Grades : 3 - 5
Essential Academic Learning Requirements:
Communication:
1. The student uses listening and observation skills to gain understanding.
1.1 focus attention
1.2 listen and observe to gain and interpret information
1.3 check for understanding by asking
questions and paraphrasing
Science:
1. The student understands and uses scientific concepts and principles.
1.2 recognize the components, structure, and organization of
systems and the interconnections within and among them
2. The student knows and applies the skills and processes of science and technology.
2.2 apply science knowledge and skills to solve problems and
meet challenges
WHY
SHOULD WE PLANT TREES?
Trees
are pretty.
They come
in all variety of shapes and sizes, and they look so interesting throughout the
year. In the summer they are fully
dressed in leaves of green. In the
fall they go to the ball and change into their fancy colors and put on a real
show. In the winter when they are
sleeping, we see them in their naked form and their branches are bare, but
especially beautiful after a snowfall, or ice storm.
Then they wake up again in the Spring, and celebrate being one year older
by blossoming and putting on perfume, and looking especially gorgeous.
Unlike human beings, trees enjoy getting old because they become even
more magnificent and beautiful and valuable year after year after year.
(The oldest trees are California’s bristlecone pines and giant
sequoias. Some bristlecone pines have lived over 4,000 years!
The oldest sequoias are about 3,500 years old.)
Because trees are so pretty, and interesting,
Trees
produce food, yield special products, and provide shelter for birds and animals.
Trees
produce fruit like apples, oranges, peaches, plums, apricots, cherries,
nectarines, avocados, figs, olives, lemons, pears, papaya, pomegranates, dates,
and guava to name a few. They also
produce nuts that we love to eat such as almonds, cashews, coconuts, pecans,
walnuts, brazil nuts, and pistachios. Special
products such as balsa wood, cacao, cinnamon, clove, cork, nutmeg, rubber, witch
hazel, sassafras, camphor, coffee, and turpentine are made from various parts of
trees. Trees and forests provide
homes for many different species of animals like squirrels and birds.
Trees
increase home property values
Office and
industrial sites are in greater demand & earn higher sales and rental
values. Houses on tree-lined
streets can command higher prices than houses in more barren areas.
Trees
have an interesting effect on people.
America is
a nation of cities and towns - more than 80 percent of the U.S. population lives
in urban areas. Plants, forests and
ecosystems are important in cities. Social
scientists have discovered that parks, green spaces and trees are more than the
“lungs of the city” or “pollution scrubbers.”
They affect our everyday moods, activities and emotional health.
Proof of psychological and social benefits gives us more reasons to plant
more green in cities.
Trees calm
down people when they are feeling stressed out. They reduce our feelings of anxiety and irritability.
Dr. Rachel Kaplan, author of The Experience of Nature:
A Psychological Perspective, surveyed desk-workers about their rate
of illness and level of job satisfaction. Some
study participants could view nature from their desks, others could not.
Those without, when asked about 11 different ailments, claimed 23% more
times of illness in the prior six months. Desk
workers with a view claimed the following satisfactions more often than their
non-view colleagues: 1) found their
job more challenging, 2) were less
frustrated about tasks and generally more patient, 3)
felt greater enthusiasm for the job, 4)
reported feelings of higher life satisfactions, and 5)
reported better overall health.
Trees make
us feel happy and connected with nature, and help us recover from illness
faster. They restore our spirit.
Trees are essential to our health and well-being.
Trees
are essential to the health of our environment.
Trees
breathe in carbon dioxide, and produce oxygen.
People breathe in oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide.
A typical person consumes about 38t lb of oxygen per year.
A healthy tree, say a 32 ft tall ash tree, can produce about 260 lb of
oxygen annually - two trees supply the oxygen needs of a person for a year! They help reduce pollution by capturing particulates like
dust and pollen with their leaves. A mature tree absorbs from 120 to 240 lbs of
the small particles and gases of air pollution.
They help combat the effects of “greenhouse” gases, the increased
carbon dioxide produced from burning fossil fuels that is causing our atmosphere
to “heat up”.
Trees
maintain and improve surface water quality
They
reduce the amount of grease and oil transported to streams when the hair-like
root fibers filter the groundwater, and trap nutrients and pollutants that could
contaminate it.. Leaves and
branches slow the movement of rain to the ground, allowing it to soak in slowly,
so they help cities moderate storm water and storm water effects.
In one study, 32 feet tall street trees intercepted rainfall, reducing
stormwater runoff by 327 gallons. Without
trees, heavy rains can wash soil into streams and rivers. Scientists from the U
of W are designing trees to “sponge up” and convert dangerous chemicals to
products as harmless as table salt.! A
special gene in the gree triggers the release of up to 10 times the base
concentration of a naturally occurring enzyme that decomposes toxins.
Trees
increase energy conservation benefits by reducing energy use
Trees help
cool down the overall city environment by shading asphalt, concrete and metal
surfaces. Buildings and paving in
city centers create a heat-island effect. A
mature tree canopy reduces air temperatures by about 5-10° F. influencing the internal temperatures of nearby
buildings. Asphalt lasts longer in
areas that are more protected by shade. In
our own summer environment in the Tri-Cities, we all prefer to park under the
shade of a tree while we shop! A 25
foot tree reduces annual heating and cooling costs of a typical residence by 8
to 12 percent, producing an average $10 savings per American household.
Proper tree plantings around buildings can slow winter winds, and reduce
annual energy use for home heating by 4-22%.
They help moderate temperatures by working as natural barriers to wind,
snow, rain, and solar rays. Through
evapotranspiration, trees add moisture and cool the air.
Trees
aid in traffic control
Trees are
used in Seattle in the landscaping of traffic circles.
Traffic circles are being used in residential neighborhoods to calm
traffic, but their greatest benefit has been shown to reduce accidents.
Seattle’s Neighborhood Traffic Control Program (NTCP) got its start as
an outgrowth of programs to assist and improve deteriorating neighborhoods.
Demonstration projects tested a variety of traffic control devices, with
the most successful device being the traffic circle.
Trees are often planted in the circles because they can change the
character of the street, and interrupt an otherwise continuous line-of-sight for
motorists, causing the motorist to slow down. Trees separate pedestrians and
vehicles, providing safer walking conditions.
Trees
complement economic development
The
appearance of a business district can send many messages, and according to a
research project at the University of Washington, consumers are drawn to places
that look inviting, pleasant, and orderly.
Results suggested that consumers enjoy having trees in retail shopping
districts, and that trees are good for business. People linger and shop longer along tree-lined streets.
Across our nation, many cities are revitalizing shopping districts to
create vibrant, vital consumer environments.
Trees create an immediate visual impact, and send positive messages about
the appeal of a district. Trees
contribute to a community’s image of being liveable.
Business and industry want to locate in communities that have a positive
image, and trees lend to that image.
Trees
are a critical part of the urban ecosystem
Trees
provide a buffer between land uses. They
can define and screen different land use areas within the urban growth area.
Because trees can modify the humidity in the air, they help as noise
buffers, but their value is mostly visual, creating a physical barrier between
different land uses. They buffer
parks and residential uses from high traffic areas, commercial centers, and
changes in zoning. Trees play a
vital role in making our cities more sustainable and livable.
Materials Needed:
- posters and pictures of tree
- sample of tree products