On the right Treetraque
isolation.
“I was looking around at what sorts of projects were going on and I realized that nobody is recording the data for the different development stages of trees,” she said, noting that this kind of research requires a great deal of information over a long period of time in order to produce clear results. Given a situation where suddenly almost everyone was trapped at home with little to do, she said that the idea of asking people to observe and record information about nearby trees seemed like a good fit. “It’s always good to have as much data as possible,” she added.
The Treetraque Project launched this spring based around a website, http://treetraque.ca/. Looking back, the researcher referred to the spring observation period as a trial run.
“We’re seeing what works and what doesn’t” she said, explaining that while the initial round did not drum up as much participation as she would have liked, it still provided some interesting feedback and, of course, initial data on some local trees.
Those who did take the time to participate in round one were asked to pick just one tree and record information like when its buds start to open, when the leaves start to open, when the tree starts to flower, and other information of that sort.
“Some people don’t realize that maples have flowers too,” Levac said, highlighting the fact that participation in the project can be an eye-opener for people interested in knowing more about trees. “They may not be as noticeable, but they still play an important role.”
Despite the assertion that more data is better, the researcher stressed the fact that she doesn’t want people to take observations of all their trees, all the time.
“Pick one tree,” she said warning that, “You could spend all your time doing this if you tried.”
Although one season of observations on its own will not tell Levac and her team much, she said that over time repeated observations will allow the project to get an idea of how different environmental trends and events impact the development of the trees in the area.
Asked about ideal levels of participation she pointed out that she has no expectation of suddenly having thousands of people sign up and, honestly, wouldn’t be prepared for that kind of engagement on an organizational level at this point.
“I’ll get as many as I can right now,” Levac said noting that, “50 would be great, with people coming back one year to the next.”
“We’re learning as we go,” the researcher continued. “I’m also learning a lot about how people think about trees.”
Now past the spring period, Levac said that anyone interested can reach out through the project website about the possibility of participating in the fall. No special skills are required other than an interest in nature and the ability to take a few minutes to look at a tree of your choice a few times a week.