Black Rock Forest

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Black Rock Forest
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Hudson Highlands Region
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How do you initiate scientific research in an
undisturbed forest?
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Establishing Plot dimensions

• Establish plot dimensions by stringing measuring
  tape along the four sides. Designate which sides
  are to be your x-axes and your y-axes.
• Determine if a specimen fits the course woody
  detritus definition (i.e. is 1.5 meters or longer
  and has a base diameter of at least 10 cm).
• Determine whether the specimen is a log, snag, or
  stump, its decay class, and (if possible) the
  species. If the specimen has a tag number,
  record this number. Number the specimen and
  obtain the x and y coordinates of each.

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Obtaining the volumes of each specimen

• Record the length
• Depending on the formula, obtain the mid-point
  and end diameters.

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Decay Class 1

• mostly standing (snags), retains many fine twigs
  and branches and all the bark
• dead within last 2 years
• resembles very closely live wood therefore use
  live tree equation for biomass

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Decay Class 2

• mostly standing (snags)
• retaining the main branches and most of the bark
• dead for 2 5 years

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Decay Class 3

• mostly on the ground (logs), retaining the
  cylindrical shape, all or most branches gone,
  bark mostly gone, wood mostly sound

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Decay Class 4on the ground (logs), may have an
irregular shape, branches gone, bark gone, mostly
soft, fragmenting wood
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Decay Class 5

• too decayed to measure all soft, fragmenting
  wood, highly irregular shape, indistinguishable
  from the soil in some parts

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Sample sheet

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The Quest for Density

• Obtain samples of each species and each decay
  class, relative the data on the plots the
  samples should be small enough to weigh on a
  scale.
• Obtain and record the total wet weight and total
  volume of each

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and more samples
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The Drying Process

• Number each specimen according to its species
  and decay class

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With these values along with the total volumes,
we were able to calculate a density for each
piece by using the formula d m/v. We
categorized the densities according to decay
class and species and then obtained an average
for each category (a few outliers were removed).
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Decay Class vs. Mass Density
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Decay Class vs. Mass Density
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Results

• On the eight long-term plots, carbon in CWD
  ranged from 309.2 to 1791.3 kg, equal on an area
  basis to a range from 6.70 to 32.58 t/ha.
• The average was 17,320.2 kg/ha or 17.3 t/ha.
• The percentage of total ecosystem carbon in the
  CWD ranged from 1.63 to 12.39, and the average
  was 5.08.
• CWD amounts on the older sites of Arthurs Brook
  and White Oak (118 years old) were on average
  twice the amounts on the younger sites of Mount
  Misery and Bog Meadow (98 and 93 respectively),
  showing that at least during this range of forest
  ages, CWD increases with forest maturity (Fig.
  1,2).

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Carbon in CWD on Long Term Plots
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Percentages of Ecosystem Carbon in CWD
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Some Conclusions

• The results state that the two older sites have
  more CWD and therefore more carbon than the other
  two, roughly twice as much. It can be concluded
  that as a forest plot ages, the amount of CWD
  increases, at least initially. As a plot
  continues to mature, it will eventually come to
  equilibrium and the amount of CWD will level off.
  
• In BRF, the carbon in the trees' AGB makes up on
  average 33 of the total carbon in the ecosystem.
  An older forest's ratio may change as CWD
  increases. However, it is clear that a forest of
  BRF's age can continue to sequester carbon and
  function as a carbon sink. In BRF the CWD
  contains on average only 5 of the forest's
  carbon, while published references estimate that
  it is supposed to contain as much as 11.
• If we look at the data and see that the plots
  differ in age by about 20 years and say that this
  is how long it would take to double the amount of
  CWD on a forest plot, then we can say it will
  take decades at least to achieve the maximum
  amount.

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How effective are carbon sinks?

• The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is
  increasing at a rapid rate and methods to reduce
  it should be found. There are doubts about
  forests continued efficiency in their role as
  carbon sinks. It is argued that they are only a
  temporary solution, and that those that are
  approaching maturity will not function as sinks
  in the future.
• However, even after a forest has ceased to take
  in more carbon than it gives off, it still
  contains a large amount of carbon that is being
  kept out of the atmosphere. It is possible that
  even mature forests can continue to sequester
  carbon, but it will take place in the CWD and the
  soil.
• It is important that this project be continued in
  order to further study CWD. This, along with
  studies on other aspects of the forest ecosystem
  will provide us with better knowledge on how to
  maintain and increase a forests carbon stores.