LAB PART II
With a group (2-4 people), you will need to write a 500 to 750-word report
on this project by next week. Prepare the outline in lab so that you have the chance to ask me questions (20 points).
a. Title (2 points): Your title should be descriptive yet no longer than 10 words. “Carbon Reservoir Report”
is not a descriptive title and will not receive credit.
b. Introduction (4 points): 1-2 paragraphs explaining the concept of urban forest. Mention its importance in
the context of conservation biology, environmental services and climate change mitigation tool (please
use reliable sources for your research – no Wikipedia or blogs). Tertiary sources and government reports
are allowed.
c. Methodology (4 points): 1-2 paragraphs explaining the measurements made and the material used. Refer
to your classmates as “researchers” rather than “students”. You will be writing about the entire class data
– not just your own. Remember that everyone is a collaborator; rather than saying something like “our
group was assigned to measure trees on Pearl St.”, explain that “our team of researchers measured street
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trees in the vicinity of Santa Monica College”. This section should be detailed enough to allow a reader to
replicate your work. Leave out irrelevant details such as “we walked to our assigned street” or “the
measuring tape had inches on one side and centimeters on the other”. Please include information about
the equipment used during field work, the city’s tree map and the equations used.
d. Results (4 points): 1-2 paragraphs going over the data collected by the class. This includes, but is not
limited to,
i. The total number of trees measured,
ii. Number of softwoods and hardwoods found,
iii. Average tree mass in kg,
iv. Average C mass per tree,
v. Average CO2 equivalent per tree,
vi. Estimated annual C uptake, considering 1973 as the planting year.
e. Discussion/Conclusion (4 points): 1-2 paragraphs. Start off by reminding the reader about the importance
of urban forests.
i. Refer to your carbon footprint calculation (Week 13 written discussion). Mention here the carbon
footprint for each group member (annual metric ton of CO2). Compare that number with the
estimated annual C uptake of the trees you measured and see how many trees are required to
neutralize each member’s carbon footprint.
ii. Mention possible issues we may have had with the collection and processing of data and what we
can do to improve our research (see spreadsheet notes for examples).
iii. Make suggestions for future research.
iv. Take home message: 1-2 sentences summarizing the report.
f. References (2 points): Cite any reference you used for this report. Your SMC library database is highly
recommended but is not required. Use www.citationmachine.net/apa for proper citation.
Disclaimer: Reports written with the assistance of artificial intelligence may be disqualified.