Stewards & Scholars

CES Takes Its Research to Vermont

Studying the effects of fire management in rare forest habitat

Every summer, when the field work season ramps up, you can find CES interns and staff collecting crucial data to support ongoing research on forest ecology throughout the state of New Jersey. This past season, the work extended from the usual study sites in New Jersey all the way to Green Mountain National Forest. A crew of four CES interns joined Dr. Jay Kelly and staff scientist Jessica Ray for a week-long research trip to survey a protected dry oak forest community on the mountainous slopes of southwestern Vermont.

The new research project is focused on determining whether fire is an effective management tool for stimulating oak regeneration, in order to maintain Vermont’s uncommon dry oak forests. Working alongside Dr. Ryan Rebozo, Director of Conservation Science at the Vermont Center for Ecostudies (VCE), the team collected data on the plant community composition of various study sites. Half of the sites had recently been subjected to controlled burns as part of a management strategy, while the other half served as control sites. In addition to surveying what plant species were present, the team also used LiDAR scanning equipment to characterize the physical structure of each site and collected soil samples. This coming winter, CES and the VCE plan to return to the study sites to conduct deer surveys using a drone equipped with an infrared camera. The effects of increased deer browse must be taken into consideration, especially since it may cause the controlled burns to be neutral or even counterproductive to oak regeneration. These data will help to understand the complex ecological dynamics resulting from fire management in this context and inform future monitoring and management efforts in the region.

In addition to contributing to valuable research, CES interns sharpened their field botany identification skills and learned new data collection techniques. Several of the plots within the study site proved to be quite challenging to survey; an untrained eye could easily glance over the heath plant family (Ericaceae) dominated understory without realizing how many different species of similar looking plants there were. Justin Andell, a newer member of the crew, notes, “Due to the high diversity of blueberries and huckleberries, I learned how to distinguish very similar plants through very subtle traits.” The group also spent time before the trip familiarizing themselves with a different data collection methodology than they usually use in NJ. Using techniques standardized by the US Forest Service allows for this set of data to be compared more easily to future monitoring efforts.

While this was a work trip, the crew managed to enjoy themselves quite a bit during downtime. Being in a new environment with plenty of interesting plants and picturesque sights was a nice change of pace. CES field technician Chris Balajadia remarks, “It was great to see a forest that wasn’t completely overtaken by invasive species like in New Jersey.” When asked about some of his favorite plants from the trip, Dr. Jay Kelly recalls, “The most exciting plants by far were hobblebush (a favorite of moose), which I had never seen before, Clintonia borealis (which is very rare in NJ), and Isotria medeoloides (a rare orchid in both NJ and VT).”

For more information and another perspective on the trip, check out this article written by Dr. Ryan Rebozo himself! Fire Management in the Green Mountains | Vermont Center for Ecostudies