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Harvard Forest Data Archive

HF162

Plantation Biodiversity Plots at Harvard Forest since 2007

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Data

Overview

  • Lead: Audrey Barker Plotkin
  • Investigators:
  • Contact: Information Manager
  • Start date: 2007
  • End date: 2022
  • Status: ongoing
  • Location: Prospect Hill Tract (Harvard Forest), Tom Swamp Tract (Harvard Forest)
  • Latitude: +42.45 to +42.55 degrees
  • Longitude: -72.23 to -72.16 degrees
  • Elevation: 205 to 420 meter
  • Datum: WGS84
  • Taxa: Picea abies (norway spruce), Picea glauca (white spruce), Pinus resinosa (red pine)
  • Release date: 2024
  • Language: English
  • EML file: knb-lter-hfr.162.18
  • DOI: digital object identifier
  • EDI: data package
  • DataONE: data package
  • Related links:
  • Study type: long-term measurement
  • Research topic: biodiversity studies; conservation and management
  • LTER core area: disturbance patterns, land use and land cover change
  • Keywords: browsing, coarse woody debris, seedlings, silviculture, trees, understory vegetation
  • Abstract:

    Plantations have been part of forestry at Harvard Forest since its beginning. Plantations were established from 1911-1944, usually on open or cut-over land. The objectives for plantation forests at Harvard Forest were to: increase the amount of productive forest land; examine the suitability of various species and cultivars to New England conditions; and test planting and tending methods. At first, mainly small plantings (less than 1 to 4 acres) were established primarily on "blank" lands. Some larger plantations (20+ acres) were established on cut-over land around 1930.

    The bulk of the plantings were red pine, white pine and spruce (white and Norway), but several other conifers were also planted. The maximum amount of land in plantations came to about 270 acres (less than 10% of Harvard Forest’s land base). Tending of the plantations, especially weeding in the decade following establishment, but also in-filling, pruning and thinning, was conducted and carefully documented. However, tending of plantations ceased about 1950.

    Since then, the fate of the plantations has been mixed. Some plantations were out-competed by native forest with only scattered planted trees remaining. A few acres of plantations were harvested in the 1950s. About 40 acres of plantations were harvested in the 1990s. As of 2007, approximately 135 acres remained. These stands range in age from 60-90 years old. Some stands have substantial areas blown down. We developed a management plan to harvest about 80 acres of mature plantation forests beginning in 2008 in order to terminate these long term experiments, to regenerate a diversity of native tree species and restore native forests to these sites, and to initiate a new suite of long term experiments. For the next 10-15 years, the harvested areas will provide early successional habitat for a variety of wildlife species.

    A suite of permanent vegetation plots was established throughout the plantations to assess vegetation structure in plantations and predict future dynamics in harvested and early seral habitats. Our objective is to contrast the changing biodiversity and aboveground carbon content in the harvested and unharvested sites.

  • Methods:

    Study Design: A set of 22, 20m by 20m permanent plots were established. Plots were placed in red pine and spruce dominated plantations, and in both harvest and control (no harvest) sites. The number of plots per plantation is proportional to plantation area. Sites less than 10 acres contain one plot. There are two plots in a 13.5-acre unharvested red pine plantation; two plots in a harvested 13.5 acre spruce plantation; five plots in a somewhat heterogenous 38-acre harvested pine plantation. Altogether, there are 4 cut pine sites covering ~53 acres, 5 control pine sites covering ~26 acres, 2 cut spruce sites covering 16 acres, and 2 control spruce sites covering ~7 acres. Plots were established and measured in 2007, prior to harvest. We plan to measure the plots every 5 years. So far, in 2012 and 2017, and 2022, all 22 plots were re-measured.

    Trees: Live stems at least 2.5cm dbh were measured, recording dbh and species. Live saplings more than1.3m tall but less than 2.5cm dbh were tallied by species in a 5.64 radius plot (100m2) centered on each plot.

    Seedlings: Presence/absence of tree seedlings (less than 1.3m tall) by species was recorded in 10, 1.13m radius (4m2) plots in each plot, and frequency calculated. This measure of stocking is often considered more useful than total densities of tree seedlings, as this metric gives some indication of how well-distributed tree regeneration is on the site.

    Understory vegetation: A list of shrubs, herbs, ferns, lycopods and graminoids (very roughly) occurring on each 20x20m plot was compiled, and abundance was estimated for each species using the following cover classes: 1 is less than 1% cover, 2 is 1-3% cover, 3 is 3-5% cover, 4 is 6-15% cover, 5 is 16-25% cover, 6 is 26-50% cover, 7 is 51-75% cover, 8 is more than 75% cover.

    Coarse Woody Debris (CWD): Two transects running diagonally across each plot were established. The diameter, species (or species group) and decay class of each downed piece of wood that intersects the line-transect was measured using a 50cm caliper. Minimum average diameter = 7.5cm. When possible, two diameter measurements are taken, to account for the fact that most stems are not uniformly round. From there we can calculate volume per unit area by using the formula V= 9.869* (d /8L), where L is length and d is diameter squared (Harmon, M.E. and J. Sexton. 1996. Guidelines for measurements of woody detritus in forest ecosystems. Not a formal publication).

    Snags (standing dead trees) within the entire 20m x 20m plot were measured if at least 10cm dbh

    Stump volume was estimated in the harvested plots in 2010 and 2012, by recording the species, diameter, height and decay class of each stump found within the plot. Minimum stump diameter was 10 cm. In 2022, short snags from unharvested plots were included in this data, and a new column defines whether the measured item was ‘cut’ or ‘not cut.’

    Browsing: In 2008, browsing presence/absence by stem was surveyed in the 22 plots. Twenty-five 4m2 subplots were established in each plot, so 25% of each plot was assessed. Woody tree and shrub stems (excluding Rubus) between 0.3-3.0m tall and less than 5cm diameter were included. While moose browsing can be distinguished from deer browsing when tall (greater than 2m) or large (perhaps more than 0.5cm diameter) twigs are browsed, and these were noted, there were too few of these large saplings sampled to clearly distinguish between moose and deer browse. A complementary exclosure experiment by Faison et al. has been established in four harvested plantations to tease apart the effects of deer vs. moose browsing, and to better quantify their long-term influences on forest structure and composition. Data related to browsing after 2008 can be found in HF203: http://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu:8080/exist/apps/datasets/showData.html?id=hf203.

  • Organization: Harvard Forest. 324 North Main Street, Petersham, MA 01366, USA. Phone (978) 724-3302. Fax (978) 724-3595.

  • Project: 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. (ROR).

  • Funding: National Science Foundation LTER grants: DEB-8811764, DEB-9411975, DEB-0080592, DEB-0620443, DEB-1237491, DEB-1832210.

  • Use: 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.

  • License: Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal (CC0-1.0)

  • Citation: Barker Plotkin A. 2024. Plantation Biodiversity Plots at Harvard Forest since 2007. Harvard Forest Data Archive: HF162 (v.18). Environmental Data Initiative: https://doi.org/10.6073/pasta/911012e0e49a8b767aed6adac0c6c5dc.

Detailed Metadata

hf162-01: plots

  1. plot: plot number (1-22)
  2. name: plantation ID based on Harvard Forest archival records. The first two letters refer to the tract (PH=Prospect Hill; TS=Tom Swamp) and the numbers refer to the year planted (e.g. 44 was planted in 1944). Strings of two-digit numbers + one letter indicate that a plot was placed in a mix of multiple, small, contiguous plantings.
  3. dom_sp: dominant planted species
    • Spruce: spruce dominant
    • Pine: pine dominant
  4. treat: treatment
    • Harvest: harvested
    • Control: control
  5. harv_date: harvest date
  6. acres: plantation acreage (unit: acre / missing value: NA)
  7. harvest_acres: acres harvested per management unit, which can be a portion of a plantation or more than one contiguous plantation (unit: acre / missing value: NA)
  8. comp: Harvard Forest compartment
  9. tree_ht_07m: average tree height in the plot in 2007 (unit: meter / missing value: NA)
  10. tree_ht_12m: height of the tallest tree in the plot in 2012 (unit: meter / missing value: NA)
  11. tree_ht_17: height of the tallest tree in the plot in 2017 (unit: meter / missing value: NA)
  12. tree_ht_22: height of the tallest tree in the plot in 2022 (unit: meter / missing value: NA)
  13. ht_species_22: species of tree for which height was recorded (see hf162-02 for species codes)
  14. year_planted: year plantation was established by transplanting
  15. planted_spacing: original average spacing of the plantation (unit: meter / missing value: NA)
  16. thinned: whether the plantation received any thinning silvicultural treatment
    • No Info: records on thinning not found
    • Yes: thinned
    • No: not thinned
  17. lat: latitude (unit: degree / missing value: NA)
  18. long: longitude (unit: degree / missing value: NA)
  19. ma_spm_y: Y location in Massachusetts State Plane Meters, Mainland, NAD1983 (unit: meter / missing value: NA)
  20. ma_spm_x: location in Massachusetts State Plane Meters, Mainland, NAD1983 (unit: meter / missing value: NA)
  21. notes_2012: notes from 2012
  22. notes_2017: plot-level notes from 2017

hf162-02: trees

  1. plot: plot number (1-22)
  2. year: year. 2007 is pre-harvest; 2008 and 2010 are post-harvest; 2012, 2017, and 2022 include all 22 plots
  3. species: four letter species code
    • ACPE: Acer pensylvanicum
    • ACRU: Acer rubrum
    • ACSA: Acer saccharum
    • BEAL: Betula alleghaniensis
    • BELE: Betula lenta
    • BEPA: Betula papyrifera
    • BEPO: Betula populifolia
    • CADE: Castanea dentata
    • FAGR: Fagus grandifolia
    • FRAM: Fraxinus americana
    • LASP: Larix species
    • NYSY: Nyssa sylvatica
    • OVSI: Ostrya virginiana
    • PIAB: Picea abies
    • PIGL: Picea glauca
    • PIRE: Pinus resinosa
    • PIST: Pinus strobus
    • POGR: Populus grandidentata
    • POTR: Populus tremuloides
    • PRPE: Prunus pensylvanica
    • PRSE: Prunus serotina
    • QUAL: Quercus alba
    • QURU: Quercus rubra
    • QUVE: Quercus velutina
    • TSCA: Tsuga canadensis
  4. dbh: diameter measured at 1.3m; trees >=2.5cm dbh are included) (unit: centimeter / missing value: NA)
  5. notes: notes

hf162-03: saplings

  1. plot: plot number (1-22)
  2. year: year. 2007 is pre-harvest
  3. species: four letter species code
    • ACPE: Acer pensylvanicum
    • ACRU: Acer rubrum
    • ACSA: Acer saccharum
    • BEAL: Betula alleghaniensis
    • BELE: Betula lenta
    • BEPA: Betula papyrifera
    • BEPO: Betula populifolia
    • FAGR: Fagus grandifolia
    • FRAM: Fraxinus Americana
    • MASP: Malus, species not identified
    • NYSY: Nyssa sylvatica
    • PIAB: Picea abies
    • PICsp: Picea, species not identified
    • PIRE: Pinus resinosa
    • PIST: Pinus strobus
    • POGR: Populus grandidentata
    • POTR: Populus tremuloides
    • PRPE: Prunus pensylvanica
    • PRSE: Prunus serotina
    • QUAL: Quercus alba
    • QURU: Quercus rubra
    • QUVE: Quercus velutina
    • TSCA: Tsuga canadensis
    • Total: sum of all saplings in plot
  4. number: number of saplings in plot (unit: number / missing value: NA)
  5. notes: notes

hf162-04: tree seedlings

  1. plot: plot number (1-22)
  2. year: year. 2007 is pre-harvest
  3. species: four letter species code
    • ACPE: Acer pensylvanicum
    • ACRU: Acer rubrum
    • ACSA: Acer saccharum
    • BEAL: Betula alleghaniensis
    • BELE: Betula lenta
    • BEAL.LE: Betula alleghaniensis and/or Betula lenta
    • BEPA: Betula papyrifera
    • BEPO: Betula populifolia
    • CADE: Castanea dentata
    • FAGR: Fagus grandifolia
    • FRAM: Fraxinus americana
    • NYSY: Nyssa sylvatica
    • PIAB: Picea abies
    • PIGL: Picea glabra
    • PICsp: Picea, species not identified
    • PIRE: Pinus resinosa
    • PIRU: Picea rubens
    • PIST: Pinus strobus
    • POGR: Populus grandidentata
    • POSP: Populus (grandidentata or tremuloides)
    • POTR: Populus tremuloides
    • PRPE: Prunus pensylvanica
    • PRSE: Prunus serotina
    • PRSP: Prunus, species not identified
    • QUAL: Quercus alba
    • QURU: Quercus rubra
    • QUVE: Quercus velutina
    • SOAM: Sorbus americana
    • TSCA: Tsuga canadensis
    • ZOverall: any tree seedlings
  4. percent: percent of the 10 plots that contained seedling species (unit: dimensionless / missing value: NA)

hf162-05: understory vegetation

  1. plot: plot number (1-22)
  2. year: year (2007 is pre-harvest)
  3. species: species code
  4. cover_class: cover class. NOTE: if species code is add.tree or add.unk, see values under num-tree-species and numb_unk_species
    • 1: less than 1% cover
    • 2: 1-3% cover
    • 3: 3-5% cover
    • 4: 6-15% cover
    • 5: 16-25% cover
    • 6: 26-50% cover
    • 7: 51-75% cover
    • 8: more than 75% cover
  5. num_tree_species: number of tree species greater than 1.3m tall ('add.tree', used in all years) (unit: dimensionless / missing value: NA)
  6. num_unk_species: number of unknown species seen in a plot ('add.unk', used occasionally in 2010, 2012, and 2017) (unit: dimensionless / missing value: NA)

hf162-06: coarse woody debris

  1. plot: plot number (1-22)
  2. year: year sampled
  3. transect: location of transect within plot, running diagonally from:
    • SW.NE: southwest to northeast plot corner
    • SE.NW: southeast to northwest plot corner
    • NW.SE: northwest to southeast plot corner
    • NE.SW: northeast to southwest plot corner
    • NA: not clearly recorded
  4. tlength: length of transect in meters; always 28.28m (unit: meter / missing value: NA)
  5. diam1: diameter of wood at point it crosses the transect line (unit: centimeter / missing value: NA)
  6. diam2: second diameter of piece, measured perpendicular to diam1; it was not always possible to obtain two measurements (unit: centimeter / missing value: NA)
  7. decay: decay class as defined below
    • 1: solid wood, recently fallen, bark and twigs present
    • 2: solid wood, significant weathering, branches present
    • 3: wood not solid, bark may be sloughing but nail still must be pounded into wood
    • 4: wood sloughing and/or friable, nail may be forcibly pushed into wood
    • 5: wood friable, barely holding shape, nail may be easily pushed into wood
  8. genus: genus
  9. species: species
  10. notes: notes

hf162-07: snags

  1. plot: plot number (1-22)
  2. year: year sampled
  3. dbh: diameter at 1.3m (unit: centimeter / missing value: NA)
  4. species: species, genus, or type (deciduous/conifer)
    • ACPE: Acer pensylvanicum
    • ACRU: Acer rubrum
    • BEAL: Betula alleghaniensis
    • BELE: Betula lenta
    • conifer: conifer
    • deciduous: deciduous
    • FAGR: Fagus grandifolia
    • PIAB: Picea abies
    • Picea: spruce, but species not discerned
    • PIGL: Picea glauca
    • Pinus: pine, but species not discerned
    • PIRE: Pinus resinosa
    • PIST: Pinus strobus
    • PRPE: Prunus pensylvanica
    • PRSE: Prunus serotina
    • QURU: Quercus rubra
    • TSCA: Tsuga canadensis
    • Unknown: not identified
  5. notes: notes

hf162-08: browsing

  1. year: year sampled
  2. plot: plot number (1-22)
  3. subplot: subplot (A-Y)
  4. species: species, see hf162-02-trees.csv and hf162-03-seedlings.csv and hf162-04-under.csv
  5. height.cl: height class
    • 1: 0.3-1.99m
    • 2: 1.0-1.99m
    • 3: >2m
  6. dbh: diameter at breast height, if stem tall enough (unit: centimeter / missing value: NA)
  7. browsing: browsing
    • N: browsing not observed
    • Y: browsing present
  8. browsing2m: browsing at or above 2m
    • N: browsing at/above 2m height not observed
    • Y: browsing at/above 2m height observed
  9. browsingd05: browsing of stem >=0.5cm dbh
    • N: not a browsed stem >=0.5cm dbh
    • Y: browsed stem >=0.5cm dbh
  10. notes: notes, includes notes on subplots that contained no vegetation

hf162-09: stumps

  1. plot: plot number (1-22); but stumps tallied in harvested plots only
  2. year: year sampled; post-harvest only
  3. species: species, genus, or type (deciduous/conifer)
    • ACPE: Acer pensylvanicum
    • ACRU: Acer rubrum
    • BEAL: Betula alleghaniensis
    • BELE: Betula lenta
    • Betula: birch, but species not discerned
    • conifer: conifer
    • deciduous: deciduous
    • LASP: Larix species
    • PIAB: Picea abies
    • Picea: spruce, but species not discerned
    • Pinus: pine, but species not discerned
    • PIRE: Pinus resinosa
    • PIST: Pinus strobus
    • PRSE: Prunus serotina
    • Prunus: Prunus, but species not discerned
    • QUAL: Quercus alba
    • QURU: Quercus rubra
    • Quercus: oak, but species not discerned
    • TSCA: Tsuga canadensis
    • Unknown: not identified
  4. type: type (only cut trees included 2007-2017; not cut trees included in 2022)
    • cut: tree was cut down
    • not cut: tree fell naturally
  5. diam1: stump diameter (unit: centimeter / missing value: NA)
  6. diam2: second diameter in cm. measured perpendicular to the first, if possible. Not measured in 2010 (unit: centimeter / missing value: NA)
  7. height: stump height; listed as negative for hollows as this is negative space to be subtracted from the plot volume (unit: meter / missing value: NA)
  8. decay: decay class as defined below
    • 1: solid wood, recently fallen, bark and twigs present
    • 2: solid wood, significant weathering, branches present
    • 3: wood not solid, bark may be sloughing but nail still must be pounded into wood
    • 4: wood sloughing and/or friable, nail may be forcibly pushed into wood
    • 5: wood friable, barely holding shape, nail may be easily pushed into wood
  9. notes: notes

hf162-10: understory vegetation species codes

  1. type: life-form
    • tree: tree
    • shrub: shrub
    • herb: herb
    • fern: fern
    • clubmoss: clubmoss (lycopod)
    • graminoid: grass, sedge, or rush
  2. name_Haines_2011: species name, based on Arthur Haines’ “Flora Novae Angliae: A Manual for the Identification of Native and Naturalized Vascular Plants of New England” (2011)
  3. old_name: species name before updating to Haines (2011)
  4. common_name: English language name
  5. code: species code (first 3 letters of genus and species)
  6. notes: notes on whether a taxon is identified to genus only, or other notes