Results
The final tally of student observations is out! Check out these monster numbers!!!
*Disclaimer: As we verify these tree dimensions, we will update this site. Currently, only a few have been verified. We will check these trees as we are able.
Calculating Tree Age
We estimated the age of the trees reported to #MonsterTrees using the circumference of the tree and a ‘growth factor’. A growth factor is specific to each species. Different tree species grow at different rates. Some trees, like willow will grow quickly, while others, like sugar maple, take their time. These growth factors do not take into account the fact that some individual trees will grow faster or slower for environmental reasons, such as the amount of rain or sun they get. So these ages are estimates only. Check out the Teacher Resources for suggested math activities you can do with your students to explore the relationship between circumference and diameter, converting between centimetres and inches, and estimating the heights of trees based on their diameter.
Check out this site to see the oldest reported trees in Ontario.
This neat article, written by Peter Russell of the University of Waterloo’s Earth Science Museum, is about old trees in Waterloo’s Victoria Park and what they can tell us about climate change.