I feel it is important to know about the type of trees which I am focusing on around my design. The primary tree is very tall, and this will be one of the main interactive features of the structure.
The image to the right shows the tree that I wanted to identify. I used the Arboretum tree trail map to find a list of trees which are found in the park. I found one of the trees, 'Robinia Pseudoacacia', to match the description. I did a search for it online and a website which had an article specifically about trees in the 'Nottingham Arboretum and surrounding park'. This showed me more detailed examples of trees found in the park, with pictures of each. The one which grabbed my attention was the 'False Acacia Tree'. I clicked on the image and found it entitled 'Robinia Pseudoacacia'. I have placed the website example opposite. Several other image searches have helped to confirm, through comparison, that this is the correct tree. Using this information, I was able to find out what kind of height the tree was likely to be. I had already estimated the height of the tree using comparisons within photos. After doing some research, I found the average size from my research for this species of tree was around 17 meters. This was inline with my estimate. This has created a very useful reference for me when designing my observation tower. | Above: My chosen tree. Below: The example from the website. |
Below: A picture of me underneath the tree for reference. Knowing my own height, I was able to estimate the tree's height by counting how many of me fitted into the height of the tree and multiplying it by my height.
http://www.kew.org/visit-kew-gardens/garden-attractions-A-Z/false-acacia.htm
http://eol.org/pages/583072/details
http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/business/climatechange/2columnsubpage/267332.html
http://www.gardenaction.co.uk/arboretums-parks-gardens/arboretum-nottingham-1.asp
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/british-natural-history/urban-tree-survey/identify-trees/tree-factsheets/f-to-j/false-acacia/index.html
http://eol.org/pages/583072/details
http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/business/climatechange/2columnsubpage/267332.html
http://www.gardenaction.co.uk/arboretums-parks-gardens/arboretum-nottingham-1.asp
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/british-natural-history/urban-tree-survey/identify-trees/tree-factsheets/f-to-j/false-acacia/index.html