Table of ContentsAmerican Hardwood ForestsDominance of TreesSummary of Works CitedForestry was generally a misunderstood subject in which it was thought to be solely the study of trees, but in reality it is much more. In short, forestry is known to be the science and understanding of the management of forest trees and other natural resources from forest lands. Therefore, in addition to the study of forest trees, forestry encompasses studies of wildlife, soils, wood, etc. (University of British Columbia, 2017) The importance of forestry in the United States became evident in the late 1800s. From 1876 to the early 1900s, the United States government worked to create forest reserves through the Forest Reserve Act of 1891, and ultimately responsibility for these reserves fell into the hands of the U.S. Forest Service, of which Gifford Pinchot became its first chief. (US Forest Service, nd) More recently, the United States, along with many other countries, continues to protect its forests through established appropriate regulations. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get the original essay Forests have a major impact on different environmental aspects. A tree's environment integrates its abiotic factors, including soil and climate, with its biological elements such as animals, insects and microorganisms that depend on plants. Since trees do not necessarily reside permanently in their native environment, some trees may struggle to thrive in their current habitat and reach their maximum potential. This will determine the success of that tree species in its current environment and could result in some species dominating while others die off. (University of British Columbia, 2017) This project studies whether or not there is a relationship between the dominant tree in an area and the biomass of trees in that same area to better understand tree growth patterns. widespread across the United States. These forests are primarily made up of deciduous trees, known for having broad leaves instead of pine needles like conifers. Although most of these trees have lost their leaves seasonally, there is still biodiversity among these forest types. Biodiversity has been classified according to phylogenetic (evolutionary) and/or functional (ecological) criteria. Biodiversity is due to genetic variation between each individual organism through phylogenetic and functional history and the means of future adaptive evolution. In terms of diversity, species that do not show much genetic variation become more likely to become extinct due to nature or human interactions. (Colwell, n.d.)More specifically, ecologists and biologists have described forest biodiversity in terms of species. Species richness is the quantity of species of a specific life form that characterize a community, habitat, or ecosystem. (Colwell, nd) Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (BEF) studies have manipulated plant species richness in experiments and suggested that ecosystem functions, such as biomass production and nutrient cycling, respond strongly to changes in biological diversity. (Cardinale, 2012) In addition to biodiversity, carbon sequestration is an important factor in American hardwood forests. These hardwood forests are recognized as important carbon sinks. Many of these forest trees balance the carbon present in the atmosphere by extracting it (carbon sequestrationcarbon) and storing it in their leaves or in the soil. The quantity of carbon stored in forests is therefore twice that stored in the atmosphere. (Hui, 2016) Another important aspect that makes up America's hardwood forests is succession, which can also influence carbon levels. Succession occurs after a disturbance destroys an area of ​​land and plant species then develop in that area over time. In order for aTo completely regrow the ecosystem, it takes time, which is why succession occurs in stages. As noted in a recent study, during some intermediate stages of succession, ecosystem net production (the difference between the amount of carbon produced by photosynthesis and the amount used by respiration) and net primary production ( the amount of carbon absorbed after plant respiration) can decrease or increase depending on the frequency of the disturbance. (Gough, 2016) For this and other reasons, succession is the process that keeps many forests functional today. Greenbelt ParkOne of Maryland's known forest areas resulting from succession is Greenbelt Park. Greenbelt Park is one of Maryland's national parks, and has been since 1950 under Public Law 643. The land originally thrived with trees, wildlife, and water. Once they arrived in Native American territory, settlers cleared the land over the next 150 years. years for agriculture and other practical uses, and these factors, along with erosion, have left the remaining land bare. The land has slowly begun to replenish itself over time and has recently flourished with a vast array of trees, wildlife, bacteria and much more. (National Park Service, nd) Greenbelt Park is significant in Maryland because it is now a national park and is dedicated to its protection and preservation. It contains some common tree species like red maple and flowering dogwood. The red maple is one of the most abundant and widespread trees in North America. (US Forest Service, nd) Flowering dogwood is also found in Greenbelt Park and tends to be found in areas with improved drainage and lighter textured soils. (Viña, 2010) These and other tree species found in the park contribute animals, bacteria, fungi and lichens that interact with them and can help the trees grow or use their resources.Tree DominanceAlthough it Although there may be many species of trees in a forest, including Greenbelt Park, dominant trees are an important factor that can determine the fate of a forest. A dominant tree is known as the one that appears the most in a specific area or range. A dominant tree can emerge due to different circumstances, but usually due to disturbance, which can determine the success or failure of a plant. An example of disturbance is human interaction or anthropogenic disturbance. This may include the clearing of forests for the construction of houses or roads or even a "wave of intensive harvesting and clearing for agricultural purposes during which harvesters select economically attractive species." (Hanberry, 2013) These types of disturbances can destroy the balance of a forest ecosystem and cause new species to grow in the area surrounding the disturbance because human interaction with that forest area could ruin plant seed production which were previously affected. initially there or cause mutualistic relationships between this species of tree and animals to suffer. This couldpossibly causing another type of tree to flourish and creating a different environment in which the new tree species could better disperse their seeds and thrive until they eventually become dominant. Another type of disruption is natural disasters that could affect which tree becomes dominant in a plot. Natural disasters such as tornadoes, earthquakes and hurricanes can easily wipe out tree species that were not strong enough to withstand them and could reverse some gains made by forest species. (Viña, 2010) This can also include droughts in which many tree species suffered mortality. (Fensham, 2015) This would ultimately allow the strongest tree species to survive and dominate. Invasive species can also be another way for one tree species to dominate an area. According to research, seed dispersal plays an essential role in plant invasions. As long as seeds can be transported to different environments, exotic species will remain a threat to native species in a given environment. They have the potential to kill off native species that might dominate. Studies have shifted their focus from diversity and how it can improve invasion resistance to instead studying dispersal and how the characteristics of introduced species primarily determine the success of invasive species. Other factors, such as disease, seed predation, herbivory, and resource availability, affect the recruitment of an invasive species and whether or not it survives in its new environment. (Lichstein, 2017) Species richness generally needs to be estimated based on samples due to difficulty of detection, behavioral factors, etc. Relative abundance is the most important influence on the effort required to record a species. As species grow and develop, the rate of discovery of new species steadily declines, as increasingly rare species remain. (Colwell, nd)BiomassIn forest ecosystems, tree biomass refers to the measurement of the biological matter of trees in the forest. This includes all parts of the tree, most of which originate from the base, but some parts, such as the roots, must be considered. Forest inventories generally consist of quantifying below-ground biomass in addition to above-ground biomass. The most commonly used measurements to determine forest tree biomass include DBH, known as diameter at breast height, tree height at distinct levels, and tree type which relate to the volume of wood measured . (Price, 2017) In order to understand the contribution of changes in forest biomass to other important preventative factors like the global carbon cycle, climate change, and the relationship between tree diversity and productivity, environmentalists must appropriate estimates of forest population changes. prices. Permanent sample plots (PSPs) have been used to estimate forest population rates as well as to map the distribution of forest biomass, but they only include large trees. (Searle, 2017) This can pose a problem when correctly mapping the biomass of a forest. In the United States, the requirement for a woody plant to be considered a tree is that the DBH be 5 inches or greater as of 2017. (Searle, 2017). This gave rise to experiments in which tree biomass was not.