[LTER-sbc_help] Forest Science News *PLUS SURVEY AND BOOK GIVEAWAY* - October 2019

[Hubbard Brook Research Foundation]

A roundup of research headlines  Forest Science News is brought to you by the Hubbard Brook Research Foundation. October 2019 NOTE: This issue of Forest Science News includes a link to a brief (<5 minute) survey. Please help us improve our product by participating, and enter for a chance to win a free copy of Hubbard Brook: The Story of Forest Ecosystem by Richard T. Holmes and Gene E. Likens! TAKE SURVEY CARBON SEQUESTRATION Structurally complex temperate forests are more productive Species diversity has previously been used as an indicator of a forest’s net primary production—forests with a more diverse mixture of trees tend to have higher productivity. But a new study finds that canopy structural complexity—or how the vegetation is arranged in three dimensional space—is an even better predictor. This relationship, measured using ground-based Lidar, held true across multiple temperate forest types: evergreen, deciduous, mid-Atlantic, and Midwest. The findings have implications for improving global estimates of carbon sequestration, particularly if the method of analysis can be applied to data from satellites and aircraft.  Abstract: Ecology Press Release: UConn Today INVASIVE SPECIES Invasive pests are changing how our forests store carbon More than 450 nonnative forest insect pests and diseases can now be found in the United States. While many studies have examined the ecological impacts of particular pests, their collective impact on forest biomass is poorly understood. Researchers analyzed data from more than 92,000 field plots across the contiguous U.S. to estimate, for the first time, how many trees are being killed by the 15 most damaging nonnative pests pathogens—including emerald ash borer, hemlock woolly adelgid, Dutch elm disease, and beech bark disease. They estimate that forests containing 41.1 percent of the total live biomass are at future risk from these 15 pests. As trees continue to die, the authors write, the carbon storage provided by U.S. forests could significantly decline.  Abstract: PNAS Press Release: Phys.org “Lingering ash” trees survive emerald ash borer infestations A plantation of white and green ash trees on the Pennsylvania State University campus offered a unique opportunity for researchers to study how the invasive emerald ash borer affects different ash genotypes. The trees, planted in the 1970s, hail from 27 different states and Canadian provinces and were originally grown with the goal of observing how trees from different climates adapt in a common environment. Emerald ash borer hit the plantation in 2012. Only 13 of the original 1,762 trees that were alive at the time of the insect’s arrival now survive. However, the speed at which the insects killed the trees varied, and those “lingering ash” trees that survived longer have genetically-based traits that could be used in a breeding program to improve resistance in ash species.  Abstract: Biological Invasions Press Release: Penn State News CLIMATE CHANGE Climate change could make maple syrup season come earlier Collecting sugar maple sap is an economically and culturally important practice in the Northeast. Both sugar content and sap flow are sensitive to temperature; thus, researchers sought to elucidate how climate change might affect maple syrup production. After observing six sugar maple stands across the species’ range for a period of up to six years, they predict that the timing of peak sap collection could jump forward by one month by the year 2100 under a “business as usual” greenhouse gas emissions scenario. They also predict a decline in sap sugar content, and the region of maximum sap flow could shift northwards by about 400 km. The authors write that their findings suggest climate change will have a significant impact on syrup yield across the majority of sugar maple’s range.  Abstract: Forest Ecology and Management Article: Dartmouth College HUBBARD BROOK HIGHLIGHT A special note from the bird crew A new study, published in Science, finds that the number of birds in North America has declined by 29 percent since 1970 Researchers have been tracking changes in bird populations at Hubbard Brook for 50-plus years. While the recent Science paper is continental in scope, the story looks somewhat different from a zoomed-in perspective within the White Mountain National Forest. At Hubbard Brook, bird abundance is down from its peak in the early 1970s but the drop occurred largely due to changes in bird species composition associated with forest maturation. Since the low point in the mid 1990s, some species have decreased and others have increased or stayed the same, with the overall number of birds actually rising slightly in recent years. Taken together, the data from Hubbard Brook and those presented in Science suggest that bird populations may look healthy on a local scale even if they are declining on a larger scale. Major drivers of change at larger scales include habitat loss, pesticides, building collisions, and nonnative predators, while at the local scale—such as at Hubbard Brook—food abundance and vegetation structure are more important.  The dramatic declines described in the Science study echo issues that Hubbard Brook scientists have highlighted in the past—that events happening during the breeding season, migration, and in the winter grounds can all have a significant impact on bird abundance.  The Hubbard Brook team is actively in the process of analyzing a half century of data, and is eager to share new information and hypotheses as they emerge. Article: Hubbard Brook The above links were curated from news articles and press releases published during August/September 2019. The Hubbard Brook Research Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study Forest Science News is a science communication tool designed to improve communication between ecosystem scientists and public audiences in the northeastern U.S. and eastern Canada. Please email ideas and questions to: sciencelinks at hubbardbrookfoundation.org Sign up to get Forest Science News in your inbox! Hubbard Brook Research Foundation | 30 Pleasant St., Woodstock, VT 05091 Unsubscribe sbc_help at lternet.edu Update Profile | About Constant Contact Sent by sciencelinks at hubbardbrookfoundation.org in collaboration with Try email marketing for free today!
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