Our Changing Forests 2023

Block C Science Students measuring diameter of a black birch tree, September 15, 2023

September 15, 2023. Block B Science Students measuring DBH of a various hardwood trees in Plot 9 first measured by Thurston 7th graders in September 2019.

This gilled mushroom in Plot 7 in Thurston Woods discovered by Saoirse D, a student in Block F,, September 15, 2022.

Russula mushroom discovered in Plot 1 by student in Thurston Woods, September 29, 2021.

This is the sixth year that seventh grade science students at Thurston will be contributing to this long-term schoolyard study with the Harvard Forest Long Term Ecological Research Project.

Project Theme: the Our Changing Forests project allows students to investigate how forests are changing over time, and how this impacts carbon dynamics. The primary field activity involves measuring the diameter of each tree in a 20 x 20 meter area that will be marked as a study plot in the Thurston Woods (Rice Reservation) located near the soccer fields. Other forest dynamics that will be looked at include tracking the presence of: wildlife sign; invasive species; pests and pathogens; rock or water cover, etc.

Student groups will develop a guide for identifying each tree species that are found in the study plot in Thurston Woods. You have used the collected tree branches with leaves, notes, and other information from the tree books and the Go Botany app you need to know in order to recognize the identity of each species when collecting tree data in the woods.

Students in work with maps to see how the changes that they are observing in their plots relate to the larger landscape context.

Research Questions for this study:

1. How do forests grow and change over time in response to different environments and land use?

2. How will forest composition and growth respond to future natural and human-caused disturbances?

3. How do we measure forest change?

Questions for Here and Now

1. What are the growth rates of trees in the forest? How do they differ among different species and different sized individuals?

2. How fast are trees of different species and size accumulating diameter growth and carbon from year to year within a site and on sites with different histories and soil moisture?

3. How does the tree composition differ in forests with different land-use histories or environments? Under what conditions do different tree species grow best?

An exquisitely camouflaged underwing moth discovered on this white pine tree by Thurston Middle School students, September 14, 2022.

This is the same moth. As you can see here, underwing moths have suprisingly bright colored scales located under the wings. September 14, 2022.

For 2019, the four study quadrat numbers are 9, 10, 11, and 12. The range of tree numbers are shown for each quad.

For 2018, the four study quadrat numbers are 5, 6, 7, and 8. The range of tree numbers are shown for each quad.

The ranges of tree tag numbers are the red numbers shown in each quadrant (5, 6, 7, and 8) of the above photo of the 2018 Thurston Woods study plot.

Student groups develop a Field Guide to Thurston Woods by recording quantitative observations, such as measuring the length and width of the leaf blade.