Dendrochronology in the Blackwater Ecological Preserve

The Blackwater Ecological Preserve (BEP), located in southeastern Virginia, holds significant ecological importance as it contains the northernmost intact community of Pinus palustris, longleaf pine. At the BEP, we cored longleaf pine and recorded sample data including tree height and diameter at breast height (DBH). Two sites on the BEP, the 20’s series and 40’s series, were found to correlate within, but not between, sites. Statistical and qualitative analyses were conducted to find differences between the sites significant enough to affect correlation within a chronology. This data is being incorporated into a larger dendrochronology and climate analysis study on longleaf and other pine species on the BEP. This research is important for several reasons. Currently, no baseline master chronology exists for any tree species of the BEP, so the age of the pine populations is unknown. Additionally, there is a significant lack of research on climate related growth trends involving the longleaf pine near the northern range limit. The information produced from this study may have implications in the future management of the Preserve and its pine populations.https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/gradposters2023_sciences/1018/thumbnail.jp

Climate-Radial Growth Relationships Of Northern Latitudinal Range Margin Longleaf Pine (Pinus Palustris P. Mill.) In The Atlantic Coastal Plain Of Southeastern Virginia

Climate and longleaf pine (Pinus palustris P. Mill.) radial growth relationships have been documented within its southern and western distribution. However, knowledge of this relationship is lacking along its northern latitudinal range margin (NLRM). Based on the principles of ecological amplitude, limiting factors, and studies of coniferous species in eastern temperate forests of the U.S., we hypothesized that the radial growth of longleaf pine in mixed pine-hardwood forests is responding to winter temperatures in southeastern Virginia. Two longleaf pine chronologies were developed to determine the relationship between radial growth and monthly temperature, precipitation, and Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) via response function analysis (RFA). Results at the 0.05 level yielded significant response function coefficients with a positive response to current winter temperature and precipitation and a negative response to prior August PDSI. In studies of climate and longleaf pine radial growth in other parts of its range, winter temperature and precipitation have not shared a significant positive association with radial growth. Instead current spring and summer precipitation usually share this positive association. These findings add more evidence to an emerging pattern suggesting that winter temperatures contribute to limiting the radial growth of temperate conifers at northern range margins in the Northern Hemisphere.This item is part of the Tree-Ring Research (formerly Tree-Ring Bulletin) archive. For more information about this peer-reviewed scholarly journal, please email the Editor of Tree-Ring Research at [email protected]

Edge influence on composition and structure of a Pinus palustris woodland following catastrophic wind disturbance

Forest edges are an important legacy of natural and anthropogenic disturbances. Edges of intact forest fragments are influenced by adjacent non-forested ecosystems, resulting in compositional and structural differences at the edge and into the intact forest. Edge influence (EI) is the altered biotic and abiotic interactions that occur along the edge-to-interior gradient in disturbed forests. Few studies have analyzed natural disturbance created edges, particularly in woodland structures, which contain fewer trees per hectare and are typically less light-limited than forests. The goal of our study was to examine the EI of a tornado-created edge in a Pinus palustris Mill. (longleaf pine) woodland in Alabama. In 2011, an EF-3 tornado impacted a restored P. palustris woodland, resulting in a distinct edge. We installed transects perpendicular to the edge to quantify biotic and abiotic response variables and calculate the distance of EI. Reduced structural forest complexity and basal area (negative EI) were evident 70 m into the interior woodland. Ground flora richness and diversity experienced a positive EI, with higher richness and diversity at the edge. Results of this study add to our understanding of EI on woodland composition and structure and naturally created edges and may help guide natural disturbance based silvicultural systems.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author

Gaps in diversity representation and data insufficiencies in the U.S. forest sector workforce analysis

When comprehensive and accurate data on diversity and representation is available, it significantly enhances our understanding of business challenges, thereby bolstering policy decisions and strategy formulation across all organizational tiers. Using the U.S. forest sector as a case study, we illustrate that there are significant gaps in diversity and representation within the private forest sector, particularly in terms of gender and race. These disparities exist across various domains and categories, including different forest industries, job roles, and business ownership structures. Our analysis brings to light the inadequacies of the current workforce data, emphasizing their limitations in keeping pace with the changing socio-economic landscape. We examine these areas of oversight and emphasize the profound implications they have for guiding both research and practices aimed at cultivating a sustainable and inclusive workforce

The Longleaf Tree-Ring Network: Reviewing and Expanding the Utility of \u3ci\u3ePinus palustris\u3c/i\u3e Mill. Dendrochronological Data

The longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) and related ecosystem is an icon of the southeastern United States (US). Once covering an estimated 37 million ha from Texas to Florida to Virginia, the near-extirpation of, and subsequent restoration efforts for, the species has been well-documented over the past ca. 100 years. Although longleaf pine is one of the longest-lived tree species in the southeastern US—with documented ages of over 400 years—its use has not been reviewed in the field of dendrochronology. In this paper, we review the utility of longleaf pine tree-ring data within the applications of four primary, topical research areas: climatology and paleoclimate reconstruction, fire history, ecology, and archeology/cultural studies. Further, we highlight knowledge gaps in these topical areas, for which we introduce the Longleaf Tree-Ring Network (LTRN). The overarching purpose of the LTRN is to coalesce partners and data to expand the scientific use of longleaf pine tree-ring data across the southeastern US. As a first example of LTRN analytics, we show that the development of seasonwood chronologies (earlywood width, latewood width, and total width) enhances the utility of longleaf pine tree-ring data, indicating the value of these seasonwood metrics for future studies. We find that at 21 sites distributed across the species’ range, latewood width chronologies outperform both their earlywood and total width counterparts in mean correlation coefficient (RBAR = 0.55, 0.46, 0.52, respectively). Strategic plans for increasing the utility of longleaf pine dendrochronology in the southeastern US include [1] saving remnant material (e.g., stumps, logs, and building construction timbers) from decay, extraction, and fire consumption to help extend tree-ring records, and [2] developing new chronologies in LTRN spatial gaps to facilitate broad-scale analyses of longleaf pine ecosystems within the context of the topical groups presented