Tree for Life – Activity 1 Tree trouble 1/4
Local go
ve
Tree trouble
nt officia
e
l
m
n
r
Treedwell
needs its
Tree
Pro
t
es


Pro
te
s
1
r
u
O
e
Sav
Tree
r
to
We need new houses in the town,
but the old tree is on the site. The
builder says he wants to cut it down.
If they cut the tree down, there will
be nowhere for animals to live and it
will affect the local biodiversity.
r2
to
We need the shade from the tree
to sit in when it gets hot.
Do you think the
old tree should be
chopped down?
MegaStar
Your challenge
Find out whether it makes a difference to animals and plants if a
tree is chopped down.
Resources
You may need some of these things:

Large sheet or piece of fabric

Magnifying glass

Binoculars

Clipboard

Pens or pencils

Identification charts

Big net

Computer for research

Trowel

Bug box
What do you think?
 What do you think biodiversity means?
Discuss what you think this means with some
friends. How could you find out?
 What sorts of wildlife would you expect to find
on and around a tree?
A
re plants wildlife too?
 Are there any other reasons why the tree might
be important?
Tree for Life – Activity 1 Tree trouble 2/4
Tree for Life – Activity 1 Tree trouble 3/4
Get ready to investigate
H
ow will you find out about the life around a tree?
(There are some ideas on the back to help you)
D
o you need to look at lots of trees or is one tree
enough?
H
ow can you find out about the life around trees if
you don’t have a tree nearby to explore?
H
ow will you record what you find out?
Remember to check with
an adult before you go
outside to look at trees.
What did you find out?
 Does a tree have any life on and around it?
If so what kinds?
D
o you think it is the same for all trees?
 How would it affect plants, animals and people
if an old tree was being cut down?
My re
port.
..
Sharing your ideas
Write a report to Treedwell’s local government and
explain what you found out. You could include
some bar charts or drawings to help explain.
 The town needs new houses, so do you think it is a good
idea to cut down the tree? Why?
Produce a poster to convince other people.
Help!
Don’t know what to do?
Here are some ideas to help you:
 If we lay a large sheet under the tree, we could gently
shake some of the branches and catch what falls out.
Then we could find out about what we have caught.
 We could see how much shade a tree makes and find
out whether there are more plants and animals in its
shade than in the open.
W
e could use the internet to look up what types
of plants and animals might live around a tree.
B
y sitting quietly and watching the tree, we could see what
types of animals come near it.
 I can think of something else to do...
What will you do?
 There are more ideas on www.opalexplorenature.org/crest
and www.britishscienceassociation.org/creststar
Good luck!
MegaStar
Tree for Life – Activity 1 Tree trouble 4/4