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Harvard Forest Research Project 2024
- Title: Mechanisms for Resilience in Northern Hardwood and Mixedwood Forests
- Principal investigator: Anthony D'Amato (awdamato@uvm.edu)
- Institution: University of Vermont (UVM)
- Primary contact: Douglas Whiting (douglas.whiting@uvm.edu)
- Team members: Audrey Barker Plotkin
Meghan Blumstein - Abstract:
The intensification of the effects of climate change will continue to complicate forest management around the world and demonstrates a need for effective strategies to combat shifting climate regimes and invasion of non-native pests and diseases. As products of photosynthesis, plants use nonstructural carbohydrates (NSCs) for many purposes: growth and metabolism, defense, as a buffer for energy in times of decreased photosynthetic activity, and as protection from hydraulic failure. Because of their role in recovery from stress, concentration of NSCs may act as a potential indicator for vitality and capacity for resilience. This study aims to assess adaptation strategies implemented at five sites across the Northeastern U.S. by comparing concentrations of nonstructural carbohydrates with functional traits of sampled individuals in managed and unmanaged areas of the selected forests. NSCs will be quantified from stem tissue of sugar maple (Acer saccharum) and red spruce (Picea rubens), two culturally and ecologically important species of the Northeastern US. Improved conditions of managed forests are anticipated to result in an increase in storage of NSCs thus increasing the plant’s capacity for resilience. Findings from this study are intended to inform forest management moving forward in the context of global climate change.
