Transcript stump secrets

Secrets of the
Stumps
Tree Composition in Barrington
Headwaters: Past, Present, Future
EMILY TANSEY, JULIE CAFARELLA, KATIE
MINDESS
Questions:
What were the dominant tree species at our
study site prior to the most recent logging
event?
What are the current dominant tree species?
What factors have affected the shift in tree
species?
Based on our analysis of climate projection
models, what do we project will be the
dominant tree species at our site in the future?
Background Information
• Abenaki Indians utilized the land that is now known as
Barrington Headwaters
– Burned brush to keep it suitable to grow berries and create habitat
for wildlife
• Portsmouth settlers arrived and logged the forest to build ships
• About 100 years later (1800s) the Tibbets family settled in the
area
• Used the land for raising sheep and logging
• At the time of the Civil War the wool industry took a turn for the
worse and the Tibbets family left
• Logging continued on and off through WWII
• Tamposi bought the land in the 21st century with the hopes of
building a mall he logged the property
• The mall was never built and it was sold to Barrington and
surrounding towns who made it a protected watershed
(Cilley, and Yeomans)
Methods
• Qualitative data
– Wessels
• Quantitative data
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30X30 meter pixel
Canopy/ground cover
Tree count and dominant species determination
Stump Analysis
Tree core samples
Climate prediction models
Final Results- Past & Present
• Dominant tree species within our study area: White Pine, Sugar
Maple, and White Birch.
• Stump samples: 3 White Pine, one Oak (indeterminate)
• Core Samples– White Oak- 1971
– White Pine- 1972
– Sugar Maple- 1972
– White Birch- 1981
Examination of the samples revealed some changes in growth ring
structure during the 5 -year period from 1985-1990. Both the
Sugar Maple and White Oak cores revealed much tighter growth
rings during this time period, while the White Pine had larger
growth rings for those five years. The growth rings on the White
Birch appeared relatively consistent throughout the entire core.
Final Results- Future
Current Northeast Forest Types
Final Results- Future
Northeast Forest Predictions
Final Results- Future
More projections
Teaching Implications
• Ecosystem Play:
– Goal: To help students begin to understand the basic
components and interactions that take place in a forest
ecosystem
– 6-8 years old
• Leaf Scavenger Hunt
– Goal: To teach students how to observe and find different types
of trees leaves in the forest.
– 3-5 (Pre-K/K, with adults)
• Stump Secrets
– Goal: To develop hypotheses about forest composition based on
qualitative analysis of stumps
– 9-12 years old
Resources
Cilley, Rachel, and Kate Yeomans. "If these walls could talk." Tibbetts Family
Homestead. Wiki, 2009. Web. 3 Aug 2010.
<http://tibbettsfamily.wikispaces.com/If+these+walls+could+talk....>