FOSS Ecoscenarios: Monongahela National Forest Page 1 of 6 INTRODUCTION

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1 FOSS Ecoscenarios: Monongahela National Forest Page 1 of 6 INTRODUCTION Biome: Temperate Deciduous Forest Monongahela National Forest is located in the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia. This temperate deciduous forest covers over 3,635 square kilometers (km2). The landscape is rugged with spectacular views of exposed rocks, spring wildflowers, and colorful fall leaves. Between 1880 and 1920, most of the forests in West Virginia were logged. Clear-cut logging removed all vegetation in many areas. Smaller, immature trees were cut to make removal of the larger trees easier. Without tree roots, soil erosion increased. When it rained, soil was carried away with rain water into the streams and rivers. The streams and rivers were polluted with sediments that blocked sunlight from underwater plants. Malachi Jacobs/Shutterstock Fall colors of deciduous trees in Monongahela National Forest. A watershed is an ecosystem that contains a set of streams and rivers that all drain into a single larger body of water. The body of water could be a wetland, lake, pond, and groundwater (water FOSS Populations and Ecosystems Course, Second Edition Version date 12/2015

2 Page 2 of 6 stored underground). The watershed can also include cities, factories, logging sites, mines, and farmland. These human developments can affect the health of the watershed ecosystem. Most logging operations began at the mouth of a river and worked upriver, toward the source of the river. The goal was that by the time they reached the river source, the forest back at the mouth of the river would have regrown. But as logging operations became bigger and more efficient at removing trees, many watersheds were completely logged before any regrowth could occur. In 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt established the US Forest Service (USFS) to protect forests in order to provide quality drinking water and timber for Americans. The Monongahela National Forest was established in 1920 to protect important parts of the Monongahela River watershed. Today, USFS manages areas like Monongahela for harvesting natural resources, recreational use, and scientific and management research. Prior to logging, the Monongahela forest was made up of a diversity of tree species (spruce, hemlock, white oak, and poplar) of different ages. Fires, storms, disease, and animal activity thinned the forest naturally. The oldest trees grew to a massive size. Dead, decaying trees created habitat for insects, birds, and other animals. The understory layer was thick with young trees and shrubs. This is called an old-growth forest. A secondary forest grows up after a disturbance such as fire or logging destroys an old-growth forest. Secondary forests have much younger trees than old-growth forests. Most of the forests in Monongahela are secondary forests. Most of the old-growth trees were all cut down by Secondary forests are not as diverse as old-growth forests. Humans replant the forest in evenly distributed groups of trees of the same species, age, and height. The area below the trees is very sparsely populated. Monongahela forests offer many ecosystem services. Like all national forests, it can be hard to balance the preservation of habitat and use of that habitat as a natural resource. Many forest organisms rely on healthy trees for their survival. This conflicts with humans wanting to remove trees (logging) to provide wood for buildings, furniture, and paper. An average of 10 million meters of wood boards are made from Monongahela trees each year. The sale of resources from logging and mining in Monongahela helps financially support local public schools and repair local roads. In addition, the forest is within an easy drive of millions of people living along the East coast, making it a popular vacation area. Monongahela forests are essential to the health of the Monongahela watershed. Many major regional rivers begin in the mountainous forests, including the Monongahela, Greenbrier, and Potomac rivers. The tree root system reduces erosion and filters water as it makes its way to these rivers. The high soil diversity is important for many other regulating services. Through the process of photosynthesis, trees convert CO 2 that could otherwise become greenhouse gases in the atmosphere into oxygen (O 2). Trees store the carbon in their biomass.

3 Page 3 of 6 This process is called carbon sequestration. This is important because humans are adding extra carbon to the atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide (CO 2) by burning fuels like wood, coal, oil, and natural gas. Increased CO 2 in the atmosphere is one cause of climate change. Ecosystem Services Aesthetic value: Deciduous forests are quite beautiful, particularly in the fall when the leaves change color. Air quality maintenance: Forests play a major role in filtering air pollution and extracting CO 2 from the air through photosynthesis. Climate Regulation: Forests help regulate the global climate by storing greenhouse gases like CO 2. Disease control: Healthy forests reduce the risk of some human infectious diseases, such as Lyme disease. When biodiversity is high, populations involved in the transfer of a disease are usually kept low. Educational value: The US Forest Service is a world leader in research of fire behavior and management, and sustainable forest management, so other countries may look to Monongahela as an example. Erosion, flood, and storm control: Tree root systems reduce soil erosion, which helps reduce the negative effects of natural disasters such as hurricanes, drought, and flooding. Freshwater: Watersheds with healthy forests provide safe drinking water. Habitat refuge: Many organisms are dependent on temperate deciduous forests for habitat either all year or during specific seasons. Natural Resources: Deciduous trees provide timber, construction, paper, and firewood. The forest also provides jobs and income to the local economy through the lumber industry, as well as coal mining and natural gas collection. Nutrient cycling: Temperate forests help maintain balances in the carbon cycle by storing large amounts of carbon in the form of tree biomass. Primary Production: Many ecosystem services benefit from the primary productivity of healthy deciduous forests. Recreation and tourism: Monongahela National Forest is a popular destination for camping, hiking, fishing, and hunting. Tourism produces income for local inhabitants. Soil biodiversity: Healthy temperate forests often have very fertile soil. High soil biodiversity is important for many regulating services.

4 Page 4 of 6 Spiritual experience and sense of place: Forests are a source of a deep sense of belonging, cultural heritage, and religious and spiritual significance. Water cycle: Forests maintain the water cycle and precipitation levels, thus keeping local climates stable. The sources of many rivers begin within the Monongahela. Water regulation: Tree roots and soil act as huge filters that collect toxic chemicals. Tree cover can delay the snowmelt, allowing for a steady source of fresh, cold water for streams during the spring. ABIOTIC DATA Temperate deciduous forests are found in middle latitudes with temperate climates. Temperate climates do not have extremes of hot or cold, compared to Polar Regions. Changes in temperature, precipitation, and duration of sunlight create four distinct seasons. In the summer, the average air temperature is 19 degrees Celsius ( C). In the winter, the average air temperature drops to 1 C. Sometimes there is snow, but most of the precipitation still falls as rain. The growing season is most active starting in March and lasts 4-6 months. Producer activity slows down dramatically in the fall and winter due to cold temperatures. There is no distinct rainy season, but the way the mountains are shaped and positioned causes the western side of the mountains to receive more rainfall than the eastern side. Storms usually come from the west, dropping most of their moisture as they rise over the Allegheny Mountains. In some years, the average annual precipitation on western side of the forest is 150 centimeters (cm), while the eastern side is only 75 cm.

5 Page 5 of 6 Elevation in the Monongahela terrain ranges from 274 1,482 meters (m). The highest peak is Spruce Knob. The mountains contain the sources for many major regional rivers including the Monongahela, Greenbrier, and Potomac Rivers. Temperate deciduous forest soils are very fertile. The soil in Monongahela is a deep layer of organic material formed from decaying leaves and wood. BIOTIC DATA Annual primary productivity is the amount of energy provided by the producers to an ecosystem each year. Temperate deciduous forests, like Monongahela, have relatively high annual primary productivity. Annual primary productivity is relatively high in temperate deciduous forest like Monongahela NF. Deciduous forests have three main layers: canopy; understory; and ground layers. The canopy layer includes the tops of the tallest trees. The understory is made up of shrubs and smaller plants. On the forest floor is the ground layer, covered with the shortest plants and leaf litter. The canopy trees stand meter (m) tall. Large deciduous (hardwood) trees are the producers that dominate the forest canopy. Deciduous trees have broad leaves that are lost every year. Each fall, trees such as American beech and red maple, lose their leaves and remain dormant during the

6 FOSS Ecoscenarios: Monongahela National Forest Page 6 of 6 cold winter months. These trees prefer well-drained soils. Beech trees can grow close together, allowing little sunlight to reach the layers beneath the canopy. Where the shade from the canopy is not too dense, the understory is thick with large shrubs like red elderberry, rhododendrons, and black cherry. The flowers of these woody shrubs brighten the forest in late May and early June. The ground layer contains a mixture of lichens and mosses. These organisms, along with the roots of the taller plants, help keep the soil in place. Moss covers the ground in damp shady places, and may grow at the base of tree trunks or on decaying stumps. Mushrooms, earthworms, and bacteria are also important in this layer, as they break down detritus and return nutrients to the soil. Temperate deciduous forests have some of the most fertile soil of all biomes. Art Explosion The understory of the deciduous forest contains moss, ferns, lichen, and herbaceous plants. Courtesy of of US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service Springs and small streams throughout the forest keep the forest floor moist. Many animals live in the Monongahela forest. There are over 230 species of birds, including American robins, woodcocks, and wild turkeys. In the evenings, a keen observer might see flying squirrels gliding between the taller trees. Fruit from the cherry trees and elderberries attract birds, raccoons, opossums, white-tailed deer, black bears, and humans. Animals like the red fox and the woodchuck move through more open areas looking for food. Fishers, a large weasel, are often found near water, but generally avoid open spaces. Spotted salamanders spend most of their time in the moist forest soil and leaf litter. Tree trunks near streams often bear the tooth marks of American beavers. They cut down taller trees to access their branches for food and to build their dams and lodges. More than a century ago, spruce and white pine trees dominated the Monongahela forest. Today, Monongahela is almost entirely secondary forest. The trees are smaller and less diverse than the original old-growth forest. The Gaudineer Knob Scenic Area is the only remaining piece of the old-growth forest that has been spared from logging. FOSS Populations and Ecosystems Course, Second Edition Version date 12/2015