As part of Boyle County’s Arbor Day celebration, the Boyle County Horticulture Agent worked with six Boyle Co. Middle School classes and two  Boyle Co. High School classes to learn to ID native Kentucky trees, and the role trees play in carbon sequestration.

 The high school classes took quizzes to estimate how much carbon each student releases into the atmosphere each year. Then learned how many trees it would take to offset that release of carbon. Discussion was then held considering how students could reduce their carbon footprint.

At the middle school level, students were taught basic tools to correctly identify trees. Taxonomy language such as conifer, compound leaves, margin, and opposite vs alternate leaf arrangements were all learned through a tree ID game. Groups of students were given live samples of native trees, that they keyed out by moving throughout the room. On average groups were able to correctly identify 5 specimens each. Afterwards, students learned about the forestry and timber industry in KY.