shade; yet the benefits of the tree extend far beyond the shade it casts. Trees provide a suite of ecosystem services to the natural environment, cycling nutrients and water, stabilizing soil and controlling erosion, creating key microclimates, providing food and habitat for a variety of species. Trees provide the same services, and more, to human communities. Urban trees are especially valuable, cooling neighborhoods and filtering pollutants from the air and water.

Then consider the impact of planting a tree with students. Every aspect of its life cycle – from biophysics to climate impacts to cultural significance – becomes a learning opportunity. One tree provides a suite of hands-on projects for students. Many trees provide a vast array of opportunities for students at any level. Using trees as the centerpiece of an environmental science, Earth system science, or climate change curriculum compels multidisciplinary study while integrating learners into the landscape and the communities that they inhabit.

We have developed a series of hands-on activities that allow students to directly measure the functions of trees within natural and urban landscapes. Gas exchange, water exchange, temperature control, growth and carbon sequestration are all easily quantified with simple instrumentation. In this session we will calculate tree biomass and carbon sequestration, and explore basic methods to measure CO2 flux. Simple quantitative experiments address some of the biggest hurdles to understanding climate change; when we visualize the invisible, speed up the slow, and connect local measurements to global phenomena students gain first-hand experience that prepares them to address important scientific and societal questions. And if students have the opportunity to plant a tree themselves, they build a very personal connection to the environment that supports human communities.