Epping Forest Field Trip
On Monday 16th June, our Lower Sixth Biology students spent the day at Epping Forest as part of the practical element of our A-level course. The trip gave us the chance to deepen our understanding of ecology and biodiversity through hands-on fieldwork in a natural setting which is something that can’t be replicated in the classroom.
Writes: Jai E
We started the day by investigating how trampling affects plant life and soil. Using quadrats, tape measures and a soil compaction tool - that was new to us - called a penetrometer, we collected data on plant coverage, species distribution and how compacted the soil was in areas of high footfall compared to undisturbed areas. This helped us explore how human activity can shape ecosystems, and raised interesting questions about conservation and land management.
Back in the classroom, we looked at how to analyse our data using statistical methods. We covered standard deviation, the Student’s t-test and Simpson’s Diversity Index. Each test offered different insights into our results and helped us interpret the patterns we’d seen in the field.
Later in the day, we returned to the forest to carry out a second investigation, this time focusing on the effect of light intensity on plant growth. We used light meters to record levels of light in different areas, and compared that with the type and density of plant species present. This practical helped reinforce our understanding of abiotic factors and their influence on biodiversity.
Alongside the fieldwork, we also had the chance to hear briefly about careers in ecology from our instructor who talked about his work as an ecological consultant. It was interesting to learn how ecological data is used in real-world scenarios, such as environmental assessments and planning decisions.
Some glorious sunshine made the day all the more enjoyable but, more importantly, it was a valuable learning experience that helped us apply biological theory to real ecosystems and think more critically about data collection and analysis.
Thank you very much to the staff at Epping Forest Field Centre for guiding us through the activities, and to Mrs Stuteley for organising and Mr Simpson for supporting the trip.
