2023 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 5-7, 2023 • Cincinnati, OH
6/06/2017 | 3:30 PM - 3:45 PM | HYDROLOGIC DRIVERS OF PEAT, VEGETATION, AND FIRE IN THE GREAT DISMAL SWAMP | 301B
HYDROLOGIC DRIVERS OF PEAT, VEGETATION, AND FIRE IN THE GREAT DISMAL SWAMP
The forested peatlands of the Great Dismal Swamp have been greatly altered since colonial times. Drainage ditches were installed to lower water levels and allow timber harvesting. Current forest communities are largely comprised of the maturing remains from selective timber harvesting that ended in the early 1970’s. As a result, red maple has become the dominant tree species, homogenizing the mosaic of cypress-tupelo, pocosin, and Atlantic white cedar stands. Restoration efforts to repair water control structures in the ditches aim to control drainage to re-establish historic forest communities, reduce peat decomposition, and reduce fire vulnerability. We established transects where we measured water level and ecosystem attributes – i.e. vegetation composition, peat depths, and microtopography. We also tested peat samples for burn threshold moisture content to assess fire vulnerability. At wetter sites we found deeper peat, lower maple dominance, higher tree diversity and density, and higher burn threshold moisture contents. These data help explain hydrology’s effect on vegetation structure, maple dominance, fire vulnerability, and carbon storage ultimately guiding large-scale management and restoration for improved community composition and ecosystem function.
- C14 Hydroecology
- C16 Restoration Ecology
- C09 Wetland Ecology
Presentation:
This presentation has not yet been uploaded.
Handouts:
Handout is not Available
Transcripts:
CART transcripts are NOT YET available, but will be posted shortly after the conference
Presenters/Authors
Morgan Schulte
(), Virginia Tech, schulte@vt.edu;
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -
Daniel McLaughlin
(), Virginia Tech, mclaugd@vt.edu;
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -