Harvard Forest

Data Archive

HF175

Tree Growth and Coarse Woody Debris in Regenerating Forests at Harvard Forest since 2008

Related Publications

Data

• hf175-01: dbh (preview)
• hf175-02: cwd (preview)
• hf175-03: dbh notes, 2008-2013 (preview)

Overview

• Lead: Allison Dunn
• Investigators:
• Contact: Information Manager
• Start date: 2008
• End date: 2022
• Status: ongoing
• Location: Prospect Hill Tract (Harvard Forest)
• Latitude: +42.53 degrees
• Longitude: -72.19 degrees
• Elevation: 335 meter
• Datum: WGS84
• Taxa:
• Release date: 2023
• Language: English
• EML file: knb-lter-hfr.175.14
• DOI: digital object identifier
• EDI: data package
• DataONE: data package
• Related links:
• Study type: long-term measurement
• Research topic: forest-atmosphere exchange; large experiments and permanent plot studies
• LTER core area: primary production, organic matter movement, disturbance patterns
• Keywords: carbon cycling, forest dynamics, coarse woody debris, ice, regeneration, succession, timber harvest, vegetation dynamics
• Abstract:

  This project is a field-based study to measure sequestration of atmospheric carbon dioxide in a regenerating New England forest. This study established long-term biometric plots suitable for measuring changes in carbon storage through time in three forest stands: an early-20th-century conifer plantation, a naturally regenerating former conifer plantation harvested in the 1990s, and a conifer plantation scheduled for harvest next winter. The first three years of this project determined the initial carbon budget of these forest stands, measured carbon fluxes into and out of these stands, and laid the groundwork for future investigations. Subsequent years will investigate larger-scale questions, such as how successional patterns affect carbon sequestration, and how these patterns change with stand age. The work also addresses how forestry practices influence carbon sequestration, and provide guidance for how forest management could enhance terrestrial carbon uptake in the future.

• Methods:

  This study’s experimental design consists of eighteen plots across three separate study areas. One study area (Plantation) is the unharvested portion of plantation 25-H in the Prospect Hill Tract, which was planted in 1925 with red pine (Pinus resinosa). Another study area (Harvest 1990) is a former red pine plantation to the west that was harvested in 1990 (same area as studied by O'Keefe, 2000.) The last study area (Harvest 2008) is the portion of plantation 25-H in the Prospect Hill Tract that was clearcut in May-June 2008. Six 10-m radius circular plots were established at random locations in each of the study areas, named Plantation A-F, Harvest 1990 A-F, and Harvest 2008 A-F. All treesat least 5 cm diameter breast height (DBH; 1.3 m) were identified, measured, and tagged, totaling nearly 800 trees. Coarse and fine woody debris at least 2.5 cm diameter was surveyed using the line-intercept method (Van Wagner 1968) along randomly oriented 10 m transects. DBH surveys were conducted annually beginning in 2008; woody debris surveys occurred in 2008 and 2010. Aboveground woody biomass was calculated using species-specific allometric equations (Jenkins et al., 2003). Woody debris biomass was calculated using the methods of Van Wagner (1968) and the decay-class specific bulk densities of Liu et al. (2007.)

• Organization: Harvard Forest. 324 North Main Street, Petersham, MA 01366, USA. Phone (978) 724-3302. Fax (978) 724-3595.

• Project: The Harvard Forest Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) program examines ecological dynamics in the New England region resulting from natural disturbances, environmental change, and human impacts. (ROR).

• Funding: National Science Foundation LTER grants: DEB-8811764, DEB-9411975, DEB-0080592, DEB-0620443, DEB-1237491, DEB-1832210.

• Use: This dataset is released to the public under Creative Commons CC0 1.0 (No Rights Reserved). Please keep the dataset creators informed of any plans to use the dataset. Consultation with the original investigators is strongly encouraged. Publications and data products that make use of the dataset should include proper acknowledgement.

• License: Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal (CC0-1.0)

• Citation: Dunn A. 2023. Tree Growth and Coarse Woody Debris in Regenerating Forests at Harvard Forest since 2008. Harvard Forest Data Archive: HF175 (v.14). Environmental Data Initiative: https://doi.org/10.6073/pasta/5bc9cb80894bed5612525c86d9386670.

Detailed Metadata

hf175-01: dbh

1. site: site ID named according to study area (Plantation or Harvest 1990) and individual plot (A-F)
2. tree: tree ID
3. species: species
   • ac: american chestnut
   • ae: american elm
   • b: beech
   • bb: black birch
   • bc: black cherry
   • bf: balsam fir
   • gb: grey birch
   • h: hemlock
   • pb: paper birch
   • pm: striped maple
   • rm: red maple
   • ro: red oak
   • rp: red pine
   • sm: sugar maple
   • sw: dogwood
   • wa: white ash
   • wp: white pine
   • ws: white spruce
   • yb: yellow birch
4. dbh_2008_aug: diameter measured at breast height in August 2008 (unit: centimeter / missing value: NA)
5. note_2008_aug: measurement notes in August 2008
   • RIP: tree has died
   • TS: measurement unavailable, usually due to tree being recruited into the 5 cm or greater size class after measurements began in 2008
6. dbh_2009_aug: diameter measured at breast height in August 2009 (unit: centimeter / missing value: NA)
7. note_2009_aug: measurement notes in August 2009
   • RIP: tree has died
   • TS: measurement unavailable, usually due to tree being recruited into the 5 cm or greater size class after measurements began in 2008
8. dbh_2010_jun: diameter measured at breast height in June 2010 (unit: centimeter / missing value: NA)
9. note_2010_jun: measurement notes in June 2010
   • RIP: tree has died
   • TS: measurement unavailable, usually due to tree being recruited into the 5 cm or greater size class after measurements began in 2008
10. dbh_2010_sep: diameter measured at breast height in September 2010 (unit: centimeter / missing value: NA)
11. note_2010_sep: measurement notes in September 2010
    • RIP: tree has died
    • TS: measurement unavailable, usually due to tree being recruited into the 5 cm or greater size class after measurements began in 2008
12. dbh_2011_sep: diameter measured at breast height in September 2011 (unit: centimeter / missing value: NA)
13. note_2011_sep: measurement notes in September 2011
    • RIP: tree has died
    • TS: measurement unavailable, usually due to tree being recruited into the 5 cm or greater size class after measurements began in 2008
14. dbh_2012_aug: diameter measured at breast height in August 2012 (unit: centimeter / missing value: NA)
15. note_2012_aug: measurement notes in August 2012
    • RIP: tree has died
    • TS: measurement unavailable, usually due to tree being recruited into the 5 cm or greater size class after measurements began in 2008
16. dbh_2013_aug: diameter measured at breast height in August 2013 (unit: centimeter / missing value: NA)
17. note_2013_aug: measurement notes in August 2013
    • RIP: tree has died
    • TS: measurement unavailable, usually due to tree being recruited into the 5 cm or greater size class after measurements began in 2008
18. dbh_2014_aug: diameter measured at breast height in August 2014 (unit: centimeter / missing value: NA)
19. note_2014_aug: measurement notes in August 2014
    • RIP: tree has died
    • TS: measurement unavailable, usually due to tree being recruited into the 5 cm or greater size class after measurements began in 2008
20. dbh_2015_aug: diameter measured at breast height in August 2015 (unit: centimeter / missing value: NA)
21. note_2015_aug: measurement notes in August 2015
    • RIP: tree has died
    • TS: measurement unavailable, usually due to tree being recruited into the 5 cm or greater size class after measurements began in 2008
22. dbh_2016_aug: diameter measured at breast height in August 2016 (unit: centimeter / missing value: NA)
23. note_2016_aug: measurement notes in August 2016
    • RIP: tree has died
    • TS: measurement unavailable, usually due to tree being recruited into the 5 cm or greater size class after measurements began in 2008
24. dbh_2017_aug: diameter measured at breast height in August 2017 (unit: centimeter / missing value: NA)
25. note_2017_aug: measurement notes in August 2017
    • RIP: tree has died
    • TS: measurement unavailable, usually due to tree being recruited into the 5 cm or greater size class after measurements began in 2008
26. dbh_2018_aug: diameter measured at breast height in August 2018 (unit: centimeter / missing value: NA)
27. note_2018_aug: measurement notes in August 2018
    • RIP: tree has died
    • TS: measurement unavailable, usually due to tree being recruited into the 5 cm or greater size class after measurements began in 2008
28. dbh_2019_aug: diameter measured at breast height in August 2019 (unit: centimeter / missing value: NA)
29. note_2019_aug: measurement notes in August 2019
    • RIP: tree has died
    • TS: measurement unavailable, usually due to tree being recruited into the 5 cm or greater size class after measurements began in 2008
30. dbh_2020_aug: diameter measured at breast height in August 2020 (unit: centimeter / missing value: NA)
31. note_2020_aug: measurement notes in August 2020
    • RIP: tree has died
    • TS: measurement unavailable, usually due to tree being recruited into the 5 cm or greater size class after measurements began in 2008
32. dbh_2021_aug: diameter measured at breast height in August 2021 (unit: centimeter / missing value: NA)
33. note_2021_aug: measurement notes in August 2021
    • RIP: tree has died
    • TS: measurement unavailable, usually due to tree being recruited into the 5 cm or greater size class after measurements began in 2008
34. dbh_2022_aug: diameter measured at breast height in August 2022 (unit: centimeter / missing value: NA)
35. note_2022_aug: measurement notes in August 2022
    • RIP: tree has died
    • TS: measurement unavailable, usually due to tree being recruited into the 5 cm or greater size class after measurements began in 2008

hf175-02: cwd

1. date: date
2. site: site, Control (CON A-F), Harvest 1990 (H90 A-F), and Harvest 2008 (H08 A-F)
3. transect: transect (three 10-m transects were measured at each site)
4. diameter: diameter of wood (unit: centimeter / missing value: NA)
5. decay_class: decay class (following naming convention of Liu et al. 2006)
6. type: type of woody debris

hf175-03: dbh notes, 2008-2013

1. date: date
2. plot: plot ID
3. treatment: treatment
   • harvest: harvest site in former red pine plantation, harvested in 1990
   • control: control site in former plantation 25-H
4. tree: tree ID
5. notes: measurement notes