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Can We Grow Now? Helping Bristlecone Pine Trees To Take Root and Grow
Bristlecone pines have an interesting relationship with fire. When a fire occurs, it may open a once-closed area to sunlight. When this happens, bristlecone pine seedlings get a chance to grow. These trees grow slowly, however, and can take between 50 and 100 years to mature. The scientists in this study wanted to know more about the best conditions for bristlecone pine tree seeds to take root and grow. If they better understood this, forest managers could do things to improve the conditions for seeds to take root and grow.
Can We Grow Now? Helping Bristlecone Pine Trees To Take Root and Grow
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You will answer the following questions in the FACTivity: What are the ways different seeds move away from the parent plant? What are the characteristics that enable seeds to travel...FACTivity – Can We Grow Now?
You will answer the following questions in the FACTivity: What are the ways different seeds move away from the parent plant? What are the characteristics that enable seeds to travel...
Glossary
View All Glossaryclosed canopy
(klōzd ka nə pē): A forest in which the leaves of trees are touching, providing a mostly shaded area beneath.
ecosystem
(ē kō sis tǝm): A system made up of an ecological community of living things interacting with their environment especially under natural conditions.
forest manager
(fȯr ǝst ma ni jǝr): A person who manages a forest; in the Forest Service, forest managers focus on managing vegetation, restoring ecosystems, reducing hazards, and maintaining forest health (definition from USDA Forest Service).
habitat
(ha bә tat): The place or environment where a plant or animal naturally or normally lives and grows.
randomly
(ran dǝm lē): So that each possibility has a definite and especially an equal probability of occurring.
species
(spē sēz or spē shēz): A category of living things that ranks below a genus, is made up of related individuals able to produce fertile offspring, and is identified by a two-part scientific name.
transpiration
(tran(t)s pə rā shən): The process by which plants give off water vapor through the stomata in their leaves.
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Jonathan Coop
Plant Ecologist
My favorite science experiences are learning something new about how nature works and sharing what I know with students, especially on top of a mountain.View Profile -
Anna Schoettle
Ecophysiologist
“I like being a scientist because it is fun to ask questions, solve problems, and discover new information about plants and ecosystems.” “My favorite science experience is exploring the relationships...View Profile
Standards addressed in this Article:
Social Studies Standards
- People, Places, and Environments
- Science, Technology, and Society
- Time, Continuity, and Change
Note To Educators
The Forest Service's Mission
The Forest Service’s mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. For more than 100 years, our motto has been “caring for the land and serving people.” The Forest Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), recognizes its responsibility to be engaged in efforts to connect youth to nature and to promote the development of science-based conservation education programs and materials nationwide.
What Is the Natural Inquirer?
Natural Inquirer is a science education resource journal to be used by students in grade 6 and up. Natural Inquirer contains articles describing environmental and natural resource research conducted by Forest Service scientists and their cooperators. These scientific journal articles have been reformatted to meet the needs of middle school students. The articles are easy to understand, are aesthetically pleasing to the eye, contain glossaries, and include hands-on activities. The goal of Natural Inquirer is to stimulate critical reading and thinking about scientific inquiry and investigation while teaching about ecology, the natural environment, and natural resources.
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Meet the Scientists
Introduces students to the scientists who did the research. This section may be used in a discussion about careers in science.
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What Kinds of Scientist Did This Research?
Introduces students to the scientific disciplines of the scientists who conducted the research.
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Thinking About Science
Introduces something new about the scientific process, such as a scientific habit of mind or procedures used in scientific studies.
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Thinking About the Environment
Introduces the environmental topic being addressed in the research.
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Introduction
Introduces the problem or question that the research addresses.
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Method
Describes the method the scientists used to collect and analyze their data.
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Findings & Discussion
Describes the results of the analysis. Addresses the findings and places them into the context of the original problem or question.
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Reflection Section
Presents questions aimed at stimulating critical thinking about what has been read or predicting what might be presented in the next section. These questions are placed at the end of each of the main article sections.
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Number Crunches
Presents an easy math problem related to the research.
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Glossary
Defines potentially new scientific or other terms to students. The first occurrence of a glossary word is bold in the text.
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Citation
Gives the original article citation with an internet link to the original article.
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FACTivity
Presents a hands-on activity that emphasizes something presented in the article.
Science Education Standards
You will find a listing of education standards which are addressed by each article at the back of each publication and on our website.
We Welcome Feedback
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Contact
Jessica Nickelsen
Director, Natural Inquirer program -
Email
Lessons
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In small groups (or individually), students will read a Natural Inquirer or Investi-gator article and write a letter to the scientist, asking for clarification on at least four questions. This...Lesson Plan – Letter to a Scientist
In small groups (or individually), students will read a Natural Inquirer or Investi-gator article and write a letter to the scientist, asking for clarification on at least four questions. This...Part Of
Wildland Fire 2 - Vol. 13 No. 1
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The purpose of this lesson plan is to give students a chance to reflect on their reading and create poems to express what they have learned. The lesson plan is...Lesson Plan – Forest Poems
The purpose of this lesson plan is to give students a chance to reflect on their reading and create poems to express what they have learned. The lesson plan is...Part Of
Wildland Fire 2 - Vol. 13 No. 1
Education Files
Project Learning Tree
If you are a trained Project Learning Tree educator, you may use “Have Seeds, Will Travel” as an additional resource.