Coastal Project - Martha's Vineyard Woodland Study
- HF-ID: HF2002-04dd
- Category: Research Files
- Creator:
- Foster, D.R.
- Hall, B.R.
- Orwig, D.A.
- Associated Person:
- Foster, Ava
- Jorgensen, Erik
- Date: 2012
- Location: Martha's Vineyard (MA)
- Media: Paper
- Contents:
- Field site maps, tree core data, site permissions.
- Keywords: conservation, forest dynamics, growth
- Abstract:
- Martha's Vineyard Woodland Study / Forest age-structure from tree cores
- Ancient woodlands (AW) are forests that exist on sites that have been continuously forested and though harvested, have not been cleared or used for intensive farming. In practice, they are defined as woodlands that have remained forested for hundreds of years, or are shown as wooded on an area’s oldest high-quality maps. While they may, or may not contain old trees, AW are important because they often have different vegetation structure, composition, and soil characteristics than secondary forests which have regrown on previously cleared sites. As part of a multifaceted study on the nature and vegetation of Martha's Vineyard, we conducted a GIS-based overlay analysis with maps from the 1850s and 1890s, 1938 aerial photos, and modern vegetation layers to identify potential AW sites. Field plots were established across the 95-square-mile island in a variety of forest types to describe the vegetation, verify AW status, and compare tree age and size structure to nearby secondary forests.
- This study built upon an existing array of plots sampled by the Harvard Forest in 2000 and 2001
- Related Items:
- Archives Location: Middle Room
- Access: Active