Sharing My Understanding of the Science Behind this Forest Research Project, and Its Global Importance

With a few rainy fall days of great “citizen science” and a lot of discussions under our bright orange vests (rather than belts), our team completed our fellowship as part of the HSBC/Earthwatch Climate Partnership. There is a great deal to do, now that we have been empowered by our experience. That being said, however, I feel that the last week has allowed me time to really process and simplify the science behind this project in a “big picture” kind of way, and I’d like to share my perspective on it to help others visualize its importance on a global scale. My caveat: I am not a scientist, but only hope to somewhat accurately describe this piece of the much bigger climate change puzzle.

Our team of ten local citizens was one of many more to come who are participating in a long-term forest research project headed by Dr. Geoffrey Parker that began with a question: “How does forest management influence stem (woody plants) and carbon dynamics in forests of different developmental stages?” That’s a standard scientific research question for you, so let me put it in another way: “Why are forests important to the service of our planet, when it comes to the delicate balance of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in our atmosphere that effect our long-term climate?”

Dr. Parker told us that in most of the eastern United States, the “original” forests have been cut down at least once, if not twice over the last couple hundred years. You can imagine that just in the Chesapeake Bay region alone there are thousands of acres of fractured and mature (120+ years old) forests next to newer, intermediate age plots, next to more recently logged plots, etc. In terms of what this project is studying, that means we are taking a look at a variety of species of trees over several plots of forested land that fall within these different categories of age and management.

As part of our fieldwork, our team was helping to set the baseline data for the long term project by taking measurements of each tree’s diameter (at 1.3m from the trunk), canopy class (relative height compared to the rest of the canopy around the tree) and damage class (missing major branches, standing dead, etc.). Added to this, it’s also important to separate the leaf litter (bags of leaves, twigs and whatever else was collected within a subplot) by its species type and weigh it to most accurately measure each plot’s biomass – with lots of math equations processed by the scientists, of course!

What is biomass? It is “the mass of living biological organisms in a give area or ecosystem at a given time.” (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biomass_(ecology)) Why is measuring the “biomass” of these hectare (approx. 2.5 acre) plots of trees important? Because you need to know how much biomass there is in a study plot in order to more accurately assess how productive the forest is in processing carbon – plus the potential consequences of losing that forest. And here’s where carbon dioxide (CO2) comes into play.

First of all, carbon dioxide (CO2) is one of several greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases (GHGs) like CO2 are not inherently bad. They float around in our atmosphere and are a natural part of helping our planet maintain a healthy temperature. Even water vapor is a GHG. But when you add too many additional greenhouse gases into our atmosphere, it’s like piling a bunch of blankets on the earth.

As a result, global temperatures rise, and with each incremental rise in temperature, our likelihood of adding even more GHGs into the atmosphere also rises through the consequences of a changing climate. For example, an increase in global temperatures will increase the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere. The result is an increase or amplification of the output (temperature), a mechanism called positive feedback. And I don’t mean it’ll make you feel good about yourself.

Second, it’s important to understand the service-oriented role that forests around the world play in processing CO2. Why do they matter, and why all the “hoopla” about deforestation? Well, forests are naturally carbon sinks; they help take in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere – more than they emit – and this is called autotrophic respiration. In comparison, when organic matter (such as leaf litter and fallen trees) decomposes, this is demonstrative of heterotrophic respiration; carbon is released back into the atmosphere, or taken back up into the ground through the roots of healthy trees around the decomposing matter.

But when you start throwing in variables like burning or logging a forest to make way for agriculture, or you take into account increasing global temperatures caused by the release of an inordinate amount of GHG emissions, you are hastening the pace at which organic materials break down (through fire and/or heat). This causes the release of an exponentially larger amount of carbon than the forests can possibly process (See more on GHGs at http://www.ghgonline.org/co2resp.htm).

Imagine for a moment standing under the canopy of your favorite forest, whether it’s in the eastern United States, the Amazon, somewhere in the Sierra Nevadas, Costa Rica, Russia or China. Visualize the diversity of life that it holds – the birds, flowers, insects, mammals – and try to imagine seeing the trees and plants “breathing” in the carbon dioxide and storing it in their leaves and massive trunks, then “breathing” it out again by dropping their leaves and branches and letting the fungi and other microorganisms take over their part of the process (decomposition), then returning that carbon to the air or ground again for the trees to take up over the next season, under their canopy of leaves. The forest and all its players are just doing their jobs, and willingly.

Now imagine that same forest being cut to the ground or burned within the span of a few hours or days – as compared to how much time it took to grow and how many iterations of the carbon cycle it’s been through. As a result, the forest (or what’s left of it) no longer acts effectively as a carbon sink. It may be an open wasteland of tree stumps, organic debris and stirred up soil, exposed to the wind and sun. That once forested land has now become a carbon source, a source of carbon that once was a container or sink for carbon, now released liberally into the atmosphere. That whole amazing carbon cycle has been broken and opened up to release all that stored carbon into the atmosphere as CO2.

And “Voila!” As with each readers’ imagination, so too are many thousands of acres of forest now being burned or destroyed at alarming rates in ways that release tons of carbon, contributing to the positive feedback mechanism – at an exponential rate – of increasing GHGs and thus increasing our global temperature through human actions (for more information on sinks and sources, http://www.nerc.ac.uk/research/issues/climatechange/carbon.asp).

So, by studying the forested plots of land around the North American Regional Climate Center, we can hope to gain greater insight as to how forests of different ages and subject to different types of management really process, release or effectively control the dynamic life cycle of carbon. With four other forested sites to study in the United Kingdom, China, India and Brazil, the Earthwatch/ HSBC Climate Partnership is helping to collect global forest data that will play an important role, I’m sure, in determining how we can effectively and sustainably manage our forests for the future. Forests, after all, play an important ecosystem service for our planet by helping to regulate the greenhouse gases and ultimately the global temperature that affects the health of the earth and its people.

While Measuring, We're BioBlitz'n

It rained again during our fieldwork today, but that certainly didn't dampen our spirits. The leaves have managed to hang on in their beautiful gold and rust colors, and in the process we've found little treasures amongst them. It's like having an unofficial BioBlitz in the SERC forest.

Don't know what a BioBlitz is? Check out: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/field/projects/bioblitz.html for more information.

And now, here are a few photos and a video to share. Getting up close and letting wonder, curiosity and learning take over are the only ways in which to really appreciate nature and the important players in its ecosystems. We certainly are having our share of great up close experiences with nature this week!

Citizen Scientist Sandi

I am so excited to be a citizen scientist with the Climate Stakeholders! It is an incredible luxury to spend a week in the woods collecting data that will be used to examine climate change in our area. I have been at this for three days now and I'm beginning to see how doing this work increases my perspective to what is actually at stake here. I don't allow myself much time for reflection on what it is I value about the environment. Being in the forest and working with other stakeholders seems to demand my attention to detail regarding what is in the forest - in the treetops, on the trunks, on the ground, below the ground - there is a lot going on! It goes back to the luxury and leisure to have the time to be deeply involved in the forest. The added bonus is the energy I receive from the other members of the team. This whole thing makes me believe that we can make a difference in climate change - YES WE CAN!!

Sandi

The "Energy" is Great Here!

In the common room of the dorm at Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC), several of us are enjoying catching up on special Saturday Night Live episodes surrounding the election, after an intense and fulfilling first day of our Climate Change Fellowship. Upon our arrival at SERC this morning, we met our other teammates and immediately began connecting our common interests and brainstorming big-picture visions for the future of our climate and our livelihoods.

After a quick overview about the program and safety guidelines, we spent the rest of the day getting to know the scientists that we'll be working with this week, including Dr. Geoffrey ('Jess') Parker, head scientist in the Forest Ecology lab at SERC and other field staff. They are all extremely engaging and knowledgeable about forest and conservation ecology, and their energy is already rubbing off on us.

Specifically, we learned about the history of logging and forest management in the immediate area, as well as the ways in which carbon is stored and released as part of the natural cycle of forest ecosystems. We also received an overview of the forest research that's already been done over the last twenty or thirty years at SERC. We continued on to the Earthwatch field office to learn some of the field techniques we'll be using to count the number of trees within hectare plots (approx. 2.5 acres), further separated into manageable 10m subplots. During a miniature tour of the forest with the principal investigator, we familiarized ourselves with the tree species' common to this area, including tulip poplar, white oak and hickory. We also analyzed the difference between what is thought to be the only small patch of old growth temperate forest in the area, as compared to the more recently logged areas that are in recovery mode. The difference in the size of the trunks of the trees alone was telling, but we learned to look at the nature of the bark as well as an indicator of age.

After our tour, we learned how to individually measure the "DBH" (diameter breast height) of sixteen trees in a sample plot - as well as their canopy classification - and entered our individual data into a collective spreadsheet so that we can analyze our measurements for consistency in the morning, before going out into the field to do the real work. It's been made clear to us that a very important piece of this long-term scientific project is to ensure that each participant contributes accurate measurements throughout the week, so that the overall results are up to the standards set before us.

Our evening session was further proof that the initial excitement and synergy amongst our team members was real. We continued to delve into each other's backgrounds and learn about each other's reasons for participation in this fellowship. Our brainstorming session ran long as we continued our discussions on flip charts and through our dinner time, documenting all the thoughts coming from our stream of consciousness-like session. Some of the initial themes addressing climate change in our communities and organizations included the more typical: getting corporations to act more responsibly, analyzing the impact of tourism on our region and how to approach tourism differently, social marketing of "greener" actions, awareness and restructuring of mass transportation and/or smart growth, and reducing our energy consumption. As the week goes on, we'll be able to clarify our thoughts and priorities further, but it's wonderfully inspiring to be around people who feel and think critically about these issues like I do.

As I finish writing this, the TV has been turned off (after much laughter) and our team has headed to bed to rest and prepare for our second day. It is absolutely clear that we are a part of a fellowship in the truest sense of the word. Our thoughts have progressed beyond the present day, looking ahead to tomorrow, when we will elect a new president and focus our collective energy on whatever is to come.

Danielle Williams