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Harvard Forest REU Symposium Abstract 2022
- Title: Trends of Aboveground Biomass Accumulation Between Different Forest Types at Harvard Forest
- Author: Maya Yasmin Chandar-Kouba (Bowdoin College)
- Abstract:
As global climate change accelerates, understanding the storage potential and future of carbon stocks has become a global priority. Terrestrial ecosystems have been identified as a necessary part of this process, as above-ground biomass (AGB) mediates CO2 fluxes through long-term carbon storage. However, rates of ABG accumulation in forests can vary due to forest composition and age. Therefore, recent focus has turned towards quantifying the effects of maturation on carbon sequestration in forest carbon stocks. Trends of biomass accumulation in maturing forests appear to be quite general, with the rates of above ground biomass (AGB) accumulation increasing during early growth and decreasing as the forest matures. My research seeks to compare rates of AGB accumulation between different forest stand types at Harvard Forest. This was accomplished using the long-term Harvard Forest dataset, which collects dendrometer data from plots surrounding an Environmental Monitoring System (EMS) tower to construct trends of AGB of plots in mature forests. In addition, I aimed to identify the influence of tree mortality on trends of AGB accumulation in Harvard Forest, and whether mortality drives differences in the AGB trends between different forest stands. Mortality in the system was assessed by counting the tree death in each plot from 1988 to 2022, and supplemented by assessing the amounts and rate of coarse woody debris (CWD) inputs over time. Understanding how forest composition relates to AGB accumulation and the influence of mortality on these trends will allow researchers to better understand the carbon storage potential of Harvard Forest.
- Research Category: Large Experiments and Permanent Plot Studies
