Challenge 6
Welcome to the middle school challenge page for Challenge 6 of the Fairchild Challenge! Read below to find challenge information, entry requirements, resources and more for the challenge.
Challenge 6
Title: Branch Out
For individuals or groups | 200 points
Due Date: Fri., April 10, 2026 by 5 p.m.
Your Challenge:
Take on the role of a researcher and uncover the powerful connections between tree health and human health in your own neighborhood! In this research challenge, you are tasked with examining how the condition and distribution of trees may influence the well-being of the people who live nearby. Begin by collecting data on local trees—such as species, canopy cover, evidence of disease or damage, shade coverage and overall vitality. Then, research community health indicators in the same area, including air quality, temperature (heat island effect), access to green space, asthma rates, mental wellness benefits, walkability or neighborhood resources.
As you analyze your findings, focus specifically on identifying intersections: Do areas with healthier or more abundant trees show cooler temperatures? Is there a relationship between tree canopy and air quality? Could access to shaded green spaces influence physical activity or stress levels? Be clear about what patterns you observe, what evidence supports your conclusions and where questions remain. Your goal is not just to describe trees or community statistics separately, but to explain how they may be connected.
Your research should be presented on a large trifold poster board and include a clear research question, data collection methods, labeled visuals (charts, graphs, maps or photographs), a written analysis of at least three specific tree–community health connections and a minimum of three credible Works Cited sources. Through this challenge, you will strengthen your research and critical thinking skills while developing a deeper understanding of how environmental stewardship directly impacts the health and resilience of communities.
Entry Requirements: Deliver to the High School Programs Coordinator at Phipps in-person.
- Challenge Entry Form
- For completion by individual students or small groups
- Maximum Number of Entries per School: 2
- Research should be presented in a large trifold poster board format and include a clear research question, data collection methods, labeled visuals (charts, graphs, maps or photographs), a written analysis of at least three specific tree–community health connections and a minimum of three credible Works Cited sources.
Resources:
- Urban Trees - Which Species are Best for Cities? - One More Tree Foundation
- Information of variety of trees and benefits of each
- The Number of Trees in Your Neighborhood May Affect Your Health Outcomes | Urban Institute
- Local cooling effects from trees
- Strategies for tree planting
- How do trees and green spaces enhance our health? - Harvard Health
- Benefits from trees and green spaces
- Cooling effect
- Children’s health and development
- Benefits from trees and green spaces
- How Urban Trees Can Save Lives
- Positive impact trees can have in urban life
- Includes case study from Indonesia and USA
- Planting Healthy Air (Came from the source above ^)
- Interactive map that shows the results on tree plantings across the globe
- Shows results about particulate matter concentration and temperate cooling
- PGH Environmental Map
- Local environmental map
- More maps here... Shade Tree Plans, Reports, & Resources - Pittsburgh, PA
- GlobalUsefulNativeTrees, a database documenting 14,014 tree species, supports synergies between biodiversity recovery and local livelihoods in landscape restoration - PMC
- Information about different countries and different tree species
- How different tree species do better in different environments
- GlobalUsefulNativeTree
- The little-known physical and mental health benefits of urban trees » Yale Climate Connections
- Physical and mental benefits of urban trees
- 5 Reasons We Need Trees for a Healthy Planet - Earth Day
- Environmental benefits, purifying from air pollution
- Biodiversity and human / animal health benefits
- Protecting against flashfloods and water pollution
- Factsheet - Caring for New Trees
- Ways trees and the environment can help reduce harm, restore health, and encourage positive physical activities
- Public_Health_Benefits_Urban_Trees_FINAL.pdf
- Why people aren’t investing in trees
- How trees benefit business / property values
- Public health benefits and city benefits from trees
- 3.3.6-8.M Students who demonstrate understanding can apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing human impact on the environment.
- 3.4.6-8.E Students who demonstrate understanding can collect, analyze, and interpret environmental data to describe a local environment.
- 3.4.6-8.G Students who demonstrate understanding can obtain and communicate information to describe how best resource management practices and environmental laws are designed to achieve environmental sustainability.
- 3.4.6-8.I Students who demonstrate understanding can construct an explanation that describes regional environmental conditions and their implications on environmental justice and social equity.
- 4.5.6.A Examine how historical events have shaped the sustainable use of natural resources.
- 4.5.6.D Identify reasons why organisms become threatened, endangered, and extinct.
- 10.2.6.E Analyze environmental factors that impact health.
- indoor air quality (e.g., second- hand smoke, allergens)
- chemicals, metals, gases (e.g., lead, radon, carbon monoxide)
- radiation
- natural disasters
- 4.5.7.C Explain how human actions affect the health of the environment.
- Identify residential and industrial sources of pollution and their effects on environmental health.
- 4.5.7.E Describe how length and degree of exposure to pollutants may affect human health.
- Identify diseases/ conditions that have been associated with exposure to pollutants
- 4.3.7.B Explain the distribution and management of natural resources.
- Differentiate between resource uses: conservation, preservation, and exploitation
- 4.1.7.D Explain how biological diversity relates to the viability of ecosystems.
- Compare and contrast monoculture with diverse ecosystems.
- Explain how biological diversity relates to the ability of an ecosystem to adapt to change.
- Explain how an adaptation is an inherited, structure, function, or behavior that helps an organism survive and reproduce.
- 4.1.7.E Identify factors that contribute to change in natural and human-made systems.
- Explain the processes of primary and secondary succession in a given ecosystem.
- 4.2.8.A Describe factors that affect the quality of ground and surface waters.
