Professional Documents
Culture Documents
The maintenance and preservation of forests can be carried out only with a thorough
understanding of tree populations and the habitats in which they live. Furthermore, determining
species diversity, the measure of overall species and their relative abundance to each other in a
community, will aid ecologists in judging the health of a habitat and how changes brought about
outside forces (e.g. human activities), might affect a habitat (Ricklefs, et al. p. 420). A simple
might be failing or flourishing. Therefore, it is helpful to identify tree species, their sizes and
densities which can be compared spatially and temporally to each other and to those in other
The New Jersey Pine Barrens are home to numerous species of trees such as pitch pine,
various oaks and sassafras, that inhabit the sandy, acidic soil of this coastal terrain (Piney
Power). One aspect of forest life in this landscape is the occurrence of fire, which has the power
to both destroy and rejuvenate forest systems. However, the adoption of fire suppression is likely
to result in an increase of oak trees compared to pines, thus altering the forest composition of the
region. This in turn can affect other species that naturally interact with these trees (Pinelands
Alliance). Additionally, fires can act as a disturbance to a community of species populations and
their habitats, leading to the process of succession which involves the (often lengthy) process of
rebuilding, as habitats are established and lost, along with the species that live in them.
Eventually, a climate community will evolve which dominates the region (Ricklefs, et al. p.
445).
In this study, the class was instructed in the ways of observing the nature of the habitats
around them, measuring the tree life in the distinct sample areas assigned to them and, finally,
performing data analysis in Excel to provide results from the experiment. The experiment was
carried out on October 6th, 2016 and we were in the field for approximately 2 hours. The
northwestern side of the campus of Stockton University was chosen as the study site, where we
found both wet and dry habitats. Previous observations at the forest management site to the east
of the school will allow comparisons to be made with that area while the data from this study
will provide information about the relationships between the trees of the area and the species
Methods:
The class was broken up into four groups of four to take measurements at individual plots
at two sites. Each plot was numbered one to four, while the sites were named Upland forest and
Bottomland forest. Before any measurements were taken, observations were taken of the nature
of the habitats with respect to biotic and abiotic characteristics. For each plot, a center spot was
established and a radius of 11.28m measured out by a 25m tape to a perimeter point and as trees
were inspected along this line, the tape was rotated in one direction for 360 degrees. Each tree
over 10cm in diameter was identified at a height of 1.4m, whether dead or alive. A DBH tape
was used to measure tree diameter. Care was taken to include each alternate tree that lay along
the perimeter of the sample area. Measurements were recorded by one group member.
In the classroom, these eight sets of measurements were entered into Excel and then
combined by Professor Tredick. Data analysis was performed that produced measurements of
relative density, dominance and frequency, along with basal area, importance value and values
for Shannon’s Diversity Index, a measure of species diversity (Ricklefs, et al. p. 422).
Study Area:
Figure 1
Results:
Visual observations between the Upland tract and the Bottomland tract produced a
number of well-defined comparisons. The drier Upland tract was more similar to the forest
management tract in that it was more open and less shade against sunlight. All areas have pine
and leaf detritus but there was more evidence of dead branches at the Upland tract. The damp,
mossy Bottomland tract had minimal understory while the Upland area showed clear indications
Initial results from the lab (before data analysis) show a clear boundary by species
between the two tracts. There were no recordings of oak trees of any kind in the bottomland area
while maple, cedars and black gum trees were not present in the Upland forest. Pine trees,
Acer rubrum 37 37
Chamaecyparis
thyoides 47 47
Nyssa sylvatica 55 55
Quercus alba 9 9
13
Quercus velutina 13
9
Quercus coccinea 9
4
Querous stellata 4
Quercus 1
marilandica 1
Sassafras albidum 7 2 9
Ilex opaca 1 1
Unknown 1 1
Graphs plotting relative density, relative dominance and relative frequency by forest tract and
plot designation.
Upland Forest:
Upland Plot 1
80.00
70.00
60.00
50.00
40.00
30.00
20.00
10.00
0.00
Ilex opaca Pinus rigida Quercus alba Quercus velutina
Upland Plot 2
140.00
120.00
100.00
80.00
60.00
40.00
20.00
0.00
Pinus rigida Quercus alba Quercus coccinea Sassafras albidum
Upland Plot 4
90.00
80.00
70.00
60.00
50.00
40.00
30.00
20.00
10.00
0.00
Pinus rigida Quercus Quercus Quercus Quercus Sassafras UNKNOWN
alba coccinea marilandica velutina albidum
40
30
20
10
0
Acer rubrum Chamaecyparis Nyssa sylvatica Pinus rigida Sassafras albidum
thyoides
Bottomland Plot 2
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Acer rubrum Chamaecyparis Nyssa sylvatica Pinus rigida
thyoides
40
30
20
10
0
Acer rubrum Chamaecyparis Nyssa sylvatica Pinus rigida
thyoides
Bottomland Plot 4
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Acer rubrum Nyssa sylvatica Pinus rigida
200.00
150.00
100.00
50.00
0.00
1 1.454667 1.091303
2 1.303385 0.857174
3 1.357978 1.19798
4 0.983961 1.589144
Discussion:
To the untrained eye a forest might appear to be a random mix of different trees but the
research we have carried out indicates that inferences can be drawn from the data collected that
explains some of the specific characteristics of the tracts we studied and what factors cause them.
These factors can play a role in both species richness (the number of a certain species in a
community), and species evenness (the comparison of abundance between species to each other
in a community). Some of the factors that might explain variations in species are not relevant in
this area. Temperature and precipitation are evenly spread across this small sample area but there
exist elevation differences between the two locations that account for the accumulation of water
At this location, the pine trees have the greatest importance value, however
Chamaecyparis thyoides, or white cedar is quite prevalent. The Upland tract data presents a
different picture. Here, the mix of trees does not resemble the Bottomland tract except for the
pines which score very high in the importance value classification. However, it is important to
note that at the Upland site, oak trees were not treated as one species. Taking the data at face
value might lead to the assessment that this is a pine forest only but this designation may be
inaccurate and lead to misconceptions as to the actual composition of the forest. Indeed, it is
important to note that the pines trees can flourish in the presence of taller oak trees that block
sunlight and weaken the pines, encouraging rejuvenation when fire occurs (Piney Power).
forest area. Although the difference between the two tracts is not great in this case, this result is
again skewed by the separation of oak trees in individual species. The role that trees play in a
community is wide ranging. Different trees provide a variety of foods to insects and small
mammals, along with the nesting places that many birds occupy (National Arbor Day
Foundation). They also provide materials that man uses, such as lumber for building supplies.
Therefore, the information we gain about the diversity of the forest is crucial to the systems we
might incorporate that might encourage the growth of one species over another. This study was
extremely useful in gaining firsthand knowledge about the process of assessing the composition
of our forest here at Stockton. The process of identifying and measuring the trees and to the
commutation of the results, gave the class an idea of the work that is down by forest ecologists to
http://www.pineypower.com/geninfopbpg10.html
http://www.pinelandsalliance.org/ecology/fire/
Ricklefs, R., Relyea, R. (2014) Ecology: the economy of nature. New York, NY:
Freeman
http://www.wikihow.com/Identify-Oak-Leaves