Tree School

The Seattle School District is still in Tree School.

In May the City Hearing Examiner gave a lesson concerning Trees and Habitat.

Trees and Habitat are a pair. And for the Ingraham Trees, the habitat is the life blood for the trees, and the trees are the life blood for the habitat.

Yep, the Chicken and the Egg thing, which came first?

I think for an area to be called a Habitat, it needs to have food and shelter. Which the Ingraham Trees do all alone, but they do it better with an understory.
But, can Habitat exist without trees? Of course, but it too will be specific for certain critters and will lack the overstory.

In other words, Habitat is composed of more than one element, the more elements the more value to the habitat, the more likely rare species are present. Pretty simple formula.

The Ingraham Trees consist of a rare, uncommon plant association. Trees are plants, as are salal, Oregon grape, evergreen huckleberry, red huckleberry, bitter cherry, rhododendron, fungi, Willows, flowers, and others.

Ingraham has an uncommon plant association for the City of Seattle, which attracts species of Wildlife that are also dwindling in Seattle and happen to be on the State of Washington Priority Species list.

So, back to the beginning Habitat or Trees? Or Habitat and Trees? Or in truth; Habitat includes Trees.

The Habitat including the trees is what saved the Ingraham Trees.

Yet, the School District may still try to remove parts of the rare and uncommon plant association in the Northwest Grove at Ingraham High School.

What grade would you give them for Tree School if they do?