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Harvard Forest REU Symposium Abstract 2013
- Title: Development of the Carbon Sink at the Harvard Forest
- Author: Hannah A Wiesner (Macalester College)
- Abstract:
Hannah Wiesner
Development of the Carbon Sink at the Harvard Forest
By acting as carbon sinks, forests play an important role in mitigating global climate change. As forests grow and change, so do their carbon dynamics. Studying permanent plots across time gives an understanding of how species composition and land use legacies influence carbon sequestration patterns. In this study, we measured aboveground vegetation biomass in order to compare the amount of carbon stored in trees within permanent plots between 1937, 1992 and 2013. We hypothesized that the amount of carbon stored between 1937 and 2013 would increase. We conducted vegetation surveys in 60 plots throughout the Prospect Hill tract of the Harvard Forest. Each .05 ha plot existed within one of four historical land use categories: cultivated, improved pasture, rough pasture or woodlot (primary forest). We measured the diameter at breast height (DBH) of each tree with a DBH >2.5cm, in addition to sampling coarse and fine woody debris. Aboveground biomass was calculated using species-specific allometric equations and the amount of carbon was estimated to compose 50% of the total biomass. There was an average of 33 Mg-C/ha in 1937, 89 Mg-C/ha in 1992 and 121 Mg-C/ha in 2013. In each year, plots in the woodlot category had the most C/ha. The difference in carbon stocks between land use types was greater in 1937 than in 1992 and 2013. These results suggest that studying forests over long time scales with attention to historical factors gives insight into carbon dynamics. - Research Category: Group Projects
- Figures: HF_REU_Abstract_Wiesner.pdf
