Vermont Department of Forest, Parks and Recreation And UVM Extension Presented by Nancy Patch VTFPR Franklin-Grand Isle County Forester Photos and Assistance from Michael Snyder
Ecology: the study of reciprocal relations between organisms and their environment.
FIVE PRIORITY CONNECTIONS Importance vs. Threat (Current HF) at 10 km 2 scale
Upland Forest: Spruce fir Northern Hardwood ( 7) Northern Hardwood (6) Oak-Pine-Northern hardwood (12) Wetland Forest: Floodplain Forests (4) Hardwood Swamps (6) Softwood Swamps (4) Seeps and Vernal Pools (3)
Function: control flooding, soak up nutrients, trap sediment, provide habitat for rare plants and animals including the Cerulean warbler, Green dragon and Goldie s woodfern Soils: newly deposited and so no organic material, (exception is a Lakeside Floodplain), annually flooded, often form natural levees
Soils: swamps that are permanently saturated have deep organic soils, those that are flooded seasonally are primarily mineral soils with a thin organic layer. Found in the lower elevation and warmer climates of Vermont. Red maple is a component of all hardwood swamps. Five of the six Hardwood Swamp communities are either extremely rare, very rare, or uncommon Habitat for rare plants and animals including nodding trillium, showy lady s slipper, bog turtle, and four-toed salamanders.
Soil Hydrology: occur on organic soils that are saturated throughout the year and do not experience seasonal flooding. *Cedar swamps are found on carbonate soils *Black spruce and Spruce tamarack swamps are found on acid soils *hemlock swamps have some mineral enrichment (Two are very rare and the other two are uncommon.) There are many rare plants and animals in these wetlands including the rare spruce grouse, gray jay, and blackbacked woodpecker.
Soil hydrology: Small wetlands usually less than half an acre, that form in depressions and at the bases of slopes in a forest. A hardpan of bedrock impedes the downward movement of water, resulting in horizontal discharge. Seeps can be source waters for streams at lower slopes. They are also some of the first places to start greening in the spring and provide an important early food source for black bear. This habitat is associated with the rare petalwing dragonfly.
Soil hydrology: Small wetlands usually less than half an acre, that form in depressions and at the bases of slopes in a forest with a hardpan.. Unlike most natural communities, vernal pools are characterized by the animals that live there not the plants. Obligate Vernal pool species include wood frog, the mole salamanders, fairy shrimp, and fingernail clams.
The species requirements and what the SITE has to offer determines the forest community.
Trees all started at about the same time But do NOT grow at same rate So, usually contain trees of varying diameters In mixed species stands, get stratification of canopy layers Note: differ from two-aged stands
Trees regenerated periodically over long time Creates a mixture of young, middle-aged, and older trees Generally at least 3 distinct age classes Upper, middle, lower canopy layers representing different age classes Within each age class, some trees grow better than others
Vertical Structure Many layers from the ground up Forest floor; herb; shrub; and canopy (understory, mid-story, overstory) Horizontal structure Gaps, Skips, Composition, Density Standing dead and dying trees Downed dead trees Coarse woody material Fine woody material
Vertical structure Multiple age classes Canopy gaps Coarse woody material and snags
From This to This
Total tree environment is a complex integration of physical and biological elements Physical: factors of climate and soil Biological: associated plants, animals, fungi, microbes
The study of life history of a given species of tree Helps us predict how a tree will respond to its environment
Silvics the study of the life history, requirements and general characteristics of forest trees and stands in relation to the environment.
SILVICS This includes interactions and requirements such as: Soil Light Moisture Nutrients Flowering and Seed Production Topographic position Reaction to Competition Growth Rates Susceptibility to Disease/Insects
SILVICS What does this mean? Some species have deep root systems and cannot tolerate shallow soils, while others have shallow roots and can tolerate a wider range of soils. bur oak vs. red maple Some species require more sunlight than others. aspen vs. sugar maple white pine vs. eastern hemlock Some species can tolerate saturated conditions, while others can tolerate extremely dry soils. silver maple vs. beech black ash vs. red pine
SILVICS More Some species flower earlier than others. red maple vs. black cherry Some species have greater cold tolerance than others. balsam fir vs. red spruce Some species have higher nutrient demands than others. sugar maple vs. American beech
Extremely Intolerant: Aspens, Gray birch, Willows Intolerant: Paper birch, Butternut, Hickory, Red pine, Pitch pine Intermediate: Oaks, Ashes, Red maple, Elm, Yellow Birch Tolerant: Silver maple, Basswood, Spruces, Northern white cedar Extremely Tolerant: Beech, Sugar maple, Hardhack, Hemlock, Balsam fir
http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/silvics_manual/table_of_contents.h tm
Think of it as tree habitat The sum total of all physical factors influencing tree growth
Site Conditions Soil: anchors the tree to the earth, provides virtually all the essential nutrients and water used by the tree. Climate: temperature affected by latitude, elevation, aspect
Bedrock Surficial deposits Soils Hydrology Topography Slope Aspect Elevation Relatively easily observed compared to climate and natural processes
Site Requirements Species Moisture Nutrients Soil temp. Light Balsam fir H M L L White spruce M M L M Red spruce M M L L Red pine L L M V White pine L M M M KEY L=low M=medium H=high V=very high Hemlock M M L L Larch H L L V White cedar H M L L Red maple L M M M Sugar maple H V H L Yellow birch H H M M Paper birch M M L V White ash H V H H Aspen M M M V White oak L M M M Red oak M M M M Basswood M V H L
Soil Fertility Poor Moderate Good Red Maple Sugar Maple Yellow Beech Wet Moist Dry Soil Moisture
Many types granite, limestone, schist, shale, slate Distinct characteristics Chemistry, resistance, texture In turn affect community distribution
Calcareous red maple tamarack swamp Limestone bluff cedar pine forest Acidic outcrop
Also diverse activity of glaciers Glacial till covers much of VT Retains characteristics of the bedrock from which it is derived
Rich soils Blue cohosh Maidenhair fern Squirrel corn Seersucker sedge Hepatica Wild leeks Ostrich fern Acid soils Shining clubmoss Bluebead lily Starflower Sarsaparilla Wood sorrel Intermediate woodfern Wet Soils Wool grass Sensitive fern Cinnamon fern Marsh fern False helebore
Water properties, distribution, effects Relative availability/abundance is key in determining which communities grow where Upland vs. Wetland distinction based on hydrology
Long, snowy winters Short summers Average January temperatures 20 F Average July temperatures 70 F Average annual precipitation ranges from 30-90 inches; near 40 in many areas Winds from west and south Weather is changeable!
Two species geographic distribution Red maple Sugar maple
50 Year Trend Summer trend is 0.4±0.12 F per decade 2 F Increase Winter trend is 0.91±028 F per decade 4.5 F increase Betts 2010. 4 VT Stations 46
50 Year Trend 15-20% precipitation increase in VT 67% increase in the amount falling as heavy precipitation US Global Change Research Program, 2009 48
Slope Aspect Elevation
North aspect West & south slopes
Height above sea level Different environments Influences growth potential
Steepness, amount of incline at any location. Related to soil development/drainage
Upper slopes exposed, drier, thin soils Mid slopes Intermediate Lower slopes sheltered, moister, richer
Topography: Slope, Aspect, Elevation
Wind : Ice: Fire: minor windstorms are common in VT and cause single tree fall major windstorms such as hurricanes or tornadoes are dramatic but intervals may be hundreds of years the 1998 storm affected millions of acres in NY, New England and Quebec, This is the only major ice storm we have on record. Minor storms cause limb loss and stem snapping resulting in more light reaching the forest floor minor player in Vermont due to moist environment, but historically affects ridge tops or dry, flat sandy soil Flooding: seasonal flooding drives species composition in forested wetlands Pests : Human: Insect and disease can cause both individual tree death and cause stand replacement. Some exotic pest have even eliminated species from VT forests disturbance caused by humans include landscape and habitat fragmentation, irreversible land development, global climate change, introduction of non-native species, air and water pollution, soil loss
Succession: The natural changes in species composition over time. Disturbance influences succession both slowly and continually as well as suddenly and dramatically. Tolerance: The ability of a species to outcompete other species under certain site conditions, including Light, heat, soil moisture, and nutrient availability. Disturbance alters these site conditions.
Succession Constant process In the absence of natural or human disturbance, succession proceeds in a somewhat predictable fashion. Plants take over an area, changing conditions of: soil moisture, fertility, light Eventually replaced by other plant species that find the new conditions more favorable.
Integrate knowledge of ecology: Site conditions Requirements of tree species Natural processes Only with an understanding of the surrounding landscape ecology can good forest management decisions be made.
Forestry is the art of handling the forest so that it will render whatever service is required of it without being impoverished or destroyed. Gifford Pinchot. The crucial factor in the life and death of a species is the amount of suitable habitat left to them. E.O. Wilson