Tree Ecology In Battle Park

Similar information has been explored in different studies. A previous study conducted showed that trees with smaller DBHs and greater canopy coverage allowed for an increase in species richness (Rannius T 2000). Furthermore, researchers have found that saplings across different species like the sugar maple exhibit greater growth in open canopies than saplings that are in closed canopies (Canndam C. 1998). Although these studies are important, the relationship between canopy size and DBH is still yet to be explored. In response to this lack of knowledge, we have conducted a study to further explore this correlation. Our hypothesis is that the larger the DBH size, the greater the amount of canopy coverage in a given area for the tree being studied.

Every forest has a story to tell. By looking closely at its habitants, that story can be interpreted. Much of this narrative is written in the trees: their age, their tolerance to shade, and the rate at which they grow are all characteristics that can imply a lot about their environment. Exploring these relationships and how they connect with each other can indicate the health and history of the land. Heiberg Forest, located in northern New York, was once used for agricultural purposes in the 1800-1900’s. (Nowak, Lecture Notes) Much of the land once used for farming was left to regrow back into a young forest. The life history of different tree species can be determined by examining the most common species in Heiberg.

The purpose of this experiment is to observe secondary succession at Umass Dartmouth and test the prediction that diversity increases through ecological succession. Students went outside to the lawn underneath the wind mill on campus. 3 transect sites were located by the instructor. Students predicted the species and percent cover of each species on each trail site. Bar charts were made to compare the number of species in each transect. Pi-charts were made to compare the percent coverage of species in each transect.

Fire has long been understood to have an impact on the ecosystem of our native woodlands, but it is only recently that we have come to understand its importance in maintaining the ecosystem. This report takes samples of the flora structure and growth in two different areas of Anstey Hill Recreation Park. The first was last burnt in 1995, and the second burnt in 2012. The results of these samples can be compared to data sampled in 2011, when the 2012 burnt area had not been burnt since Ash Wednesday in 1983.

The topography of the island is also of note. The west end of the island features a closed-canopy forest with more hardwood trees. The east end of the island is better characterized as a “boreal forest,” a term used to describe regions that are mostly covered by coniferous forests. It is good to note that the balsam fir is found on both ends of the island, but that samples used in the study from the west end of the island were, on average, older, but shorter, than those samples found on the east side of the island.

The ancient forests of the Northeast aren’t the only aspect of the bioregion that’s fate have been at perpetual risk since the early settlement of Europeans. There is no question that forests still dominate the landscape of Northeastern region accounting for “60% of the total land area, and in New England alone, the coverage is 80%”. Still the species that exist within the understory of the forests have undergone an equally dramatic transformation because of human interaction with the land and the harvest of its resources. Some species in the understory of the mixed forests of the Northeast have been driven out of the region, are under intense ecological pressure, are on the brink of extinction, or have already gone extinct in the region. Perhaps one of the most harmful and impactful effects colonization of the Northeast has had on the resources of the land is the introduction of non-native species and diseases into the region. Over time the overall makeup of the forests have changed drastically as an example, “…the American chestnut once made up as much as 25% of the trees in some areas and was economically the most important hardwood in the Eastern forests”. The introduction of chestnut blight at the turn of the century accounts for

The Acadian forest in Canada takes up 12.1 million hectares, and can be distinguished from other parts of Canadian forests by its location in the lowlands and deep valleys and by its mixed hardwood and softwood composition. The position of these trees in deep valleys isolates them from other forests, and limits their ability to further naturally spread their population geographically, and causes them to be more significantly impacted by disturbances. The Acadian forest region covers the Canadian provinces of Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, with a rich diversity of plant and animal species consisting of many shade-tolerant trees and lichens. Yet these shade-tolerant trees are slowly transitioning into small seedlings as logging practices abolish old trees. The old-growth hardwood population in specific provides critical habitats for animal species though these trees are declining in numbers due to extensive logging. With the declining old-growth trees, the number of critical habitats will also decline and animal species will most likely die out. These regions are affected by climate change at the same time, which increases the vulnerability of Acadian biodiversity.

The reduction of vegetative cover during and after fire can have a severe negative impact on several different factors including: water quality, soil erosion, wildlife and threatened or endangered species, introduction or spread of invasive and exotic species, and economic or social impacts to the surrounding communities. We will implement a vegetation monitoring protocol that will help guide us in restoration and recovery efforts of the High Park fire scar and the surrounding areas and watershed. A collaboration with the US Forest Service will be aggressively pursued in the hopes that a combined use of the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program and our separate vegetation monitoring protocol can be utilized. We will use the burn severity field data collection points and cross-reference them with the FIA data points to see if there is any overlap between them. If there is then the FIA data points will be given preference as those points can possibly provide more information than solely High Park Fire data collection points. If there is not the ability to utilize the FIA data collection points, due to privacy, cost, or unforeseen reasons, then the High Park Fire data collection points will be

The variations in temperature, elevation and rainfall make for an ideal habitat for more than 130 species of trees and 4,000 other plant species. Can you believe there are 450 mosses and liverworts and 50 types of ferns? There are five forest types in the Great Smoky Mountains including small sections of the park that are considered as

Differences in the Woodland Ecosystem as the Result of Different Management Strategies Introduction: In this piece of work, I am studying the hypothesis, "Differences in woodland ecosystems are the result of different management strategies. " This means the way woodlands are managed affect the ecosystems. Places like Bishops wood, need to be looked after and carefully managed, if they are to remain attractive. Bishops wood is very large park and attracts over 90 million visitors a year.

Banff National Park in Alberta Canada has a very interesting climate. The study site only a few miles away from the city of Banff resides on the front ranges of the Rocky Mountains. The Continental Divide is only 45 km (28 miles) west of the study location. The climate around the park as a whole is interesting. It is commonly known to be completely different weather at varying temperatures all over the park. Throughout the day, the weather frequently changes dramatically. Areas studied included dry meadows, shrub-fields and shrub-lands, open or immature forest and mature forests. All of which have a nutrient rich post-wildfire soil. The forests are primarily spruce, lodgepole pine, subalpine fir and alpine larch.

Large variety of plants that the Daintree Rainforest is considered a jungle including 390 rare plants

In area one, the douglas fir was the dominant one in the area , then following that was the bay . This only shows only two species allocating in the area that siphons resources. If one declines, the other dominants , this does not show as much diversity in that aspect. In area 2, there was spread of dominance, the species that had the greater dominance was oregon white following that was the black oak, then the live oak then the bay. This shows more diversity than area 1.

Investigation on species distribution and abundance (SDA) is one of the major topics in ecology. It is well-recognized that SDA is affected by abiotic and biotic variables; and interaction between each variable. Abiotic variables such temperature and rainfall play important roles to filter species distribution (Catling and Burt 1995a; Catling et al. 1998). Human intervention through land-use changes and urban development can also affect species distribution (Holland and Bennett 2007). Those broad-scale variables interact with localized variables such

The purpose of our experiment was to test the intermediate disturbance hypothesis by observing plant diversity patterns along a trail. According to the theory, we should observe minimal plant diversity right next to the trail and not much far from the trail. However, there should be a greater amount of diversity some intermediate distance from the trail. We went to the James K. McPherson preserve to observe the types of plants and number of them along the trail. Our sampling method was to observe a patch of vegetation measuring 10cm by 50cm, looking for different plant species and number of individuals. We excluded all trees and shrubs and only measured tree and shrub seedlings and other understory species. Our results showed that further away from the trail, there were more diverse plants and more of them. Our experiment supports the idea that intermediate levels of disturbance promote diversity.