Trees As Habitats

Before the meeting:

1. Remind Cub Scouts to bring their tree inventory completed requirement 1.

During the meeting:

1. Discuss with Cub Scouts some ways in which animals depend on and utilize trees.
   • How is the tree used for shelter? Is there a nest in its branches? Is there a hole or a hollow in which an owl, raccoon, or other animal could live? Can tree frogs, beetles, or bats live under the tree’s bark?
   • How is the tree used for food? Does the tree grow fruit, seeds, or flowers that can be eaten by wildlife? Can woodpeckers and other wildlife eat the insects that live in the trees?
   • How is the tree used for protection? Can squirrels and deer mice store food in cavities?
   • How is the tree used as a playground? Do you see animals climbing around or in the tree? Do you see birds flying to and from it?
2. Have Cub Scouts brainstorm ways in which animals might use the tree they selected. They should review their recorded observations from their tree inventory. Ask Cub Scouts to share what clues they observed that indicate how wildlife uses their tree.
3. Ask Cub Scouts how humans use their tree. Are the uses similar? Different?