NOTEBOOK & COLLECTION
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Mr. R.

 
Big Tooth Maple
Location: Camp Maple Dell
Habitat:  Around lake and sides of canyon.
Uses:  Provides shade for wildlife.  Lots of birds live in the branches.  Makes good shade for humans at picnics.  Fruit may be dried, then ground and make into a paste (tastes very bitter).
Requirements 1a, 1b, 1c:
CAUTION:  Collect only specimens that there are plentiful in your area.  If a plant seems scarce simply make a good drawing of it.

Your field book can be anything from a 4" x 5" notepad to an 8" x 10" 3-ring binder with plastic sleeves.  You may tape your specimens into a bound notebook, then write the information underneath.  You can print out your information on computer paper, tape the specimen to a blank area, and then place in plastic sleeves. 

It helps to place only one specimen per page.  Label your specimens using a field guide book or an identification key (see below).  List where the tree or shrub was located and how it is useful to both us and wildlife. 
Utah State University's "Trees of Northern Utah Mountains" is designed to help non-tree experts identify native and commonly found non-native trees found in the mountains of northern Utah, southern Idaho, and southwestern Wyoming. 
The Arbor Day Foundation provides the site, What Tree is That?, with an excellent key to help identify trees.  Start by clicking on "Western Tree Identification" or "Eastern and Central Tree Identification", depending upon where you live.

 
Camp Maple Dell
Uintah Forest
5 miles up Payson Canyon

Stage: This area of forest is in the scrub to young forest stage of succession.  Most of the trees are Box Elder or Big Tooth Maple. 
History:  The camp was constructed over 50 years ago.  A man made lake was added destroying some trees, but helping wildlife.  There are a number of evergreen trees starting up, especially west of camp in Pine Forest (Pondarosa Pine). 
Future:  The forest is managed by the Forest Service in cooperation with BSA.  I believe that the camping area will remain young forest because of human triffic, but the outer areas will become a mature forest.
Requirement 1d:
The last page of your notebook is a small report about the forest area you choose.  If it has a name, list it.  Describe the area, listing its location, habitat, wildlife, geology, etc.  List what stage of forest succession it is in.  What is some of the history of how it developed?  Has it had any recent fires, rural development, floods, etc?  What do you think the future of your forest will be?
Forest ecosystems are always changing and the Norman Bird Sanctuary's web site gives a great explanation of how the process of succession occurs.

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Requirements: [ 1-Notebook & Collection ] [ 2-Tree Ring Patterns ] [ 3-Forest Contributions ]
 

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Webpage updated November 2003
Webmaster, Mr. R.