CHRISTMAS TREE FARM

Cindy Boyd
Class:

Anthony Ice

Donna Osborn

Margaret Sanders

Geometry or Algebra II

Materials:

Calculator, Student Sheets, Ruler

Goals:

To apply triangle relations. To apply area formulas. To make logical plans. To use
Algebraic skills in making future plans.

Time
Required:

Project 1: Two days. Project 2: Two days, oral presentations may take more time.

Background: Students should be familiar with triangle relationships, area, and should be able to
perform Algebra I level calculations.
Setting:

Your financial advisory company has been hired to solve the following problem.

Problem:

Project 1:
A farmer wants to grow Christmas trees on his land.
He knows that the trees must be planted at least 8 feet from each
other in order to grow well. For easy cultivation and care, he
prefers that they be planted in parallel rows. Provide a sample
planting chart.
Project 2:

The farmer realizes that no trees can be sold in the first four years.
However, the farmer would like some advice on how many trees he
should sell in each year 5 - 9. An expense chart is provided. The
first four years= expenses should be spread over year 5 - 9.
Determine the number of trees to be sold each year.

Funded in part by the National Science Foundation and Indiana University 1995

Extensions:

1.
Use a more complex drawing of the land. Consider drawing ponds
and woods which are not polygons or circles. Also ask the students to
make access drives for the farm.
2.

ROLL

Simulate the actual number of trees sold each year. One way to do this
simulation is with a die. Each roll of the die represents the percentage of
tree sold that year.

Percentage of Trees Sold Out of the Number Projected

NO HELP AT CHRISTMAS TIME so 70% projected sales

BEAUTIFUL WHITE CHRISTMAS so 90% of projected sales are sold

BAD WEATHER so 40% of projected sales are sold

TOUGH COMPETITION so 60% of projected sales are sold

GOOD YEAR so 80% of projected sales are sold

GREAT YEAR so 100% projected sales are sold

3.

Make the income spread evenly over the five years.

4.

Include the cost of the land in your expense calculations.

Teacher Notes:
1.

Student reports should explain the reasoning behind the number of trees they chose to sell.

2.

Contact a local Christmas tree farm to find out how they plant and harvest their trees.

3.

Students may have difficulty in calculating the area per tree.

4.

Use spreadsheets to do the calculations for Project 2.

Funded in part by the National Science Foundation and Indiana University 1995

STUDENT SHEET
PROJECT 1
123 Country Lane
Shultzville, IN 45678
Infinite Financial Company
3.14 Accounting Lane
Mathtropolis, California 90210
Dear Sirs:
I own a farm in Southern Indiana, and I am interested in converting it to a Christmas tree farm. I
have enclosed a scale drawing of my land. I need a proposal which considers the following
points:
o
o
o

Trees must be planted 8 feet apart

Trees must be planted in parallel rows
There are 43,5000 ft2 in an acre.

I would like your proposal as soon as possible. Please include:

o
o
o

Size in acres of the part of my farm which can be planted with Christmas trees
Total number of tees to be planted
A sample plot of how I should plant the trees

Thank you for your assistance in this endeavor.

Sincerely,

Charlie Brown
Charles Brown
Farmer
cc:

Linus
Lucy
Snoopy
______________________________________________________________________________
__
Your creative team will submit a written report which contains
o
o
o
o
o

A description of his request

A list of assumptions
Your calculations with results
A recommendation for Farmer Brown (including the sample plot)
An explanation of your recommendation

Funded in part by the National Science Foundation and Indiana University 1995

STUDENT SHEET
PROJECT 1
MAP OF THE BROWN FARM

Funded in part by the National Science Foundation and Indiana University 1995

STUDENT SHEET
PROJECT 1
CLOSE-UP VIEW OF SAMPLE PLOT

In the plot above show a close-up view of 3 rows of trees. Show the distance between the rows
and the distance between the trees. Briefly describe your planting arrangement. (Show all
calculations used to determine the number of trees per acre.)

STUDENT SHEET
PROJECT 2
123 Country Lane
Shultzville, IN 45678
Infinite Financial Company
3.14 Accounting Lane
Mathtropolis, California 90210
Dear Sirs:
Thank you for your proposal. I am going to follow your suggestions.
I would like for you to make an on-site visit. Please bring your nine-year plan that will estimate
my income. I have included yearly charts of the current market prices for Christmas trees and the
projected costs for operating the tree farm. The numbers do not include the cost of my mortgage
or other expenses.
I cannot sell any trees until they grow at least four years, which means I will have no income until
the fifth year. I would like to spread the initial start-up and maintenance costs evenly over the last
five years. Thus I need the income of each year, 5 - 9, to at least cover my expenditures on the
tree farm. At the end of the nine years I would like to have all of the trees sold.
Thank you for your continued assistance.
Sincerely,

Charlie Brown
Charles Brown
Farmer
cc:

Linus
Lucy
Snoopy
______________________________________________________________________________
__
Your creative team will give an oral report which summarizes the written report. The written
report will contain
o
o
o
o
o

A description of his request

A list of assumptions
Your calculations with results
A recommendation for Farmer Brown
An explanation of your recommendation

SAMPLE SOLUTION FOR PROJECT 1

Infinite Financial Company

3.14 Accounting Lane
Mathtropolis, California 90210
123 Country Lane
Shultzville, IN 45678
Dear Mr. Brown:
We are pleased that you selected Infinite Financial Company to advise you in your new endeavor.
Upon receiving your request for a plan to initiate a Christmas tree farm on your land, I set our
best team to work. I emphasized the importance of following your stipulations that the trees had
to be planted 8 feet apart and in straight rows.
Enclosed is Infinite Financial=s proposed design for your Christmas tree farm. Included are:
a)

A sample plot of three rows with the needed measurements

b)

All calculations needed in finding

o
o
o

The total number of acres of your farm

The total number of acres available for trees
The total number of trees to be planted

In our proposal, we assumed the following:

a)
b)
c)
d)
e)

The houses, driveway, and creek are not included in the planting area.
We did not provide room for service roads.
All other available land on the farm is to be planted.
The land on which the trees will be planted is level and flat.
The measurements were rounded to the nearest foot.

We look forward to meeting with you in person to further develop future plans for the farm.
Sincerely,

I. B. Greedy
I. B. Greedy
President,
Infinite Financial

SAMPLE SOLUTION FOR PROJECT 1

Christmas Tree Farm Proposal
for
Charles Brown
The total number of trees that should be planted on the land is 26,418. The remainder of the
proposal will explain the procedure and calculations used in arriving at our recommendation.
Part One
First, we determined the best way to plant the trees. We know that the trees must be planted in
parallel rows, with trees spaced 8 feet apart. The best planting arrangement is shown below:

Tree

8 feet

4 3

6.93 feet

8 feet

As you can see the trees are 8 feet apart, but the rows are approximately 6.93 feet apart. To
calculate the distance between the rows, we need to know the altitude of an equilateral triangle
with side 8 feet. We rounded the distance between the row to 7 feet because it is better to have

the trees further apart than not far enough apart.

Part Two
The area per tree is the area of the rectangle
surrounding the tree. The length of the
rectangle is the same as the distance between
the trees, 8 feet. The height is the same as
the height of the equilateral triangle,
approximately 7 feet. Therefore, the area per
tree is A = |w = 8 (7) = 56 square feet.
SAMPLE SOLUTION FOR PROJECT 1
Part Three
Since there are 43,560 square feet in one acre, the number of trees per acre is 43560 56 777
trees. We rounded down on this operation because you can=t plant a part of a tree and there is
not room for another whole tree.
Part Four
Using the given map scale, we can calculated the actual dimensions of the farm.
measurements are shown on the attached scale drawing.

The

The shape of the entire farm is a rectangle, so A = |w. The length is 1400 feet and the width is
1200 feet, so the area is 1,680,000 square feet.
The areas of the land which will not be planted is shown below.
Farm House and Yard: The shape of the farmhouse and yard is a rectangle, so the A = |w. The
length is 350 feet and the width is 300 feet, so the area is 105,000 square feet.
Creek: The shape of the creek is a parallelogram, so the A = bh. The base is approximately 1250

8 feet

4 3=7

Feet

feet and the height is approximately 25 feet, so the area is 31,250 square feet.
Driveway: The shape of the driveway is a rectangle. The length is 600 feet and the width is 50
feet, so the area is 30,000 square feet.
Farm House: The shape of the farmhouse is a rectangle. The length is 200 feet and the width is
150 feet, so the area is 30,000 square feet.
The total area which can not be planted is the sum of all the areas listed above, 196,250 square
feet.
Part Five
The total acres which can be planted is the difference between the total number of acres of your
land and the number of acres which can not be planted with trees. 1,680,000 square feet 196,250 square feet = 1483750 square feet. This can now be changed into acres by dividing
1483750 by 43,560 34 acres. We rounded down in this case because we do not have another
complete acre to plant.
Part Six
The total number of trees can now be calculated by multiplying 34 acres by 777 trees per acre to
give you 26,418 trees to be planted.

SAMPLE SOLUTION FOR PROJECT 1

6 inches = 1200 feet

1/8 in. = 25 ft.

7 in. = 1400 ft.

STUDENT SHEET
PROJECT 2

Selling Price Per Christmas Tree

YEAR

1-4

COST PER TREE

CAN=T
SELL

$20

$30

$50

$60

$65

Expenses Per 100 Trees

Year
1

Year
2

Year
3

Year
4

Year
5

Year
6

Year
7

Year
8

Year
9

Planting

$100

Mowing/
Spraying

$8

$8

$8

$8

$8

$8

Trimming

$7

$7

$7

Cutting

$5

$5

$5

$5

$5

Machinery

$25

$25

$25

$25

$25

$25

$25

$25

$25

Labor

$21

$12

$12

$12

$14

$17

$8

$8

$5

Clerical

$7

$7

$7

$7

$7

$7

$7

$7

$7

STUDENT SHEET
PROJECT 2
STUDENT DATA SHEET
Following your proposal, Farmer Brown should plant ___________ trees.
The fixed cost for maintaining 100 trees for the first 4 years is ________.
The fixed for maintaining all of your trees for the first 4 years is ________.
Spreading the cost over 5 - 9, the fixed expense per year is ________________.

Fixed
Expense

Number
of Trees

Expense
per 100
trees

Expense
for the
year

Total
Expense

Trees
Sold for
Year

Selling
Price
for year

Gross
Profit

Net
Profit

5
6
7
8
9

TOTAL PROFIT ___________

SAMPLE SOLUTION FOR PROJECT 2

Christmas Tree Farm Proposal
for
Charles Brown

The projected total income for the Christmas tree farm after nine years is $1,214,025. The chart
below shows the total number of trees sold each year to reach the projected income.

Year

Trees Sold for Year

Net Profit

2614

$ 19,944

3922

$ 84,486

5229

$234,362

6537

$367,851

8116

$507,382

The following assumptions were made figuring these calculations.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

All money calculations are rounded to the nearest dollar.

All trees grow at the same rate.
There is a market for the number of trees that you want to sell.
No tree dies.
The expenses and selling prices remain consistent with the original projected values.

Since the tree farm is going to be your only source of income, it is important that you have a
substantial income each of the five years. You will note that we have allowed for a growing profit
over the given time period. Any excess income can be easily invested in certificates of deposit,
savings accounts, stocks, and bonds to increase your income. We will be happy to assist you in
choosing the appropriate investments to build your revenues.
On the next page is a spreadsheet with an explanation of the calculations for the expenses and the
profits.

SAMPLE SOLUTION FOR PROJECT 2

SAMPLE STUDENT DATA SHEET
Following your proposal, Farmer Brown should plant 26,418 trees.
The fixed cost for maintaining 100 trees for the first 4 years is $317.
The fixed for maintaining all of your trees for the first 4 years is $83,745.
Spreading the cost over years 5 - 9, the fixed expense per year is $16,749.

Fixed
Expense

Number
of
Trees

Expense
Per
100
Trees

Expense
For The
Year

Total
Expense

Trees
Sold
For
Year

Selling
Price
For
year

Gross
Profit

Net
Profit

$16,749

26,418

$59

$15,587

$32,336

2614

$20

$ 52,280

$ 19,944

$16,749

23,804

$69

$16,425

$33,174

3922

$30

$117,660

$ 84,486

$16,749

19,882

$52

$10,339

$27,088

5229

$50

$261,450

$234,362

$16,749

14,653

$52

$ 7,620

$24,369

6537

$60

$392,220

$367,851

$16,749

8,116

$42

$ 3,409

$20,158

8116

$65

$527,540

$507,382

TOTAL PROFIT
$1,214,025
o

The expense per 100 trees is calculated by totaling the individual expenses for that year.

The expense for the year is calculated by divididing the number of trees by 100 and then
multiplying by the expense per 100 trees.

The total expense is calculated by adding the fixed expense and the expenses for the year.

The gross profit is calculated by multiplying the number of trees sold that year by the
selling price for that year.

The net profit is calculated by subtracting the total expense from the gross profit.