Page 14 - Jan-Mar 2017

MY EXPERIMENTS WITH TREES

My tERRaRiuM
Imagine how much fun it would be to imitate the life and conditions of the temperate deciduous forest in a forest or
woodland terrarium.
Let’s create your very own forest floor terrarium in just 5 steps.
Materials required: 2. Create a layer of 4 inches of
soil to create enough support
• glass
• gravel for the rooted plans.
• sand 3. Choose any seed or plant which
• soil you would like to place in your
• various plants or seeds own terrarium.
• moss/ferns 4. Add mosses, ferns, lichens and
• pebbles/stones fungi to create a lower plant
• water
tree life in the aquarium.
1. Take a glass container; layer 5. Keep the soil of your terrarium
dimensions
it with gravel and sand to damp by watering it at regular
create a floor. Scatter bits of intervals.
charcoal over that to create a
TIPS TO MEASURE THE WIDTH OF A TREE:
porous material that absorbs
1. The diameter of the tree is generally measured at breast height. This is at a
some gas.
height of 4½ feet. The diameter is then referred to as diameter at breast Height
(dbH).
2. Take a tape at the breast height and wrap the tape around the tree. See that
MEaSuRE tHE tREE diagram on how To measure a Tree’s heighT
the tape does not sag. This measurement is the circumference.
PREciOuS PiNE
One of the reasons your lungs feel
refreshed when walking through
a Pine Forest is because of the
presence of an anti–inflammable
compound called Pinene which is
found in conifers.
Diya, Delhi School of Excellence, Banjara
Hills, Hyderabad
Pine trees are beautiful and
Tips to measure the width of a tree Tips to measure the height of a tree unique. in the mountains they
3. Divide the circumference by 3.14. For example if the circumference is 41”
1. The diameter of the tree is generally 1. Find a stick that is equal in length to are in plenty. Collect some pine
dividing by 3.14 will give diameter of 13”. Therefore, the diameter at breast
height or dbH is 13”.
measured at breast height. This is at a the distance from your eye to your cones. You could make beautiful
height of 4 feet. The diameter is then fingers when your arm is stretched. decorative pieces out of them.
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20 referred to as diameter at breast height 2. Take the stick by the tips of your go explore…
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(dbh). thumb and your index finger and hold
2. Take a tape at the breast height it out in front of you.
and wrap the tape around the tree. 3. walk towards or away from the tree
see that the tape does not sag. This until the tip and bottom of the stick is
measurement is the circumference. in line with the top and bottom of the
3. Divide the circumference by 3.14. For tree.
example if the circumference is 41” 4. stop at this point and measure the
dividing by 3.14 will give diameter of distance from here to the base of the
13”. Therefore, the diameter at breast tree.
height or dbh is 13”. 5. This distance is equal to the height of
the tree!

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