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Harvard Forest Data Archive

HF101

Litterfall in Simulated Hurricane Experiment at Harvard Forest since 1989

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Data

Overview

  • Lead: Alison Magill, Audrey Barker Plotkin
  • Investigators:
  • Contact: Information Manager
  • Start date: 1989
  • End date: 2020
  • Status: ongoing
  • Location: Tom Swamp Tract (Harvard Forest)
  • Latitude: +42.49 degrees
  • Longitude: -72.20 degrees
  • Elevation: 310 meter
  • Datum: WGS84
  • Taxa: Acer rubrum (red maple), Acer saccharum (sugar maple), Betula alleghaniensis (yellow birch), Betula lenta (black birch), Betula papyrifera (white birch), Carpinus caroliniana (american hornbeam), Carya ovata (shagbark hickory), Fagus grandifolia (american beech), Fraxinus americana (white ash), Fraxinus pennsylvanica (green ash), Pinus strobus (white pine), Populus grandidentata (bigtooth aspen), Prunus serotina (black cherry), Quercus alba (white oak), Quercus rubra (red oak), Quercus velutina (black oak), Tilia americana (american basswood), Ulmus americana (american elm)
  • Release date: 2023
  • Language: English
  • EML file: knb-lter-hfr.101.25
  • DOI: digital object identifier
  • EDI: data package
  • DataONE: data package
  • Related links:
  • Study type: long-term measurement
  • Research topic: large experiments and permanent plot studies
  • LTER core area: organic matter movement, disturbance patterns
  • Keywords: biomass, hurricane damage, litterfall
  • Abstract:

    The hurricane site contains two plots - the blowdown (treatment) and the control - TSB and TSC respectively. The control plot contains 12 baskets and the blowdown 13. Litter baskets were placed in both the blowdown and control plots in Sept 1989. TSB-13 was originally part of an AVIRIS overflight study and was not included in the data collections until 1990. The litterfall year begins approximately September 20 each year. Years are designated with the fall date, e.g., Sept 1989-Sept 1990 is the 1989 litter year. Litter was collected 2x/year (Nov and the following Sep) in 1989 and 1990 and 3x/year in all subsequent years (Nov, June and Sep). Baskets were removed from the blowdown plot in fall 1990 while the experimental manipulation was underway. Only control plot baskets were collected for the 1990-1991 litterfall year. Nov. 2005 and June 2006 are combined as early snow in Nov. 2005 precluded collection. Litter was not sorted by species in all years and in most cases only the Nov collections were sorted from 1989 through 1993, 2000 and 2006. In other years, a total unsorted litter weight for each basket was recorded. Unsorted litter is indicated as unsorted species type.

  • Methods:

    Note: in 1991 only, litter from individual baskets were mistakenly combined before weighing (comb.ba = combined basket) as follows: Control plot: (1,2)=101; (3,4)=102; (5,6)=103; (8,9)=104; (10,11,12)=105. Blowdown plot: (1,2,3)=101; (4,5,6,7)=102; (8,9,10)=103; (11,12,13)=104.

  • 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: Magill A, Barker Plotkin A. 2023. Litterfall in Simulated Hurricane Experiment at Harvard Forest since 1989. Harvard Forest Data Archive: HF101 (v.25). Environmental Data Initiative: https://doi.org/10.6073/pasta/f5ae1e144e434ec8198cf75682db33ac.

Detailed Metadata

hf101-01: litterfall data

  1. year: year
  2. treat: treatment
    • C: control
    • B: blowdown
  3. bask: basket number
  4. spp: tree species
    • AB: American Beech
    • BA: Black Ash
    • BB: Sweet Birch/Black Birch
    • BC: Black Cherry
    • BG: Black Tupelo/Blackgum
    • BL: Black Locust
    • BT: BigTooth Aspen
    • BW: American Basswood
    • CC: Am hornbeam/ironwood/ musclewood
    • CN: American Chestnut
    • EL: American Elm
    • FF: Fruit and Flowers
    • FR: Fragments
    • GA: Green Ash
    • HE: Eastern Hemlock
    • HH: Eastern Hophornbeam (smooth bark)
    • HI: Shagbark Hickory
    • NS: Norway Spruce
    • OL: Other Litter
    • OM: Other Material
    • QA: Quaking Aspen
    • RB: River Birch
    • RM: Red Maple
    • RO: Northern Red Oak
    • RP: Red Pine
    • RS: Red Spruce
    • SE: Slippery Elm
    • SM: Sugar Maple
    • ST: Striped Maple
    • TG: Twigs
    • WA: White Ash
    • WB: White Birch / Paper Birch
    • WH: Witch-hazel
    • WO: White Oak
    • WP: White Pine
    • YB: Yellow Birch
  5. category: tree species. Revised codes.
    • ACRU: Acer rubrum
    • ACSA: Acer saccharum
    • BELE: Betula lenta
    • BELE/BEAL: Betula lenta or Betula allegheniensis
    • BEPA: Betula papyrifera
    • CADE: Castanea dentate
    • CASP: Carya glabra or Carya ovate
    • Fragments: fragments
    • FRAM: Fraxinus americana
    • HAVI: Hammamelis virginiana
    • Nonsort: not sorted
    • Other: other
    • PIST: Pinus strobus
    • POGR: Populus grandifolia
    • PRPE: Prunus pensylvanica
    • PRSE: Prunus serotina
    • QUAL: Quercus alba
    • QURU: Quercus rubra
    • Reproductive: fruits and flowers
    • TIAM: Tilia Americana
    • TSCA: Tsuga canadensis
    • Twigs: twigs
  6. nov: litterfall in November (g/basket) (unit: gram / missing value: NA)
  7. jun: litterfall in June (g/basket) (unit: gram / missing value: NA)
  8. aug: litterfall in August (g/basket). Note: collected in 2015 after a localized downburst (unit: gram / missing value: NA)
  9. sep: litterfall in September (g/basket) (unit: gram / missing value: NA)
  10. total: total litterfall (g) (unit: gram / missing value: NA)
  11. litterfall.ha: litterfall per hectare (kg ha-1) (unit: kilogramsPerHectare / missing value: NA)

hf101-02: annual means

  1. year: year
  2. plot: plot
    • B: experimental blowdown
    • C: control
  3. nbasket: number of baskets (unit: number / missing value: NA)
  4. mean: mean annual litterfall including fruits, flowers & twigs (kg ha-1) (unit: kilogramsPerHectare / missing value: NA)
  5. notes: mentions baskets not included in a particular plot/year

hf101-03: notes

  1. year: year
  2. plot: plot
    • Blowdown: experimental blowdown
    • Control: control
  3. nov: collection date
  4. jun: collection date
  5. sep: collection date
  6. sorted: which collections in that year were sorted to species
  7. notes: weather, basket and other notes