public read Forest Ecosystem Monitoring Cooperative

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(802) 656-0683femc@uvm.eduwww.uvm.edu/femcHarvard University Harvard ForestleadDuke Forest partnerDensities of ungulates are often associated with recent forest disturbances (such as fire, logging and insect outbreaks) as increased resources stimulate tree regeneration, leading to abundant available browse. Despite the often significant role that ungulates play in disturbed forests, surprisingly little is known about ungulate-disturbance interactions. Ungulate herbivory is often excluded from examinations of forest response to disturbance. In the Northeastern United States, a large-scale insect outbreak, the hemlock wooly adelgid (HWA), has begun to have important effects on hemlock forests, both directly and indirectly (i.e., by preemptive salvage logging). No studies have examined the interactions of both moose and deer activity with these associated canopy disturbances. The authors examined the relative abundance of moose and deer in four treatments (2 replicates) at the Hemlock Removal Experiment using three indices of ungulate activity: pellet group density, evidence of past browsing on seedlings and saplings, and the occurrence of animals using game cameras. They also monitored the response of vegetation to ungulate browsing by sampling woody and herbaceous vegetation in fenced enclosures and paired controls in disturbed and undisturbed plots. 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.Ungulate-Disturbance Interactions in Hemlock Ecosystems at Harvard Forest since 2012Densities of ungulates are often associated with recent forest disturbances (such as fire, logging and insect outbreaks) as increased resources stimulate tree regeneration, leading to abundant available browse. Despite the often significant role that ungulates play in disturbed forests, surprisingly little is known about ungulate-disturbance interactions. Ungulate herbivory is often excluded from examinations of forest response to disturbance. In the Northeastern United States, a large-scale insect outbreak, the hemlock wooly adelgid (HWA), has begun to have important effects on hemlock forests, both directly and indirectly (i.e., by preemptive salvage logging). No studies have examined the interactions of both moose and deer activity with these associated canopy disturbances. The authors examined the relative abundance of moose and deer in four treatments (2 replicates) at the Hemlock Removal Experiment using three indices of ungulate activity: pellet group density, evidence of past browsing on seedlings and saplings, and the occurrence of animals using game cameras. They also monitored the response of vegetation to ungulate browsing by sampling woody and herbaceous vegetation in fenced enclosures and paired controls in disturbed and undisturbed plots. VMC.1387.2830mySQL/femc/data/archive/project/Harvard_Forest_Research/dataset/ungulate-disturbance-interactions-hemlock-ecosystems-harvard2012-01-012013-01-01speciesSpecies field in the HF Ungulate-Disturbance woody regeneration datasetSpecies field in the Harvard Forest Ungulate-Disturbance Interactions in Hemlock Woody Regeneration dataset (hf203-01)textPinus strobusITIS #183385, eastern white pine (Pinus strobus)Acer rubrumITIS #28728, red maple (Acer rubrum)Betula lentaITIS #19487, sweet birch (Betula lenta)Prunus serotinaITIS #24764, black cherry (Prunus serotina)Ilex verticillataITIS #27985, common winterberry (Ilex verticillata)Tsuga canadensisITIS #183397, Canada hemlock; hemlock spruce (Tsuga canadensis)Quercus rubraITIS #19408, northern red oak (Quercus rubra)Betula papyriferaITIS #19489, paper birch (Betula papyrifera)Prunus pensylvanicaITIS #24799, pin cherry (Prunus pensylvanica)Prunus virginianaITIS #24806, chokecherry (Prunus virginiana)Quercus velutinaITIS #19447, black oak (Quercus velutina)Ilex mucronataITIS #835359, catberry (Ilex mucronata)Carpinus carolinianaITIS #19504, American hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana)Viburnum cassanoidesITIS #530807, withe-rod (Viburnum nudum var. cassinoides)Rhodendron viscosumITIS #23731, clammy azalea (Rhododendron viscosum)Hamamelis virginianaITIS #19033, witch-hazel; witchhazel; American witchhazel (Hamamelis virginiana)Viburnum acerfoliumITIS #35255, mapleleaf viburnum (Viburnum acerifolium)Corylus cornutaITIS #19507, beaked hazel (Corylus cornuta)Fagus grandifoliaITIS #19462, American beech (Fagus grandifolia)Quercus albaITIS #19290, white oak (Quercus alba)UnknownITIS #, Unknown plant species ( )Acer saccharumITIS #28731, sugar maple (Acer saccharum)Carya glabraITIS #19231, pignut hickory; sweet pignut (Carya glabra)Castanea americanaITIS #19454, American chestnut (Castanea dentata)Acer pennsylvanicumITIS #28754, striped maple (Acer pensylvanicum)Amelanchier sp.ITIS #25108, serviceberry (Amelanchier sp.)Ostrya virginianaITIS #19511, eastern hophornbeam; hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana)Prunus pennsylvanicaITIS #24799, pin cherry (Prunus pensylvanica)Sassafras albindumITIS #18158, sassafras (Sassafras albidum)Comptonia peregrinaITIS #501619, sweet fern (Comptonia peregrina)Betula populifoliaITIS #19497, gray birch (Betula populifolia)