Ongoing Projects
Ruth Yanai, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Lucian Wielopolski, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Christy Goodale, Cornell University, Ivan Fernandez, University of Maine, Steven McNulty, USDA Forest Service, and Steven Hamburg, Environmental Defense Fund
Until now, there has not been a method for accurate and rapid evaluation of belowground carbon and nutrient stores, in spite of their ecological, environmental, and economic importance. The variability of forest soils has made it difficult to test factors hypothesized to influence C storage in roots and soil organic matter in realistic field experiments. In particular, anthropogenic N deposition is expected to have a positive effect on belowground C storage, but this effect has not been detectable even in accelerated N deposition experiments.
We propose to demonstrate and develop a transformative
new technology for analysis of soil carbon and nutrients. This new
technology uses inelastic neutron scattering (INS) to non-destructively
quantify belowground stores of carbon and other elements, including coarse
roots, which were previously difficult to sample, and around rocks, which
were previously obstacles. Our objectives include the development and
transfer of this technology for C and N in forest soils and also the
advancement of ecosystem science pertaining to soil C and N storage.
In the first year of the proposed project, we will validate the INS measurements with cores taken in the footprint of the INS in stands previously described with quantitative soil pits in the Bartlett Experimental Forest, NH. The capability of the INS to measure N and not just C will be tested for the first time.
In the second year of the project, we will apply INS measurements to permanent plots in two long-term N addition studies. At Mount Ascutney, VT, N has been added to high-elevation spruce-fir forests at rates of 15 and 31 kg/ha/yr since 1988. At Bear Brook Watershed in Maine, 25 kg N/ha/yr has been added to one of a pair of watershed since 1989. The INS measurements will test the hypothesis of increased C storage and also provide a baseline for future sampling. Previous measurements using traditional destructive methods could not be made at the same point on the ground and were thus limited in their statistical power to detect change over time.
Before the INS technology can be widely adopted, it requires demonstration and development. Applying the test of the INS approach in forested sites in stony soils will provide confidence that the system can be used in almost any environment. If successful, the INS technology will allow carbon sequestration projects to come closer to full carbon accounting, making it feasible to include belowground carbon in offset activities in cap and trade programs.
This project is support by the Northeastern States Research Cooperative and a SUNY-ESF Seed Grant.
Estimating Uncertainty in Ecosystem Budget Calculations
Ruth Yanai, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
I presented a talk at the meeting of the Northeastern Ecosystem Research Cooperative on Nov 12, 2008 and in a symposium on nutrient budgets at the Soil Science Society of America annual meeting on Oct 6, 2008.
Abstract: Ecosystem nutrient budgets often report values for pools and fluxes without any indication of uncertainty, which makes it difficult to evaluate the significance of findings or make comparisons across systems. We present an example of a simple Monte-Carlo approach to estimating error in calculating the N content of vegetation at Hubbard Brook, using Excel spreadsheets. The coefficient of variation was 18% of the mean, which was higher than the spatial variation in N content of vegetation assessed across multiple plots (5-10% depending on the size of the plots). In addition to allowing estimation of uncertainty in budget estimates, this approach can be used to assess which measurements should be improved to reduce uncertainty in the calculated values. Note also that it is important to report the error associated with parameters in regression models, so that future users can estimate uncertainty in calculations that depend on them.
Files: Click on these links for the PowerPoint presentation, the spreadsheets (revised 5/22/09) used to estimate uncertainty in the N budget for Hubbard Brook W6, and a draft of a brief paper.
WERC: Size of discolored hearts of sugar maple
Ruth Yanai and René Germain, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
Because the most valuable sugar maple trees are those with
small hearts, foresters, loggers and landowners would benefit from a
heart-size prediction model. Few studies have
examined the relationship between dark discoloration size and site or
individual tree factors. The initial phase of this study, based on
data (bark type, diameter, slope, aspect, etc.)
collected from 52 timber sales in 6 states, is nearly complete. The
next phase will involve the intensive field study of sites to develop and
validate a heart-size prediction model.
Future analysis will include stand history and exposure to injury, which is
commonly thought to influence dark discoloration in sugar maple.
This project is
was funded in whole or in part through a grant awarded by the
Wood
Education and Resource Center,
Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry, Forest Service, U.S. Department
of Agriculture. In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of
Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the
basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. To file a
complaint of discrimination, write USDA Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room
326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC
20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal
opportunity employer.
Read More:
Yanai, R.D., R.H. Germain, N.M. Anderson, T.A. Coates, and A.K. Mishler. 2009. Heart size of sugar maple sawlogs across the northeastern United States. Journal of Forestry 107(2): 95-100 HTML/PDF ( JOF subscribers) E-print (All other PC users; What's an e-print? )
Long-Term Ecological Research in New Hampshire
Ruth Yanai, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry Department of Forest and Natural Resources; Melany Fisk, Miami University Department of Zoology; Steven Hamburg, Brown University Center for Environmental Studies; Joel Blum. University of Michigan Department of Geological Sciences; Scott Bailey, US Forest Service Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest; Timothy Fahey, Cornell University Department of Natural Resources.
The health and productivity of northern forests are affected by disturbances such as acidic deposition and harvesting for energy or forest products. We believe that interactive mechanisms of nutrient acquisition are crucial for interpreting forest productivity responses to changing nutrient environments. Our study involves comparing the response of young and mature forests to nitrogen and phosphorus additions at three sites that differ in P availability due to differences in mineralogy of the soil parent material.
Biotic control of calcium cycling
Mary Arthur, University of Kentucky; Joel Blum, University of Michigan; Melany Fisk, Appalachian State University; Steven Hamburg, Brown University; Elizabeth Hane, Rochester Institute of Technology; and Ruth Yanai, SUNY-ESF
We are looking at differences in Ca cycling with stand age, and determing the source of Ca mobilized from mineral soil in young stands. Hypothesis testing uses both an extensive approach, involving 13 previously studied stands, and intensive one using replicate stands of three ages at a single site. For more information on this project. please visit The Northern Hardwood Calcium Project site housed at Brown University.
Read More:
Blum, J., A.A. Dasch, S.P. Hamburg, R.D.Yanai, and M.A. Arthur. 2008. Use of foliar Ca/Sr discrimination and 87Sr/86Sr ratios to determine soil Ca sources to sugar maple foliage in a northern hardwood forest. Biogeochemistry 87(3):287-296 PDF From SU/ESF: HTML
Yanai, R.D., J.D. Blum, S.P. Hamburg, M.A. Arthur, C.A. Nezat, T.G. Siccama. 2005. New insights into calcium depletion in northeastern forests. Journal of Forestry. 103: 14-20. PDF
Yanai, R.D., R.P. Phillips, M.A. Arthur, T.G. Siccama, and E. Hane. 2005. Spatial and temporal variation in calcium and aluminum in northern hardwood forest floors. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution. 160: 109-118. PDF
Hamburg, S,P., R.D. Yanai, M.A. Arthur, J.D. Blum and T.G. Siccama. 2003. Biotic control of calcium cycling in northern hardwood forests: acid rain and aging forests. Ecosystems 6: 399-404. PDF
Modeling forest susceptibility to decline following defoliation by forest tent caterpillar
R.D. Yanai, D. Parry, L.K. Lautz, and D.C. Allen, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
In the northeastern US, we are in the fourth year of an outbreak of forest tent caterpillar. We are seeking funding to examine the factors that cause some stands to suffer dieback and mortality following defoliation, while other stands recover. This project involves monitoring forest health, analyzing geographic information, including aerial coverage of defoliation history, and working with state agencies and other stakeholders. This project is funded by the Northeastern States Research Cooperative.
Read More:
Wood, D.M, R.D. Yanai, D.C. Allen, and S. Wilmot. 2009. Sugar maple decline following defoliation by forest tent caterpillar. Journal of Forestry 107(1): 29-37 HTML/PDF ( JOF subscribers) E-Print (All other PC users; What's an e-print?)
Cross-site Comparison of Nutrient Cycling and Root Dynamics Along a Calcium Supply Gradient
Jamie Shanley, U.S. Geological Survey; Ruth Yanai, SUNY-ESF; Scott Bailey, USDA-Forest Service; Don Ross, University of Vermont; Tim Fahey, Cornell University; and Tom Siccama, Yale University
We combined existing data and new measurements to compute annual nutrient (nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, calcium, magnesium, and potassium) flux in net throughfall, litterfall, and aboveground biomass increment, as well as to account for the belowground biomass component in hardwood and coniferous forest types under contrasting conditions of soil calcium status in Sleepers River, VT; Hubbard Brook, NH; and Cone Pond, NH. The major new effort in this project was directed at measurements of root turnover.
Neither aboveground biomass and production nor belowground biomass were related to soil calcium or calcium: aluminum ratios across the calcium gradient. Hardwood stands had 37% higher aboveground biomass and 44% higher leaf litter production than the conifer stands, on average. Fine root biomass (<2 mm in diameter) in the upper 35 cm of the soil, including the forest floor, was very similar in hardwoods and conifers (5.92 and 5.93 Mg ha−1). The turnover of fine roots increased significantly with soil exchangeable calcium. As a result, calculated fine root production was clearly higher in sites with higher soil calcium in both hardwood and conifer stands. The relationship we observed between soil Ca availability and root production suggests that cation depletion might lead to reduced carbon allocation to roots in these ecosystems. This project was funded by the Northeastern States Research Cooperative.
Park, B.B., R.D. Yanai, T.J. Fahey, T.G. Siccama, S.W. Bailey, J.B. Shanley, and N.L. Cleavitt. 2008. Fine root dynamics and forest production across a calcium gradient in northern hardwood and conifer ecosystems. Ecosystems 11(2):325-341 PDF
Nitrogen immobilization by woodchip application in a northern hardwood forest.
René Germain, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
Leaf litter immobilizes N, reducing stream export, briefly, in the fall. We have conducted a 1-year study of the potential for wood chips to immobilize N following forest harvest, to reduce the peak nitrate delivery to streams. This work is in the context of the New York City Watersheds in the Catskill Mountains of New York. To date, Forestry BMPs (Best Management Practices) have addressed sedimentation of streams, but not stream chemistry. This work could result in the development of a new BMP.
Read More: Homyak, P.M., R.D. Yanai, D.A. Burns, R.D. Briggs, and R.H. Germain. 2008. Nitrogen immobilization by wood chip application: protecting water quality in a northern hardwood forest. Forest Ecology and Management 255: 2589-2601. PDF
NYSERDA: Assessing the sensitivity of New York Forests to cation depletion
Ruth Yanai, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and Joel Blum, University of Michigan
Information concerning the distribution of sources of calcium (Ca) and the ability of tree species to access calcium is essential for predicting the sensitivity of forests across New York State to Ca depletion resulting from acidic deposition. The data accumulated through this project will provide a more accurate assessment of the likelihood that New York State forests will be adversely affected by the depletion of calcium and other exchangeable cations. In particular, this project sought to:
Read More:
Park, B.B., R.D. Yanai, M.A. Vadeboncoeur, and S.P. Hamburg. 2007. Estimating root biomass in rocky soils using pits, cores and allometric equations. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 71:206-213. PDF
Yanai, R.D., B.B. Park, and S.P. Hamburg. 2006. The vertical and horizontal distribution of roots in northern hardwoods of varying age. Can. J. For. Res. 36(2): 450-459. PDF
A project update and draft summary report are available. As per agreement with NYSERDA, data from this study are available for subsequent study. Please request access to virtual study archives by email to forestecology@esf.edu.
Sources of Calcium in Northern Hardwood Forests: Implications for Repeated Harvests and Calcium Depletion
Ruth Yanai, SUNY-ESF; Joel Blum, University of Michigan; Steven Hamburg, Brown University; Mary Arthur, University of Kentucky
We collected and analyzed soil samples from a total of 24 sites in Maine, New Hampshire (all 14 located in the White Mountain National Forest), New York and Pennsylvania: The results of this work have been surprising.
First, we found that apatite is indeed an important source of Ca in soils in rocks derived from granitoid parent materials, but it is less important in sedimentary rocks. One paper, published in the Journal of Forestry in 2005, describes this finding, and another is in preparation by Carmen Nezat, which treats the subject in more detail.
The method for identifying apatite in soils is an important product of this research. Another manuscript has recently been submitted soon to Chemical Geology describing the sequential extraction procedure we developed, also led by Carmen Nezat.
We had intended to describe the relative importance of apatite as a calcium source in stands of different ages and species composition by comparing the composition of tree foliage to that of the major Ca sources, using trace metals and isotopes. This analysis is not as simple as we had hoped, because trees fractionate strontium and calcium, and tree species differ in the degree to which they do so. Amanda Dasch is preparing a manuscript describing this problem, and when it is completed, Joel Blum will be in a position to apply a modified approach to addressing our original question.
This project has been supported by grants from the USDA Forest Service Agenda 2020 Sustainable Forest Research program. National Science Foundation and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.
Read More:
Nezat, C.A., J.D. Blum, R.D. Yanai, S.P. Hamburg, and B.B. Park. 2008. Mineral sources of calcium and phosphorus in soils of the northeastern USA. Soil Science Society of America Journal 72(6): 1786–1794 PDF
Nezat, C.A., J.D. Blum, R.D. Yanai and S.P. Hamburg. 2007. A sequential extraction to selectively dissolve apatite for determination of soil nutrient pools with an application to Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, New Hampshire, USA. Applied Geochemistry 22: 2406–2421 PDF
Yanai, R.D., J.D. Blum, S.P. Hamburg, M.A. Arthur, C.A. Nezat, T.G. Siccama. 2005. New insights into calcium depletion in northeastern forests. Journal of Forestry. 103: 14-20. PDF
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