QUESTION:
What will the true content of the woods behind Peabody Hall be in 40 years? This question involves sampling a designated area of the woods that is an accurate representation of the woods as a whole. Sampling involves counting what species of trees populate the area, and their diameter to match for age. These measurements will show what species of trees exist as middle age to adult trees, and what trees are young and may grow to be dominant in the woods. Acknowledging the margin of error from the possibility that not all young trees will thrive; some will not get the space, nutrients, or sunlight they need to be healthy because of the canopy and presence of older trees, we still believe that a view can be formed about what the woods will look like in 40 years.
HYPOTHESIS:
Our hypothesis is that there will be no overall shift in the dominant species of trees.
INTRODUCTION:
Since our purpose is to determine which trees will or will not be dominant in the Western Woods, we formulated our hypothesis using research done on prominent species of trees in southwestern Ohio. To do this, we had to research the idea of forest succession. We found forest succession to be the progressive movement of a forest ecosystem through different species of trees and foliage. For example, say a forest is dominated by oaks, but most of the healthy saplings are maple, then succession would suggest that maple trees will one day dominate the ecosystem in terms of trees. Concentrating on tree succession, we researched Ohio Trees, by F. W. Dean. The book states that: shagbark hickory, bur oak, American beech, maple, black maple, sugar maple, white oak, red oak, pin oak, American elm, white ash, black walnut, and cottonwood trees are the species most concentrated in the region we will be researching. We plan to determine which of these trees dominates the western woods now, and what will dominate in 40 years.
This experiment is relevant for several reasons. For example, plant life is responsive to itšs environment and vice versa; this experiment will state which trees are prominent in the environment, thus helping to classify the environment, and the conditions in which the surrounding plant life will best grow. Also, this can be used to recognize the areašs vegetative patterns, thus helping to predict what the entire environment will resemble in the future. Another way that this experiment could have an impact on future research is that it will be another factor in helping to achieve ecological classification for the woods as a whole.
MATERIALS:
For this experiment, researchers will require: five pre cut 150 foot strings, five 300 - 400 foot tape measurers, and five field guides with which to classify the trees measured.
METHOD:
Take a random sample by marking off five areas of Western Woods with the pieces of string. Use plot less sampling by marking off trees with the string, this is to be done by tying the string to a randomly selected tree, and stretching it roughly 150 feet to another tree in a straight line. Do not string through a clearing, because the trees being measured will be all those that come in to contact with the line of string. A random sample will be used because it provides the best and most efficient overall view of the whole forest. And plot less random sampling will be used because plotted sampling would too time consuming. After marking off the areas, use the tape measurers to find the diameters of the trees at breast height. Use the field guides provided to identify the trees being sampled. Record the type of tree and itšs diameter.
Once we have the data, we will divide the diameters of all of each tree, and plug their radii into the equation for a circlešs area (Pi x r2). This will yield the basal area of each tree. And the higher the basal area of a tree, the older the tree is. We will use this data to find out which trees are dominant now, and which are most likely to dominate the ecosystem in 40 years. We will illustrate this through graphs and charts of diameter and basal area to clearly state our findings. The great amount of species diversity in the area (roughly 19 different species are likely to be encountered) will also provide a decent overview of the future of the entire woods, not just the top of the canopy.
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