Using fossilized leaf traits to infer other plant and environmental characteristics, based on their relationships as established in studies of modern leaf trait economics, provides a useful tool for paleobotanists. Strengthening our understanding of leaf economics on modern plants provides foundation knowledge for solidifying and improving these paleobotanical tools. In 2008, an experiment was conducted to study how differences in light level affect leaf size, shape, stomatal and epidermal cell patterning, and other leaf traits. This experiment used growth chambers to maintain controlled settings for growth of Quercus chrysolepis, Q. kelloggii, Q. robur, and Platanus occidentalis.  For each of the four species, five plants were grown under high light levels and another five plants were grown under low light levels. The growth chambers controlled for water availability, CO2 levels, low and high light levels, temperature, and day length. In this project we are testing the vein-scaling method in Sack et al. (2012) that uses 2o vein density to infer leaf area for fragmented fossil leaves. We will collect an average for leaf areas based on the vein-scaling method and compare them to the observed leaf area and test if there’s a difference in accuracy due to light level intensity. We hypothesize there will be an overestimation of leaf area in low light conditions due to an increase in the undulation of the cuticle cell morphology and for P. occidentalis to have the largest variation from actual leaf area.