public read Forest Ecosystem Monitoring Cooperative

705 Spear StreetSouth BurlingtonVermont05403United States of America

(802) 656-0683femc@uvm.eduwww.uvm.edu/femcHarvard University Harvard ForestleadDuke Forest partnerForest harvesting is one of the most significant disturbances affecting forest plant composition and structure in Western Massachusetts, yet few studies have quantified the effects of harvesting in this region. Massachusetts requires all commercial harvest operations above 87 m3 to file a Forest Cutting Plan (FCP) with the state. We have digitized these FCPs (see McDonald et al. 2006), covering all harvests from 1984 to 2003. Our study area is Massachusetts, west of the coastal basin, as defined by Motts and O’Brian (1981). We selected 126 sites for sampling. Two-thirds of the sites (89) were harvested once between 1984 and 2003, and these were selected randomly from the larger FCP database. The remaining one-third of the sites (37) were control sites selected randomly from all unharvested forest in the study area. The boundaries for our field surveys were those filed with the FCP for harvested sites, and were circular for control sites, proportional in size to the mean FCP in the physiographic region (Motts and O'Brien 1981): Connecticut River Valley (10.7 ha), Central Upland (11.3 ha), Berkshire Valley and Taconic Mountains (12.6 ha), and the Western Upland (15.9 ha). Note that our sampled sites were well-dispersed over the study area, and encompassed the variety of past agricultural land-use. Forest Ecosystem Monitoring CooperativeEmeryBooseprincipalInvestigatorSince 1907, the Harvard Forest has served as a center for research and education in forest biology and conservation. The Forest's Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) program, established in 1988 and funded by the National Science Foundation, provides a framework for much of this activity.Timber Harvesting Field Study in Western Massachusetts 2004-2005Forest harvesting is one of the most significant disturbances affecting forest plant composition and structure in Western Massachusetts, yet few studies have quantified the effects of harvesting in this region. Massachusetts requires all commercial harvest operations above 87 m3 to file a Forest Cutting Plan (FCP) with the state. We have digitized these FCPs (see McDonald et al. 2006), covering all harvests from 1984 to 2003. Our study area is Massachusetts, west of the coastal basin, as defined by Motts and O’Brian (1981). We selected 126 sites for sampling. Two-thirds of the sites (89) were harvested once between 1984 and 2003, and these were selected randomly from the larger FCP database. The remaining one-third of the sites (37) were control sites selected randomly from all unharvested forest in the study area. The boundaries for our field surveys were those filed with the FCP for harvested sites, and were circular for control sites, proportional in size to the mean FCP in the physiographic region (Motts and O'Brien 1981): Connecticut River Valley (10.7 ha), Central Upland (11.3 ha), Berkshire Valley and Taconic Mountains (12.6 ha), and the Western Upland (15.9 ha). Note that our sampled sites were well-dispersed over the study area, and encompassed the variety of past agricultural land-use. VMC.1387.2862mySQL/femc/data/archive/project/Harvard_Forest_Research/dataset/timber-harvesting-field-study-western-massachusetts2004-01-012005-12-31speciesSpecies field in the HF Timber Harvesting datasetsSpecies field in the Harvard Forest Timber Harvesting Field Study sapling, seedling and herb datasets (HF127)textAbies balsameaITIS #18032, balsam fir (Abies balsamea)Acer pennsylvanicumITIS #28754, striped maple (Acer pensylvanicum)Acer rubrumITIS #28728, red maple (Acer rubrum)Acer saccharumITIS #28731, sugar maple (Acer saccharum)Amelanchier spp.ITIS #25108, serviceberry (Amelanchier sp.)Betula alleghanensisITIS #19481, yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis)Betula lentaITIS #19487, sweet birch (Betula lenta)Betula papyriferaITIS #19489, paper birch (Betula papyrifera)Betula populifoliaITIS #19497, gray birch (Betula populifolia)Carya cordiformisITIS #19227, bitternut hickory; pignut (Carya cordiformis)Carya glabraITIS #19231, pignut hickory; sweet pignut (Carya glabra)Carya ovataITIS #19242, shagbark hickory (Carya ovata)Carya sp.ITIS #19223, hickory spp (Carya sp.)Carya tomentosaITIS #19247, mockernut hickory (Carya tomentosa)Castanea dentataITIS #19454, American chestnut (Castanea dentata)Crataegus sp.ITIS #24539, hawthorn (Crataegus )Fagus grandifoliaITIS #19462, American beech (Fagus grandifolia)Fraxinus americanaITIS #32931, white ash (Fraxinus americana)Fraxinus spp.ITIS #32928, ash (Fraxinus sp.)Juglans cinereaITIS #19250, butternut (Juglans cinerea)Juniperus sp.ITIS #18047, juniper; cedar (Juniperus sp.)Juniperus virginianaITIS #18048, eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana)Malus domesticaITIS #516655, ( Malus domestica)Malus sp.ITIS #25254, apple (Malus sp.)Nyssa sylvaticaITIS #27821, black gum, black tupelo, blackgum (Nyssa sylvatica)Ostyra virginianaITIS #19511, eastern hophornbeam; hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana)Picea rubensITIS #18034, red spruce (Picea rubens)Pinus resinosaITIS #183375, red pine (Pinus resinosa)Pinus rigidaITIS #183376, pitch pine (Pinus rigida)Pinus strobusITIS #183385, eastern white pine (Pinus strobus)Populus grandidentataITIS #22463, bigtooth aspen (Populus grandidentata)Populus tremuloidesITIS #195773, quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides)Prunus serotinaITIS #24764, black cherry (Prunus serotina)Quercus albaITIS #19290, white oak (Quercus alba)Quercas coccineaITIS #19288, scarlet oak (Quercus coccinea)Quercus rubraITIS #19408, northern red oak (Quercus rubra)Quercus spp.ITIS #19276, oak (Quercus sp.)Quercus velutinaITIS #19447, black oak (Quercus velutina)Quercus prinusITIS #195058, chestnut oak ( Quercus prinus)Rhamnus catharticaITIS #28573, Carolina buckthorn; European buckthorn; European waythorn; Hart's thorn; nerprun cathartique; common buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica)Rhamnus frangulaITIS #28579, glossy buckthorn (Rhamnus frangula)Rhus spp.ITIS #28772, sumac (Rhus sp.)Robinia pseudoacaciaITIS #504804, black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia)Sassafras albidumITIS #18158, sassafras (Sassafras albidum)Tilia americanaITIS #21536, American basswood (Tilia americana)Tsuga canadensisITIS #183397, Canada hemlock; hemlock spruce (Tsuga canadensis)Ulmus americanaITIS #19049, American elm (Ulmus americana)Ulmus rubraITIS #19050, slippery elm (Ulmus rubra)UnknownITIS #823, (Radiocystis )