Measuring Trees

In New England and Canada, March is Sugaring Season. As the air warms, trees prepare to put out leaves and sugar-rich sap rises from the roots to the branches. Sugar maple trees are tapped and their sap is collected, either in old-fashioned buckets or more modern hoses. The sweet sap is then boiled down to make maple syrup, a delicious bounty we enjoy on our pancakes and waffles year-round.

Maple trees grow slowly and are usually about 30-40 years old before they can be tapped. Students can observe the growth of trees using the Measuring Trees Gizmo. In the Gizmo, students can practice using rulers to measure the height and diameter of trees and track their growth over the years. The amount of rainfall can be varied each year to speed up or slow down growth. The most interesting part of the Gizmo is the ability of students to count and analyze the annual growth rings of the tree. Students can see how tree rings can be used to reconstruct past climate conditions, with wide rings corresponding to wet years and narrow rings corresponding to dry years. Happy measuring and happy sugaring!