Our Changing Forests Project in Lincoln

Birches School Students Got Busy in their Field Study Plot 

Teacher Katherine Parisky shared these photos showing students doing their field work after sending this update:

We look forward to beginning our spring citizen scientist unit next week! I am thrilled to be finally kicking off Our Changing Forest collaboration with Harvard Forest for our final thematic unit of the year. Although we have not yet moved locations, we plan to use our new campus and the field site plot that Josh helped us map last yr. (Project Coach, Joshua Rapp) I will send photos (and data) as the project is underway. 

Students measured Diameter at Breast Height
(DBH) of all the trees in their 10 x 10 meter
study plot.

Students identified trees using field guides and recorded diameter (DBH) and Tree ID on field data sheets to be entered onto the Harvard Forest Schoolyard Ecology  Online Database.

In the fall, teacher Katherine P. and Harvard Forest Project Coach, Joshua Rapp set the plot site, including the initial tree identification and circumference measurements.  

Students collected the  data during their spring citizen science unit.

Data has been submitted to Harvard Forest's Online Database which allows schools from throughout New England to enter, manage, and graph student data from their site as well as to compare results across the region.

Katherine provided this background of the Birches school and their particular approach to integrating outdoor learning opportunities such as Schoolyard Ecology:

Birches School is a small independent nature-based school committed to educating youngsters about the interconnected nature of all living things. Over the summer months our faculty design three thematic units that weave each of the academic subjects around essential questions and enduring understandings. For example this fall 2017, we are planning our first unit of study to be focused on storytelling: through the lens of the natural world. The essential question for this unit will be "How do I connect to the earth?" We are looking forward to continuing our work with the LLCT People for Pollinators Project in Lincoln. This is a photography and pollinator count study, comparing two field meadows; soil treated and untreated plots, and involves students using iNaturalist to document pollinator count data.

I am now looking for additional citizen scientist opportunities for our students to be involved in, later in ...during the spring 2018 unit.  As a former research scientist myself, I am looking to provide our middle school students with exposure to and participation in current scientific research. I hope to modify any field protocols/lessons to make them accessible and age appropriate for our younger students. My science classes this year are multi-age groups ...6th/7th graders.

Graphs Showing Birches Study Trees by Density, Basal Area and Carbon Storage:  

Explore More:  

This work was featured on the school blog. Check it out at: 

 Birches School Blog/our-changing-forest

Birches School Changing Forests Data on Harvard Forest Online Database

Find the Birches School on our 

Interactive Schoolyard-field-site Map  

Choose "Our Changing Forests Project and scroll to "The Birches School". 

Learn more about this project at 

Our Changing Forests Project Webpages

Join one of our projects by registering for the

Schoolyard Ecology Summer Institute for Teachers