The specificity of research for the project narrows the opportunity for outside research to be incorporated. There are some interesting aspects to review when considering the magnitude a heavily wooded area can have on a widely known environmental problem. One scientific text researched and reported on the difference in pH levels of not only the difference in depth of the soil but the trees living in and above the soil. The research found the difference in pH of the various levels of soil to only vary between a pH of the top layer (0-10cm) and the bottom two layers tested (10-20 and 20-30cm). The results indicated a lower pH in the top layer than the bottom layer, offering that it quite possibly having something to do with the forest litter such as dead leaves. After testing the soil around and below six species of trees, it was found that the soil around the spruce was the most acidic soil (5.55), followed by the birch (5.80), which are some of the species of trees found in the areas around campus(Menyalio, et.al., 2002). Another related study focused on different factors around these six species of trees.
The consumption of methane by these different species of trees was studied. Methane is a component contributing to the greenhouse effect. This research showed the birch species to consume the most methane. While the spruce consumed less methane than the birch overall, it consumed more when the moisture content in the soil was increased (Menyalio, et.al., 2003).
The research offered by these studies can help indicate the type of conditions found around the campus.