Image: GSI Suranjan Bantupalli, a Masters of Public Health student, demonstrates to undergraduates how to measure the circumference of campus trees.
On a brisk fall afternoon, Ecology Lab (EEB 372) students gathered in their classroom for a discussion many ecology students across the country will have at some point in their undergraduate education. GSI Suranjan Bantupalli asked students to explain the Enhanced Greenhouse Effect and why it is a problem. One student explained that increased greenhouse gasses, such as Carbon Dioxide, in the atmosphere traps heat and warms the planet at an accelerated rate. Another brought up that a major factor in this increased warming is due to the burning of fossil fuels by people for energy and transportation. The discussion focused on the balance between carbon release into the atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide (this is described as a carbon source) and carbon storage by photosynthetic life (a carbon sink). In particular, large trees are a major carbon sink. In some classrooms this lecture on climate change would stay in the classroom. Maybe the discussion will turn to the major ecological consequences of a warming planet, maybe solutions will be highlighted. However, in EEB 372, students are expected to have a more hands-on experience.
Anyone taking a walk through the Ann Arbor central campus will notice the large number of trees. The University has taken upon itself to steward not only Nichols Arboretum but also the Diag, the Law Quadrangle, and many other areas where students spend their time. Not only do trees provide much needed shade and beauty on campus, but there is the added benefit of carbon sequestration. Measuring tape in hand and notebooks at the ready, students divided up central campus among themselves and took to measuring the circumference of the trunks of every accessible tree. Their goal? To calculate the Diameter at Breast Height (DBH) and subsequently the amount of carbon sequestered by every tree on central campus annually. This is done to see how much the trees on campus offset the carbon footprint of University students.
Collecting local data can help contextualize what students are learning in class. “You can understand that ecological things are happening on campus,” says Maoz Bareket (2025), a student in the Program in the Environment (PITE). He goes on to say, “It is important to consider the Carbon footprint and impact of a college campus”. Biology, Health and Society Major, Sarah Kothekar (2026) echoes these thoughts and adds, “You know your campus so well for so long, these concepts sink deeper when you learn about where you live and when we know more we can raise awareness.”
After returning to the classroom, students used existing Allometric equations to calculate annual carbon sequestration by these trees. Students use a shared spreadsheet to add up all the carbon sequestered by central campus trees and then calculate their own carbon footprints from transportation to and from campus alone. This provides students with an opportunity to examine both the importance of trees on campus and the costs to fossil fuel usage. Paulina Graham (2025), a Computer Science major says, “We have so many people and use so much. It is good to offset [fossil fuel use]”. While this project occurs every semester that EEB 372 is taught, it is an especially good reminder during the LSA Year of Sustainability, when the University is renewing its commitment to climate change advocacy.
