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Photosynthesis: Calculating Biomass and Carbon Storage for Trees

Provided by: Paleontological Research Institution |Published on: June 30, 2022

Activity - Outdoors

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Synopsis

In this activity, students will measure the circumference of a tree, use a biomass chart to determine the mass of the tree, and then calculate the amount of carbon that the tree has stored.

Related Teaching Resources

Subjects: Chemistry, Biology, Earth and Space Sciences, Mathematics

Authors: Paleontological Research Institution

Region: Global

Languages: English

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Teaching Materials

Positives

This activity uses easy-to-follow directions and offers explanations for each step.
Students will have a chance to practice reading a graph and performing calculations for a tree in their own community.

Additional Prerequisites

Students should have a basic understanding of photosynthesis.
Teachers will need to provide students with a tape measure.
While the Instructions and Materials section is designed like a worksheet, the formatting on the site makes it difficult to print the worksheets out. Students will have to record their data and calculations on a separate paper.

Differentiation

This video resource pairs with this activity, so students can also watch the video before completing the activity.
After calculating the stored carbon in the tree, students could compare it to annual global carbon emissions data and calculate how many trees it would take to sequester that much carbon.
Students could turn their data into an awareness campaign by making a video explaining how much carbon each tree has stored and placing a QR code on the tree so that people can scan it to find the video.
Other resources on this topic include this video on carbon storage in trees, this activity on the carbon cycle, and this digital text on how biology drives the carbon cycle.

Scientist Notes

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Resource Type and Format

About the Partner Provider

Paleontological Research Institution

Paleontological Research Institution (PRI) is a national leader in Earth systems science education. They strive to help make sense of the present and potential future climate change, while also increasing understanding of global change in Earth’s past. Their programs focus on systems thinking, understanding scale and learning in your own backyard.

Related Teaching Resources

All resources can be used for your educational purposes with proper attribution to the content provider.