uid=HFR,o=lter,dc=ecoinformatics,dc=org
all
public
read
doi:10.6073/pasta/94fcd23751f04c1aa1eb0fee05df3180
Impacts of Hemlock Harvesting in Central Massachusetts 2003-2009
David
Orwig
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7822-3560
David
Foster
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1171-3762
Laura
Barbash
Researcher
Brian
Hall
Researcher
Heidi
Lux
Researcher
2023
English
The recent unimpeded infestation of the hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA; Adelges tsugae) across the northeastern U.S. is driving large-scale hemlock decline and mortality. HWA has already infested over 40% of the towns in Massachusetts and, as a result, many landowners are considering pre-emptively harvesting their eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) stands. To examine the local impacts of this cutting activity, we examined stand and ecosystem dynamics in 10 hemlock-dominated sites on public and private lands where hemlocks were harvested between 1 to12 years ago with nearby uncut forests. Forty-two to ninety-seven percent of hemlock stems and basal area were removed from the harvested sites. Sapling densities of 10,500 to 24,000 stems ha-1 dominated the vegetation at older cuts and consisted primarily of black birch (Betula lenta), red maple (Acer rubrum), and white pine (Pinus strobus). Seedling densities averaged 5 m-2 across sites, peaked at 20 m-2 at 6 to 9 year old sites, and consisted of hemlock, white pine, black birch, and red maple. Additional understory species that were common in cuts sites included various raspberry (Rubus) species, often averaging 30% cover, hay-scented fern (Dennstaedtia punctilobula), and various sedge (Carex) species. Harvesting resulted in soils that were 3 to 5 (deg C) warmer and tended to be drier in recent vs. older cuts. Net nitrogen mineralization rates in organic soils averaged just over 10 kg N ha-1yr-1 in recent cuts and approx. 5 kg N ha-1yr-1 in older cuts. Mineral soil net mineralization rates were lower among all cuts, ranging from 2.1 to 3.5 kg N ha-1yr-1. Nitrification rates were low in both soil horizons at all harvest ages. Recent cuts had much higher nitrogen capture (NH4- + NO3+) on resin bags averaging around 1200 μg N g resin-1 vs. 300 to 600 μg N g resin-1 captured in older cuts. Nitrification rates and nitrate capture on resin bags were lower in Massachusetts sites than those reported on sites with a long history of HWA that were then subsequently logged.
Findings from this study corroborate past work, as more recent cuts also exhibited increased birch and maple establishment and higher N availability than older cuts. In contrast to prior studies, cutting in Massachusetts sites also led to abundant conifer regeneration of white pine and hemlock, suggesting that seed tree availability, seedbed characteristics, and lack of HWA at several of the MA sites contributed to the higher conifer seedling densities found in this study.
hemlock
hemlock woolly adelgid
nitrogen mineralization
soil chemistry
soil moisture
soil temperature
timber harvest
vegetation dynamics
LTER controlled vocabulary
inorganic nutrients
disturbance
human-environment
LTER core area
Harvard Forest
HFR
LTER
USA
HFR default
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.
Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal
https://spdx.org/licenses/CC0-1.0.html
CC0-1.0
https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/exist/apps/datasets/showData.html?id=hf128
Central Massachusetts. Coordinates based on WGS84 datum.
-72.9
-71.7
+42.7
+42.0
2003
2009
genus
Acer
species
rubrum
red maple
genus
Adelges
species
tsugae
hemlock woolly adelgid
genus
Betula
species
lenta
black birch
genus
Carex
species
spp.
sedge
genus
Dennstaedtia
species
punctilobula
hayscented fern
genus
Pinus
species
strobus
white pine
genus
Rubus
species
spp.
brambles
genus
Tsuga
species
canadensis
eastern hemlock
complete
Information Manager
Harvard Forest
324 North Main Street
Petersham
MA
01366
USA
(978) 724-3302
hf-im@lists.fas.harvard.edu
Harvard Forest
324 North Main Street
Petersham
MA
01366
USA
(978) 724-3302
(978) 724-3595
https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu
Ten hemlock-dominated stands in central Massachusetts that experienced logging during the previous 12 years were selected to examine the compositional, structural, and microenvironmental changes associated with logging, and their impact on ecosystem processes including N- mineralization, nitrification, and N-availability. Results were compared with ongoing measurements in nearby uninfested hemlock forests. Vegetation was sampled in two 400 m2 plots systematically located in the central portion of each harvest area. All remaining trees (stems greater than 8 cm dbh) were tallied by species and dbh and assigned a canopy position based on the amount of intercepted light received by the tree crown. Pre-harvest basal area was reconstructed allometrically using the following regression equation relating stump diameter to dbh: hemlock (y = 0.884x + 0.0003; r2=0.995) from a sample of 215 stems (Kizlinski et al. 2002). For all other species, equations from Wharton (1984) were used. All saplings (less than 8 cm dbh and greater than 1.4 m tall) were tallied by species in each plot while herb and shrub cover and seedling (less than 1.5 cm dbh) densities were determined in ten, 1-m2 subplots located randomly within the plot grid.
Nitrogen mineralization was measured at 6-week intervals during the growing season with one set of cores left over winter from May 2004 to May 2005, using a modified core method. Soil inorganic N concentrations were determined colorimetrically with a Lachat 8500 flow-injection autoanalyzer (Lachat Instruments, Inc., Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA) An assessment of forest floor N availability and mobility was determined at each soil subplot from mixed-bed cation + anion resin bags (IONAC NM-60, Sybron Chemicals Inc., Birmingham, NJ). Soil temperature at 1 and 5 cm depths were measured every hour using small, buried data loggers (iButton, Dallas Semiconductor Corp.) at each soil-sampling plot. Soils collected during our initial sampling at each site were also analyzed for pH in a soil and CaCl2 slurry (1:10 organic soil:solution; 1:4 mineral soil:solution), and total C and N content by dry combustion with a Fisons CHN autoanalyzer. Texture was determined on mineral soils using the hydrometer method.
Harvard Forest Long-Term Ecological Research
Harvard Forest
324 North Main Street
Petersham
MA
01366
USA
(978) 724-3302
(978) 724-3595
https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu
https://ror.org/059cpzx98
pointOfContact
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.
National Science Foundation LTER grants: DEB-8811764, DEB-9411975, DEB-0080592, DEB-0620443, DEB-1237491, DEB-1832210.
hf128-01-site.csv
site descriptions
hf128-01-site.csv
580
f6ac7f09187e51931cf7171c0eb1317a
1
\r\n
column
,
https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/data/p12/hf128/hf128-01-site.csv
site.name
name of site
name of site
owner
name of owner
name of owner
site.code
site code
site code
site.description
description of when site logged
description of when site logged
10
hf128-02-soil-temp.csv
soil temperature
hf128-02-soil-temp.csv
512182
efa49787256d7bf4a7622da8bd30bdd6
1
\r\n
column
,
https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/data/p12/hf128/hf128-02-soil-temp.csv
datetime
date and time
YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm
1 minute
NA
missing value
date
date
YYYY-MM-DD
1 day
NA
missing value
year
year
YYYY
month
month
month
NA
missing value
day
day of year
day
hour
hour (24 hour time)
hh:mm
llsf.o
average hourly organic soil temperature, PLOT 1 and 2 (LLSF)
celsius
0.01
real
NA
missing value
llsf.m
average hourly mineral soil temperature, PLOT 2(LLSF)
celsius
0.01
real
NA
missing value
mgsf.m
average hourly mineral soil temperature, PLOT 2(MGSF)
celsius
0.01
real
NA
missing value
mgsf.o
average hourly organic soil temperature, PLOT 3(MGSF)
celsius
0.01
real
NA
missing value
nssf.o
average hourly organic soil temperature, PLOT 3(NSSF)
celsius
0.01
real
NA
missing value
nssf.m
average hourly mineral soil temperature, PLOT 4(NSSF)
celsius
0.01
real
NA
missing value
lero.o
average hourly organic soil temperature, PLOT 4(LERO)
celsius
0.01
real
NA
missing value
lero.m
average hourly mineral soil temperature, PLOT 5(LERO)
celsius
0.01
real
NA
missing value
heca.o
average hourly organic soil temperature, PLOT 5(HECA)
celsius
0.01
real
NA
missing value
heca.m
average hourly mineral soil temperature, PLOT 6(HECA)
celsius
0.01
real
NA
missing value
egbr.o
average hourly organic soil temperature, PLOT 6(EGBR)
celsius
0.01
real
NA
missing value
egbr.m
average hourly mineral soil temperature, PLOT 7(EGBR)
celsius
0.01
real
NA
missing value
swri.o
average hourly organic soil temperature, PLOT 7(SWRI)
celsius
0.01
real
NA
missing value
swri.m
average hourly mineral soil temperature, PLOT 8(SWRI)
celsius
0.01
real
NA
missing value
hahi.o
average hourly organic soil temperature, PLOT 8(HAHI)
celsius
0.01
real
NA
missing value
hahi.m
average hourly mineral soil temperature, PLOT 8(HAHI)
celsius
0.01
real
NA
missing value
atho.o
average hourly organic soil temperature, PLOT 8(ATHO)
celsius
0.01
real
NA
missing value
atho.m
average hourly mineral soil temperature, PLOT 8(ATHO)
celsius
0.01
real
NA
missing value
grla.o
average hourly organic soil temperature, PLOT 8(GRLA)
celsius
0.01
real
NA
missing value
grla.m
average hourly mineral soil temperature, PLOT 8(GRLA)
celsius
0.01
real
NA
missing value
4419
hf128-03-soil-moisture.csv
soil moisture
hf128-03-soil-moisture.csv
17260
c25788f55325eddcc617466e12b4255d
1
\r\n
column
,
https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/data/p12/hf128/hf128-03-soil-moisture.csv
site
site code (see site descriptions)
site code
age
number of years since harvest at the time of the study (1-12)
number of years since harvest at the time of the study (1-12)
series
series
series
month
month soil sample was collected
month soil sample was collected
NA
missing value
subplot
number of 1 x 1 m subplot within each plot ( n = 10)
number of 1 x 1 m subplot within each plot ( n = 10)
o.m
soil horizon
O
organic
M
mineral
moisture
total evaporable moisture content of sample
gram
0.01
real
NA
missing value
768
hf128-04-soil-chemistry.csv
soil chemistry
hf128-04-soil-chemistry.csv
5411
b7a53f78ba797ba17896d87f250a38f2
1
\r\n
column
,
https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/data/p12/hf128/hf128-04-soil-chemistry.csv
site
site code (see site descriptions)
site code
plot
number of 20 x 20 m plot in each site (n=2)
number of 20 x 20 m plot in each site (n=2)
subplot
number of 1 x 1 m subplot within each plot ( n = 10)
number of 1 x 1 m subplot within each plot ( n = 10)
o.m
soil horizon
O
organic
M
mineral
ph
soil pH
dimensionless
0.01
real
NA
missing value
n
sample content percent nitrogen
dimensionless
0.01
real
NA
missing value
c
sample content percent carbon
dimensionless
0.01
real
NA
missing value
c.n
sample carbon:nitrogen ratio (C/N)
dimensionless
0.01
real
NA
missing value
160
hf128-05-resin.csv
resin bags
hf128-05-resin.csv
5298
a20d6141b112b9f198b3d5bd303d0220
1
\r\n
column
,
https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/data/p12/hf128/hf128-05-resin.csv
gs.ow
resin bags are deployed in the soil for the growing season (May-Oct) or over winter (Oct-May).
GS
growing season
ow
over winter
site
site code (see site descriptions)
site code
subplot
number of 1 x 1 m subplot within each plot ( n = 10)
number of 1 x 1 m subplot within each plot ( n = 10)
nh4.n
nitrogen in the form of ammonium in solution
milligramsPerLiter
0.01
real
NA
missing value
no3.n
nitrogen in the form of nitrate in solution extract
milligramsPerLiter
0.01
real
NA
missing value
nh4.n.r
nitrogen in the form of ammonium captured in resin (ug/g resin)
microgramsPerGram
0.01
real
NA
missing value
no3.n.r
nitrogen in the form of nitrate captured in resin (ug/g resin)
microgramsPerGram
0.01
real
NA
missing value
153
hf128-06-nitrogen.csv
nitrogen mineralization
hf128-06-nitrogen.csv
27466
df3ffc9c72e0ba12d8fc67bdc3a42640
1
\r\n
column
,
https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/data/p12/hf128/hf128-06-nitrogen.csv
site
site code (see site descriptions)
site code
core.in
date the core was placed in the study site
YYYY-MM-DD
core.out
date the core was extracted from the study site
YYYY-MM-DD
subplot
subplot where the core was located
subplot where the core was located
horizon
soil horizon
O
organic
M
mineral
net.nh4.n
net ammonia
kilogramsPerHectare
0.01
real
NA
missing value
net.ho3.n
net nitrate
kilogramsPerHectare
0.01
real
NA
missing value
640
hf128-07-herb.csv
herbs and ferns
hf128-07-herb.csv
65508
276ba6745206374d63b777a435701dd5
1
\r\n
column
,
https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/data/p12/hf128/hf128-07-herb.csv
site
site code (see site descriptions)
site code (see site descriptions)
plot
number for 20 x 20 m plot within each site (n = 2)
number for 20 x 20 m plot within each site (n = 2)
subplot
number of 1 x 1 m subplot within each plot ( n = 10)
number of 1 x 1 m subplot within each plot ( n = 10)
species
species code, listed by 4 letter abbreviation (see species codes)
species code
cover
percent herb cover to the nearest 0.5% within 1 x 1 m subplot for each species
dimensionless
0.1
real
NA
missing value
3800
hf128-08-shrub.csv
shrubs
hf128-08-shrub.csv
37750
415ced7d13cfcbfafccaa653a18a788e
1
\r\n
column
,
https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/data/p12/hf128/hf128-08-shrub.csv
site
site code (see site descriptions)
site code (see site descriptions)
plot
number for 20 x 20 m plot within each site (n = 2)
number for 20 x 20 m plot within each site (n = 2)
subplot
number of 1 x 1 m subplot within each plot ( n = 10)
number of 1 x 1 m subplot within each plot ( n = 10)
species
species code, listed by 4 letter abbreviation (see species codes)
species code
cover
percent shrub cover to the nearest 0.5 % within 1 x 1 m subplot for each species
dimensionless
0.1
real
NA
missing value
2200
hf128-09-seedling-cov.csv
seedling cover
hf128-09-seedling-cov.csv
41303
338d37fd372d016b3191f408892ce39c
1
\r\n
column
,
https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/data/p12/hf128/hf128-09-seedling-cov.csv
site
site code (see site descriptions)
site code (see site descriptions)
plot
number for 20 x 20 m plot within each site (n = 2)
number for 20 x 20 m plot within each site (n = 2)
subplot
number of 1 x 1 m subplot within each plot ( n = 10)
number of 1 x 1 m subplot within each plot ( n = 10)
species
species code, listed by 4 letter abbreviation (see species codes)
species code
cover
percent seedling cover to the nearest 0.5 % within 1 x 1 m subplot for each species
dimensionless
0.1
real
NA
missing value
2400
hf128-10-seedling-den.csv
seedling density
hf128-10-seedling-den.csv
41114
b1865ae9db30b2edcfebdc16354e261b
1
\r\n
column
,
https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/data/p12/hf128/hf128-10-seedling-den.csv
site
site code (see site descriptions)
site code (see site descriptions)
plot
number for 20 x 20 m plot within each site (n = 2)
number for 20 x 20 m plot within each site (n = 2)
subplot
number of 1 x 1 m subplot within each plot ( n = 10)
number of 1 x 1 m subplot within each plot ( n = 10)
species
species code, listed by 4 letter abbreviation (see species codes)
species code
density
seedling densities within 1 x 1 m subplot for each species
numberPerMeterSquared
1
whole
NA
missing value
2400
hf128-11-stump.csv
stumps
hf128-11-stump.csv
7600
a7da26683de56f683a3c090b2985b31d
1
\r\n
column
,
https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/data/p12/hf128/hf128-11-stump.csv
site
site code (see site descriptions)
site code
plot
number of 20 x 20 m plot in each site (n=2)
number of 20 x 20 m plot in each site (n=2)
species
4 letter species code of tree cut
4 letter species code of tree cut
diameter
diameter of cut stump
centimeter
0.1
real
NA
missing value
425
hf128-12-species-code.csv
species codes
hf128-12-species-code.csv
1027
85d1e6913ba6021217942e3ef92c489e
1
\r\n
column
,
https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/data/p12/hf128/hf128-12-species-code.csv
code
species codes consist of first two letters of Latin genus and species
species code
name
full Latin names according to Gleason and
Cronquist
full Latin names according to Gleason and Cronquist
43
conservation
invasive
regional
short-term measurement
2
https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/exist/apps/datasets/showData.html?id=hf082