Changes in Composition and Structure in a Northeast Ohio Hardwood Forest: 1974-2015

Science Center, Bent Corridor

Permanent plots are a useful ecological tool for examining change over time, succession, and the effects of disturbance on vegetation. A grid of permanent plots was established in 1974 in Chance Creek Natural History Reservation and tree species composition was surveyed in 1974, 1986, and 1998. In this study, we re-sampled the plots to explore the effects of the widespread death of ash trees due to the invasive emerald ash borer. Species composition and diameter at breast height were measured for all stems >2.54 cm in thirty-three 0.04 ha plots. Species composition was also recorded for seedlings and saplings in smaller plots. Present composition and structure will be compared to the data from past surveys and we will use canonical correspondence analysis to explore how species composition and distribution correlates with various ecological variables, such as slope, aspect, light, and edaphic characteristics.