University of Michigan
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Forest structure and function changes as the forests develop following catastrophic disturbance. Many forests in the Midwest were cut and then burned from the 1880s to the 1920s. The forests at the University of Michigan Biological Station (UMBS) were cut and burned in 1911. Since then UMBS has conducted a series of cuts and burns to produce an experimental chronosequence: the Burn Plots. We measure the regrowth of the trees in the Burn Plots to learn about how forest structure and function recover from disturbance. One way to measure forest structure is by building a stem map. The species, their size, and exact position are recorded in a stem map. I will work with ED-QUEST students to produce stem maps of some of the Burn Plots or other stands of trees at UMBS. I am also willing to work with ED-QUEST students develop a complementary study in the experimental forest at UMBS. Work will likely include both field and lab work and will be conducted at UMBS. See the links below for more information

 

http://umbs.lsa.umich.edu/research/researchsite/umbs-burn-plots.htm

http://umbs.lsa.umich.edu/research/projects/mechanisms-maintaining-productivity-in-chronosequence-of-northern-forests.htm

http://www.lsa.umich.edu/umbs/students/guidetolivingatthestation