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Harvard Forest REU Symposium Abstract 2010

  • Title: Harvest-induced elevation of coarse and fine woody debris imposes a legacy of carbon emissions: Comparison to pre-harvest and undisturbed forest
  • Author: Angela Marshall (Clark University)
  • Abstract:

    The fate of carbon stored on land is a key determinant in the rate and magnitude of climate change. Forests serve as large carbon stores, but are vulnerable to deforestation and associated emission. My research seeks to assess the role of on-site carbon storage in the form of woody debris as a component of the disturbance legacy in harvested forests. This study quantitatively assessed the woody debris composition at a post-harvest site in Harvard Forest, Petersham, Massachusetts. The results were compared to pre-harvest data as well as data from a nearby mature forest in order to evaluate the different amounts of woody debris between the sites/times. Woody debris at the clear-cut was measured using a plot method for coarse woody debris and a transect method for fine woody debris. The density of the fine and coarse woody debris was then calculated using volume equations, and compared to pre-harvest woody debris densities as well as densities in nearby mature forest sites. We found there to be 5 times the amount of coarse woody debris and 4.7 times the amount of fine woody debris at the disturbed site compared to the mature forest. Furthermore, there was 2.5 times more coarse woody debris post-harvest than pre-harvest. Harvest-induced elevation of woody debris imposes a long-term legacy of carbon gradually emitted over time. Thus, the harvested site can be expected to release elevated levels of carbon overtime as the woody debris decays compared to the nearby mature forest. Deforestation disturbances can disrupt a landscape’s carbon storage capacity by transforming sites from carbon sinks to sources. This can in-turn increase atmospheric carbon and exacerbate global climate change.

  • Research Category: Forest-Atmosphere Exchange; Large Experiments and Permanent Plot Studies