Cathedral State Park

Cathedral State Park is a virgin Eastern Hemlock forest located in northeastern West Virginia.  Hemlock grows well here due to the altitude (around 2500 ft) and the moist acidic soil.   (For more details and pictures of Eastern Hemlock, click on the Trees in West Virginia tab at the top of this page.)

Some of the things I noticed about the virgin forest...

* The trees were not as large as I expected.  And the flora was not very diverse.

* Undergrowth was very low, mostly ferns and seedlings.  This is due to the lack of sunlight reaching the forest floor because of the canopy provided by the trees.  There was a thick layer of leaf litter that was spongy from the decaying leaves and trees.

   

* Fallen and dead trees were abundant and parasites enjoy living on them.

While at the park we conducted soil tests which had an average pH of 4.55 proving the soil is quite acidic.

We also calculated the board feet of an average hemlock (pictured below) in the forest.  The tree we chose had a height of 43.23 feet and a diameter of 1.35 feet.  We calculated this tree to have 741.84 board feet.  (See May 5, 2012 post Estimating Board Feet for calculation process.)  Hemlock currently has a value of $3.20 per board foot, meaning this tree is worth $2,373.89 (not taking into account the cost of harvesting the wood).

Lumberyard

I would highly recommend watching the History Channel's Modern Marvels: Lumberyard.  This documentary provides a great look at many types of wood and lumber products as well as their variety of uses and the process of getting the wood from the forest to the home.  Here are some questions to think about as you watch the show.

1.  What is a board foot?

2.  How many board feet are recycled each year?

3.  What percent of all construction uses reclaimed wood?

4.  How much does reclaimed wood cost per board foot?

5.  What are some of the largest uses for lumber throughout the years?

6.  What are engineered woods?  Give some examples.

7.  What is OSB?  How is it made?

8.  Why is OSB cheaper than veneer plywood?

You can also find these questions here Listening Guide.

Forestry Unit Plan

I have created a detailed unit plan to expose my students to the math and science behind forestry.  You can find links to all of the supplement field guides in the plan.  Corresponding West Virginia CSO's as well as Common Core Standards are listed.

Bethany Carr's - Forestry Unit Plan

Tree Identification in Progress...

My tree identification page is now officially in progress.  It features pictures (unless noted otherwise, I took the pictures myself), identification information about the leaves, bark and fruit/flowers, as well as uses and interesting facts about each kind of tree.  Check back often as I will continue to update the page with more trees!

A word of caution...  As you begin your own identification, remember to be on the lookout for poison ivy.  It is a good idea to always wash with soap and water after being outdoors.

Leaves of three, LET THEM BE!!!  

Estimating Board Feet

Board feet is the measurement used to determine the amount of wood in a tree.  A board foot is a foot wide, a foot long and one INCH thick.  So one board foot is 144 cubic inches (12" x 12" x 1).  One cubic foot of wood contains 12 board feet.

Question:  How many board feet are in a board that is 4 inches wide, 8 feet long, and one inch thick?

Solution:  Hint - convert all measurements to inches, then multiply length x width x height.
                 4" x 96 " x 1" = 384 cubic inches = 2 2/3 Board Feet

Now you try one...
Question 1:  How many board feet are in a piece of plywood that is 4 feet wide, 8 feet long, and 1/2 inch thick?

Now challenge yourself...
Question 2:  How many board feet are in a stack of 15 boards each of which are 10 feet long, 6 inches wide, and 2 inches thick?

Estimating Board Feet of a Tree
1.  Find the diameter of the tree approximately 4.5 feet above the ground.  (Hint: Measure the circumference and convert to diameter.)

2.  Find the tree height.  Stand 66 feet from the base of the tree.  Use a clinometer (or download a clinometer app on a tab or phone) to determine the percent of incline from your viewpoint to the top of the "usable tree."  In order to be mathematically accurate, you must take into account that your eyesight and the base of the tree are not on the same level.  To account for this, you can do one of two things.  First you could lay on the ground level to the base of the tree.
To find the tree height:  Multiply the percent reading times 66' (the distance from the base).

Or...stand normally and let this be your A(+) reading.  Then use the clinometer to measure from your viewpoint to the bottom of the trunk.  This will be your B(-) reading.
To find the tree height:  [A(+) - B(-)]*66'

3.  Find the tree volume.  (Before beginning calculations, make sure all your measurements are in feet.)  Use the formula for volume of a cylinder, but divide the result by 4 to account for the taper of the tree.

4.  Convert cubic feet to board feet.  (Remember:  There are 12 board feet in each cubic foot of lumber.)

NOTE:  This estimate shows the total volume of wood in the tree.  Not all of that wood would be considered "useable."

It is helpful to create a spreadsheet to make calculations simpler.  See attached file below.
Estimating Board Feet Spreadsheet

Water Quality Testing at Ritter Park

On Saturday, April 21st, our class took a field trip to Ritter Park.  One of the many things we did that day was test the water quality of Four Pole Creek near the park's picnic shelter.  We used Vernier Labquests and a variety of sensors to take readings and used the data to determine the overall water quality.  My tests showed the overall water quality to be in the average range.

Steps to test water quality:

 1.  Get a sample of water.  When conditions permit, you can perform tests in the stream (pond, river, etc...) but if not, you can use a bucket to gather the water and perform your tests in a more appropriate place.

2.  Use Labquest and probes to obtain readings for the temperature, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, pH, and turbidity.  To ensure an accurate reading, calibrate probes and clean with distilled water before (and after) tests.

3.  Use the charts and data table found in the Lab manual (see link below) to convert these readings to an overall water quality score.  It can be helpful to create a spreadsheet that will perform the calculations for you, especially if you will be performing multiple tests.
     Water Quality Testing Lab

March Showers Bring April Flowers...

It might not have the same ring as the traditional saying, but with the warm winter spring has come early in West Virginia.  I love seeing the changes each day as trees grow more leaves and the beautiful flowers begin to bloom with all of their vibrant colors.  It has been quite some time (like 15 years) since I have studied types of trees, plants, and flowers.  So last week I decided to take my camera as I went for a walk around my neighborhood and take pictures of my favorite spring flowers.  (See pictures on the Flowers in Huntington page.)  It took me back to my middle school days of collecting leaves from different trees and making scrapbooks with them.  Technology has evolved a bit since then, so I am going to use this blog as my "digital scrapbook" to document what I discover, learn, find interesting, or just like about Forestry (and plants in general) and the Railroad of West Virginia.

When this Forestry & Rail class began I was mostly looking forward to learning about the railroad side of things.  But after Steve Beckelhimer taught his lesson on finding the "board feet" of a tree, I realized how applicable forestry would be in my classroom.  I have a few lesson ideas of my own coming together...