Trees play an important role in the carbon cycle by removing carbon from the atmosphere through photosynthesis. They also release carbon through respiration.
As a vital part of the global carbon cycle, forests are an important consideration in climate change, because scientists have linked increases in atmospheric carbon with increases in the global average temperature. Estimating the amount of carbon that trees absorb, store and release is key to understanding climate change and exploring how forests might help to address it.
In this practical activity pack from the Natural History Museum, students measure trees near their school and calculate the amount of carbon stored in individual trees.
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