Live From the Field

Hello--I am at the top of a 140 foot tower. Surrounding us would be 2600 acres of forest. These are my new friends Rebecca (kindergarten teacher from Washington) and Karla (alternative high school teacher from Minnesota). Todd probably took this picture as I was having a hard time standing up--fear of heights...

Back to tree hugging--this is my new friend Mary. She teaches science to high school students in Florida. Our hands are almost touching in the back. We rode bicycles out to Hog Island and walked around. There are experiments everywhere. I asked and the largest tree mapped out was a Tulip Poplar and the diameter was approximately 140 cm. About how many inches would that be?

I was up very early today. This is the sunrise over the river. In the far background probably obscured by clouds would be the Chesapeake Bay. Do you think this river is fresh or salt water? Why do you think that?

This is me preparing for your Polycom conference. It doesn't look like it will happen on Friday either--technical difficulties. I was really excited to have a nice sunny day where we could talk while I was outside. My orange vest looks lovely. Doesn't it? I will try to get us to Polycom next week with a teacher that will answer your questions. Have a wonderful weekend and I'll see you on Monday!

If you are in McHenry, stop in at Border's and visit Mrs. Dault from 10 - 2ish and me from 2ish until 6. We will wrap presents for Christmas and take donations for Valley of the Kings.

Well, we traipsed out in the woods again today. Investigate the types of birds found in Maryland, and tell me what type of bird you think might have made this nest. I'll give you a hint: I didn't see it, but I think it is beautiful and awesome and so did our forefathers!

Above was our walking destination. We went to one hectare in our 2600 acre woods. It is divided into 100 squares which are divided into 100 squares which measure 10 meters x 10 meters. Each of these sections are labeled. We were organized into three teams of three volunteers each group was with a scientist. Our group was Cissy, Vickie, and me working with our scientist, Jeff. We mapped the trees in each section which meant we systematically worked our way through labeling and recording information: tree diameter, type of tree, location coordinates in each section, living or dead tree, and the type of treetop (d=dominate--highest tree which receives the most sunlight, cd=co-dominate--not quite as high but still received some major sunlight to its leaves and branches, i=intermediate--receives sunlight at the very top only, and s=suppressed--receives no or very little direct sunlight. As you can see, not all of our trees were in easy-to-reach locations. How large is a hectare? How do you think we labeled each tree so they can go back in months and years to see how each tree has changed?

We went back to our dorm rooms to eat lunch. After lunch we reported to the Earthwatch trailor and made tree growth bands. The group that made dendrometer bands was (from left to right): Karla, me, LouAnne, Todd, Rebecca, and Vickie. We were working with Nancy and very sharp metal strips. I will see if I can get the materials to make these in the classroom--minus the sharp metal. ;) This is how scientists make do with the materials to which they have access.

Tomorrow is our last full day in the field. I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings! I'll see you soon. Have a wonderful week!

P.S. Yes, I miss you, too! All of you!

Quantifying Woody Debris

I am out in the forest with this crew to count the larger pieces of trees on the forest floor. Live trees give off oxygen. Dead trees give off carbon dioxide as they are being broken down by the decomposers. Today I would like you to look for synonyms for the following words in my writing in this paragraph. Which word or words are similar to quantifying? Which word or words are similar to woody? Which word or words are similar to debris?

Why do you think we are wearning these lovely and fashionable orange vests?

We are also looking at invasive species. The grasses seen above are an invading species to this area. Describe how these grasses may have been brought here from Asia. There are many differenty types of invasive species in this forest. Are invasive species bad or good for an area? Explain how they can be bad and how they can be considered good?

Last but not least, write down one question that you would like to ask me when I call you tomorrow. Please use your scientific brain to make it meaningful. If I do not have the answer, there are many scientists here that may be able to help me. Have a great day and I will write more later.

Tree Hugger

To all my favorite students – My days are very long, but very enjoyable. I am learning so much, and you know what that means, right? When I get back, YOU have work to do! First, Dr. Parker taught us about some concepts of climate change. He is in charge of plotting, graphing, and following the species of trees in this area. Today, we went into a small area of forest across from our dormitory building. We found the trees tagged with numbers on a metal plate and nailed (not too far in) to the tree at 1.3 meters high. All of us had to measure the dbh. Why 1.3 meters? What is dbh? The d does not stand for dendrometer, but they are definitely related. Well, let's see if you can tell me why 1.3 meters, what is dbh, and what is a dendrometer. We may be able to make one so you will need to know. :)

Traveling in Style!

We drove in style! Can you tell how our bus gets its energy?

Whooo Are You?

In the afternoon, we all went down to the education center. There are some wonderfully smart people working here. I got to hold this little guy. Can you tell me what species he is? If you were his (her?) mother, what would you name him (her?) and why? Blog me back with your answers to all three of my entries. (Yes, use good grammar and complete sentences—we are not texting!) I loved your answers from Monday, and we will discuss them more when I return. Have a wonderful day and learn lots!

Where am I?

Bonus question: Can you figure out where I am if I give you my latitude and longitude?

I am at N38 degrees 53' 20" and W76 degrees 55' 25"

What is the town name?

Good luck!