Lake School Tree Planting Project Planning & Research

1. Lake School Tree Planting Project Planning & Research Lake Elementary, in San Pablo, CA, is an urban school in a low income neighborhood. 95% of the students are minorities. For years, students have played in a barren schoolyard of blacktop and dead grass. In Fall 1998, a process of transformation began. Students, teachers, and community members came together to reclaim their environment and plant native trees. The long-term vision is of a schoolyard with lush gardens, outdoor learning centers, native habitats, and gathering areas for students and the community. The Tree Planting Project is the first step toward this goal. During Tree Weeks, students were the key designers and participants. They mapped the schoolyard, conducted site analysis, learned about native plants and their ecosystems, and designed the planting plans for the east yard and front entrance of the school. The red arrows (right) point to these areas. The pictures below illustrate how much fun everyone had working on this project. Project Planning Soil Testing Teachers, school administrators, and community members worked with the Ecological Design Institute to plan the tree planting project. Ernie Lowe, a community member, generously donated the native plants to the school. Third grade students gathered soil samples and conducted soil tests to make sure that the plants would have all of the nutrients they would need to grow well. Schoolyard Use Patterns Water Availability The plants will get most of their water from the rain, but some of them will need a little bit more water when they are young and during the dry summer months. Fourth grade students mapped potential water sources at the school and measured the length of hose they will need to get the water to the plants. Sun & Shade Patterns Fifth grade students studied the way the schoolyard is being used right now and recorded their findings on site maps so that the new trees would not hinder everyone’s favorite games. They also surveyed students to find out more about their playground activities. Sixth grade students made maps of sun and shade patterns in the schoolyard to find the locations with enough sun for proper plant growth. They also studied their own shadows to simulate the effect the trees will have on the sun and shade patterns in the surrounding landscape. Existing Vegetation & Neighborhood Context Sharing Tree Research Fourth grade students studied the existing schoolyard ecosystem and inventoried plant and animal life so that they would understand the environment and have a baseline for future studies (above). Third grade students annotated maps of the neighborhood and invited the school’s neighbors to help them plant the trees on planting day (right). When everyone finished collecting and compiling their data, they presented it to each other to share what they had learned. Ecological Design Institute - 245 Gate Five Road - Sausalito, CA 94965 - 415.332.5806 - edi@ecodesign.org