WLHS/Biology Name _______________________________

Period _________ Date ________________

LAB – Tree Circumference and Distance

Introduction: You and your group will be measuring the circumference of various trees in Wilderness
Park. In addition to measuring the circumference you will be measuring the
distance between that tree and 4 surrounding trees.

Research Question: Does the average circumference of 2 trees affect the

distance between each other?

In the space provided, write a hypothesis to the research question above.

__________________________________________________________________________

Procedure:

1. In a group of 3 students, choose a tree with a larger trunk.

2. Using the string, which is marked in 1 meter increments, measure the tree’s
circumference by wrapping the string around the trunk roughly 135 cm from the
ground. This is a standard means of measuring trees, called dbh – diameter at
breast-height. Record the circumference under “base tree” in data table below.

3. Facing north (towards Portland), measure the distance from your “base tree” (T0) to the closest
neighboring tree. Record this distance on data table #1 under “base tree” (T0).

4. Measure the circumference of your base tree and record in table #1.

5. Write down any observations you notice about the area. For example, does the tree appear young or
old, are there lots of other trees nearby, slope to the land, ground cover, etc….

5. Repeat steps #3,4, &5, always starting at the base tree but going in the other 3 directions (south,
east, and west).
Results:

Table 1: Average Circumference and Distance of Base Tree and 4 Other Trees

Tree Circumference (cm) Distance (m) Observations

Base Tree
(T0)

Tree to North
(TN)

Tree to South
(TS)

Tree to East
(TE)

Tree to West
(TW)

Table 2: Calculate Average Circumference and Distance

Trees Average Circumference of 2 trees (cm) Distance between the 2 trees (m)
(transfer from table 1, second data column)
T0 & TN
T0 & TS
T0 & TE
T0 & TW
Averages:

Table 3: Class Average Circumference and Distances

Group Average Circumference (cm) Average Distance (m)

GRAPH: Create a line graph of the class data in Table 3. Use circumference as the IV, distance as the
DV. Make sure to include titled axes, equally spaced intervals, and a descriptive title.

Discussion:

1. What were your independent variable and dependent variables?

2. Was your hypothesis supported? Explain by stating evidence from your data.

3. What inference (s) can you make from your observations?

4. What factors may dictate the distance between trees?

 5. What were some problems you faced with the experiment?

6. Describe at least one way to improve this experiment.

Conclusion:

Claim: (The distance between two trees is/is not affected by ________.)

Evidence: (As the average diameter of the trees increased, _______________.)

Interpretation: (Therefore our data suggests ________________.)