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openCC (other)Mar 2025View details →

Zooplankton and macroinvertebrate size spectra, biomass, and community composition; and harvest of bigmouth buffalo and common carp in six shallow lakes in Iowa, USA (2018-2020)

This data product contains biological data collected within six shallow lakes in Iowa, USA between 2018 - 2020, where four lakes were undergoing targeted removals of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) and bigmouth buffalo (Ictiobus cyprinellus). Parts of these data were a portion of Albright et al. 2022 (https://doi.org/10.6073/pasta/1d3797fd573208bae6f78963479445a0), however the data herein include additional survey data from the Ambient Lake Monitoring network instituted through Iowa State University and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (https://www.iowadnr.gov/environmental-protection/water-quality/water-monitoring/ambient-lake-monitoring#ambient-lake-monitoring-sampling-plan). Data are packaged and formatted specifically for size spectra analysis and compositional analysis.

Timber Harvesting Field Study in Western Massachusetts 2004-2005

Forest harvesting is one of the most significant disturbances affecting forest plant composition and structure in Western Massachusetts, yet few studies have quantified the effects of harvesting in this region. Massachusetts requires all commercial harvest operations above 87 m3 to file a Forest Cutting Plan (FCP) with the state. We have digitized these FCPs (see McDonald et al. 2006), covering all harvests from 1984 to 2003. Our study area is Massachusetts west of the coastal basin, as defined by Motts and O’Brian (1981). We selected 126 sites for sampling. Two-thirds of the sites (89) were harvested once between 1984 and 2003, and these were selected randomly from the larger FCP database. The remaining one-third of the sites (37) were control sites selected randomly from all unharvested forest in the study area. The boundaries for our field surveys were those filed with the FCP for harvested sites, and were circular for control sites, proportional in size to the mean FCP in the physiographic region (Motts and O'Brien 1981): Connecticut River Valley (10.7 ha), Central Upland (11.3 ha), Berkshire Valley and Taconic Mountains (12.6 ha), and the Western Upland (15.9 ha). Note that our sampled sites were well-dispersed over the study area, and encompassed the variety of past agricultural land-use.

Impacts of Hemlock Harvesting in Central Massachusetts 2003-2009

The recent unimpeded infestation of the hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA; Adelges tsugae) across the northeastern U.S. is driving large-scale hemlock decline and mortality. HWA has already infested over 40% of the towns in Massachusetts and, as a result, many landowners are considering pre-emptively harvesting their eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) stands. To examine the local impacts of this cutting activity, we examined stand and ecosystem dynamics in 10 hemlock-dominated sites on public and private lands where hemlocks were harvested between 1 to12 years ago with nearby uncut forests. Forty-two to ninety-seven percent of hemlock stems and basal area were removed from the harvested sites. Sapling densities of 10,500 to 24,000 stems ha-1 dominated the vegetation at older cuts and consisted primarily of black birch (Betula lenta), red maple (Acer rubrum), and white pine (Pinus strobus). Seedling densities averaged 5 m-2 across sites, peaked at 20 m-2 at 6 to 9 year old sites, and consisted of hemlock, white pine, black birch, and red maple. Additional understory species that were common in cuts sites included various raspberry (Rubus) species, often averaging 30% cover, hay-scented fern (Dennstaedtia punctilobula), and various sedge (Carex) species. Harvesting resulted in soils that were 3 to 5 (deg C) warmer and tended to be drier in recent vs. older cuts. Net nitrogen mineralization rates in organic soils averaged just over 10 kg N ha-1yr-1 in recent cuts and approx. 5 kg N ha-1yr-1 in older cuts. Mineral soil net mineralization rates were lower among all cuts, ranging from 2.1 to 3.5 kg N ha-1yr-1. Nitrification rates were low in both soil horizons at all harvest ages. Recent cuts had much higher nitrogen capture (NH4- + NO3+) on resin bags averaging around 1200 μg N g resin-1 vs. 300 to 600 μg N g resin-1 captured in older cuts. Nitrification rates and nitrate capture on resin bags were lower in Massachusetts sites than those reported on sites with a long history o

Ungulate-Forest Interactions in Partially Harvested Oak-Pine Stands in Central Massachusetts 2009

Ungulates are attracted to forest openings created by natural disturbance and timber harvesting due to the abundance of high quality browse in these openings. Despite the increased activity and browsing of ungulates in forest openings, the importance of browsing relative to abiotic factors such as light on forest regeneration is often unclear. In southern New England, medium-intensity harvesting is the predominant forest disturbance attracting white-tailed deer and moose. Oaks are the foundation hardwood taxon and predominant timber tree in the region and are in decline. Hence, the effects of ungulate browsing on oak forests are of great interest to ecologists, conservationists and forest and wildlife managers. We sampled tree regeneration and ungulate foraging activity across a range of canopy disturbances (35-90% basal area removed) in 34 stands of the Quabbin and Ware River Watershed Forests. Browsing was very high across the plots with about 80% of red maple and oak stems browsed. Taller stems were generally browsed more frequently than shorter stems. Oak regeneration in the smaller size classes was generally lower in stands with higher percent cover of hay-scented fern. The proportion of browsed red maples and oaks generally increased with increasing density of these taxa. Despite intensive herbivory, oaks appear to be regenerating well with increased light in these partially harvested stands.

Annual Maps of Forest Harvest Events in Maine from LANDSAT Imagery 1986-2019

We used Landsat satellite imagery and forest inventory plot measurements to develop a time series of annual maps representing potential forest harvest events for the state of Maine in the Northeastern US for the years 1986 to 2019. We first generated a set of LandTrendr temporal segmentation results for three different spectral indices. Change results were filtered to remove events greater than two years in duration, then results were combined using a seven-parameter degenerate decision trees model that determined a set of thresholds on disturbance patch size, magnitude of spectral change, and change “votes” across indices. We found that we were able to detect harvest events that removed at least 30% of total basal area with a mean F1 score of 0.72 (σ = 0.02) with a mean false negative error rate (omission) of 0.32 (σ = 0.02) and mean false positive error rate (commission) of 0.23 (σ = 0.03), and these scores further improve when maps are masked to remove human land use (built and agriculture) and water based on National Land Cover Dataset and JRC Global Surface Water classifications (mean F1 = 0.73, σ = 0.02). Comparisons with an out-of-sample reference dataset and an existing national forest disturbance dataset indicate our forest harvest maps are a locally accurate source of information for characterizing spatial and temporal variability in long-term harvest patterns across the industrial forests of northern Maine. Here, we provide annual ensemble-based maps of potential harvest events; cross-validated results, which give an indication of detection agreement across subsets of our forest inventory reference datasets; and ancillary datasets that can be used to mask false detections in urban and agricultural land uses and water.

Timber Harvesting Study in North Quabbin Region of Central Massachusetts 1984-2001

Although the northeastern U.S. includes extensive areas of aggrading forest, uncertainty regarding the intensity and pattern of forest harvesting hampers an understanding of important ecological processes and characteristics such as carbon and nitrogen storage, habitat quality, and forest dynamics, and impedes regional conservation and management planning. Due to the complex ownership pattern dominated by thousands of non-industrial private forest (NIPF) owners and the difficulty of detecting selective logging using remote sensing, details of the harvesting regime remain largely unknown to the scientific and policy communities. To examine the value of statewide regulatory data for Massachusetts as a unique source of this critical information, we analyzed 17 years of timber harvest data gathered for regulatory purposes for a 168,000-ha forested landscape in Massachusetts that is the focus of concerted conservation planning and intensive study of landscape and ecosystem pattern and process. The North Quabbin Region is heavily wooded with a complicated ownership pattern dominated by over 2,500 NIPF owners, three state agencies, and diverse conservation and municipal holdings. The extent and intensity of harvesting were surprising, with an annual disturbance rate of 1.5% and a mean intensity of 44.7 m3 ha-1 (approximately one-fourth of average stand volume). The predominant form of harvesting was selective removal of commercially valuable tree sizes, grades and species (e.g., Quercus rubra and Pinus strobus). The spatial pattern of logging was random with regards to major physical, biological, or cultural factors. However, logging was strongly related to landowner class. NIPF owners control 60% of the forest area and were responsible for 64.1% of harvest area, but the highest logging intensity (volume per area harvested; 69.3 m3 ha-1) among major landowners was conducted by the state agency responsible for managing southern New England's largest conservation property, t

Massachusetts Timber Harvesting Study 1984-2003

Sustainability of the forest at a regional scale in landscapes dominated by non-industrial private forest (NIPF) ownership depends on the often-independent actions and behaviors of thousands of private families and individuals. These NIPF lands comprise the dominant forest ownership in many parts of the United States, and represent an important part of the greater forest landscape matrix even in parts of the region where industrial and/or public lands dominate. In northeastern states, NIPF lands can represent 75% or more of total forest area. While forest landowner attitudinal survey work in the past several decades has explored reasons for ownership, motivations, and perspectives on traditional management (e.g., do you intend to harvest in the next 10 years?), little if any study has focused on attitudes and, importantly, documented behaviors related to sustainability on their lands. Some landowner attitudes pertaining to the notion of sustainability can be inferred from earlier work (e.g., documented interest in wildlife habitat and nature, aesthetics, and privacy), but these do not directly link to sustainability or timber productivity on their own lands. As the urban-rural interface expands from metropolitan centers, though this wooded landscape may appear to be forested from the air, it no longer sustains a number of benefits upon which society has grown to depend. In particular, timber harvesting declines as a viable and sustainable land use activity. We seek to: 1. Study the decision-making process, priorities, and behaviors of different types of NIPF owners, in terms of sustainable harvesting, and sale/ development; 2. Use landscape-scale spatial data and associated demographic data to assess the extent to which such landscapes can remain sustainable producers of wood products in the face of expanding urban/ suburban influence; and 3. study sites that have sustained harvests and document the successional trajectory, in an effort to estimate the future compos

openCC (other)Jul 2025View details →

Above and below ground plant biomass in Arctic LTER's 1981 mesic acidic tussock tundra experimental site (MAT81) harvested in 2000, Arctic LTER, Toolik Lake, Alaska.

Above and below-ground plant biomass, including plant roots, was measured in Arctic LTER's moist acidic tussock tundra experimental site (MAT81). The plots were set up in 1981 and have been harvested in previous years (See Shaver and Chapin Ecological Monographs, 61(1), 1991 pp.1-31). This file contains the 2000 harvested biomass and percent carbon and nitrogen summaries for control and fertilized plots. Leaf area data for select species are available in Shaver, G. 2016. https://doi.org/10.6073/pasta/13915ef410067ef23bad0faff678319c

Role of Moose and Deer Browsing in Harvested Forests of Southern New England since 2008

In the past 20 years, moose have spread south from Vermont and New Hampshire and recolonized their pre-historical range limit in southern New England from which they had been extirpated almost 200 years earlier. Intensive moose browsing in the boreal forest has caused declines in forest density and shifts in species composition in some areas, generating considerable interest and concern among foresters, wildlife managers, and ecologists as to how moose along with white-tailed deer will impact forest development in this region. Harvard Forest in collaboration with researchers at the USGS Massachusetts Cooperative Research Unit has initiated a long-term study of the role of moose and deer in SNE forests using experimental exclosures. The design is a randomized block with 3 factors -- full exclosure, partial exclosure, and control plot. Full exclosures exclude both moose and deer but allow access to small mammals such as mice, squirrels, and rabbits. Partial exclosures have a 60cm opening around the bottom perimeter of the fence, which excludes moose but allows access to deer and other small and medium-sized animals. The design enables us to quantify forest composition and structure in areas (1) exposed to moose and deer browsing,(2) protected from moose and deer browsing, and (3) exposed to deer browsing but protected from moose browsing.

openCC (other)Aug 2023View details →

Seasonal reference harvest measurements of vegetation at 15 net primary production (NPP) study sites at Jornada Basin LTER, 1989-ongoing

This data package contains reference harvest measurements for the long-term Net Primary Production (NPP) study at the Jornada Basin LTER. Data here include horizontal cover, vertical height, and aboveground biomass of plants harvested near, but outside, a grid of permanent NPP quadrats at each of 15 NPP sites. These sites were selected to represent the 5 major ecosystem types in the Chihuahuan Desert (upland grasslands, playa grasslands, mesquite-dominated shrublands, creosotebush-dominated shrublands, tarbush-dominated shrublands). For each ecosystem type, three sites were selected to represent the range in variability in production and plant diversity; thus the locations are not replicates. All sites are excluded from domestic grazing. Eleven sites are in non-grazed pastures, and at the other four sites 1 hectare areas around the observational plots were fenced in 1988. At all sites a grid of 49 (48 at one playa location) 1m x 1m replicate quadrats was laid out when sampling began in 1989. Harvests are made outside the quadrat grid, but inside the fence. Height and cover are recorded in the field. Live biomass is weighed in the lab and all measurements are recorded as reference harvest data. Subsequently, regressions between the harvested biomass and plant volume values are used to derive allometric equations that determine biomass from non-destructive volume measurements in the permanent NPP quadrats. Further details are described in the methods metadata. This is an ongoing study with new harvest data (from selected species) collected in the spring, fall, and winter each year. Attention: These data are not appropriate for estimates of percentage cover because of the way the data are collected.

Biomass of harvested annual and perrenial forbs and grasses along fertilized and unfertilized ecosystem transects at the Jornada Basin LTER site in 1989

This data package contains biomass data for annual or perennial grasses and forbs harvested from quadrats along the Jornada Basin LTER (LTER-I) transects in southern New Mexico, USA. These transects are located in a livestock exclosure established in 1982 in the Chihuahuan Desert Rangeland Research Center (CDRRC) and run from the middle of the College Playa up to the foot of Mt. Summerford (2.7 km in length). Prior to the exclosure, the study site was moderately to heavily grazed for the past 100 years. The Treatment transect was treated annually with ammonium nitrate fertilizer (NH4NO3 at 10g N/m2/yr) until 1987. Along each transect, 91 stations, each with a plant intercept line, are spaced at 30 meter intervals. Each plant intercept line is perpendicular to the transect and is 30 meters in length broken into 5-meter segments. The included dataset includes biomass data for grasses and forbs clipped from 1 square meter quadrats directly downslope from some, but not all, of these segments. The harvest measurements occurred in September 1989. Data consists of the date, transect, station number, quad, JRN and USDA Plants species codes, species binomial, habit, form, and biomass. This study is complete.

openCC (other)Dec 2022View details →

Wisconsin creel dataset as well as predictor variables for lakes from 1990 to 2017 to estimate statewide recreational fisheries harvest

Recreational fisheries have high economic worth, valued at $190B globally. An important, but underappreciated, secondary value of recreational catch is its role as a source of food. This contribution is poorly understood due to difficulty in estimating recreational harvest at spatial scales beyond an individual system, as traditionally estimated from angler creel surveys. Here, we address this gap using a 28-year creel survey of ~300 Wisconsin inland lakes. We develop a statistical model of recreational harvest for individual lakes and then scale-up to unsurveyed lakes (3769 lakes; 73% of statewide lake surface area) to generate a statewide estimate of recreational lake harvest of ~4200 t and an estimated annual angler consumption rate of ~3 kg, nearly double estimated United States per capita freshwater fish consumption. Recreational fishing harvest makes significant contributions to human diets, is critical for discussions on food security, and the multiple ecosystem services of freshwater systems.

openCC (other)Feb 2026View details →

Weight, sex, age, beam diameter, antler points and teat length for harvested deer from 1984-2025 in Black Rock Forest, Cornwall, NY.

Data from white-tailed deer harvested within Black Rock Forest, Cornwall, New York are collected annually. Trained staff measure mass, antler beam diameter, and teat length (since 2010), estimate age via dentition, count antler points, and assess sex on all field-dressed deer. Heart girth, measured as chest circumference, was recorded from 1984 to 1998.

openCC (other)Sep 2025View details →

Plant and root biomass, nitrogen, carbon, and phosphorus concentrations in a mesic acidic tussock tundra experimental site established in 1981(MAT81) and harvested in 2015, Arctic LTER, Toolik Lake, Alaska.

Plant and root biomass, nitrogen, carbon, and phosphorus were measured in 2015 in the Arctic LTER tussock tundra experimental site (MAT81). This site was established in 1981 and has been harvested in previous years (see Shaver and Chapin Ecological Monographs, 61(1), 1991, pp.1-31, https://doi.org/10.2307/1942997). Data tables include the biomass for each harvested quadrat and block summaries for percent carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus for control and fertilized plots from the original 4-block design. New control plots, established in 2015, are in a separate data table and include biomass, percent carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus for each quadrat.

openCC (other)Sep 2025View details →

Block summaries of biomass, carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus allocation among tissue types, species, and plant functional types from Arctic LTER 1981 Moist Acidic Tussock (MAT81) long-term experiment harvests: 2000 and 2015, Toolik Lake Field Station, Alaska.

A complete accounting of biomass, C, N, and P allocation both among tissue types (leaves, stems, rhizomes, roots) and among species and plant functional types from Arctic LTER 1981 Moist Acidic Tussock (MAT81) long-term experiment’s untreated control plots and plots that were fertilized annually, harvested after 20 and 35 years, near Toolik Lake Field Station, Alaska. Data are gram per meter squared summarized by block.

openCC (other)Feb 2022View details →

Physical and chemical properties of soils on Watershed 5 of Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, before and after whole-tree harvest

We sampled soils on watershed 5 at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in 1983, prior to a whole-tree harvest conducted in the winter of 1983-84. We resampled in 1986, 1991, and 1998. All sampling was performed using a quantitative soil pit method. Samples of the combined Oi and Oe horizons; the Oa horizon; 0-10 cm, 10-20 cm, and >20 cm layers of mineral soil; and the C horizon were collected. Grab samples of pedogenic mineral horizons were also taken from the sides of a subset of pits in each year. Here we report soil chemistry, mass of soil, percent rock, bulk density, and organic matter. These data were gathered as part of the Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study (HBES). The HBES is a collaborative effort at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, which is operated and maintained by the USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station.

Density and cover of winter annual plants in three harvester ant habitats at the Jornada Basin LTER site, 1987

This dataset contains plant cover and density data collected in three harvester ant (Pogonomyrmex rugosus) nesting habitats at the Jornada Basin LTER site in 1987. The purpose of this investigation was to answer three general questions: 1. How does the modification of soil properties and the ratios of resources (e.g., water-N) by ants alter species assemblages of winter annual plants at the edge of the ant nests? 2. How does the "spring cleaning", clipping, predation or herbivory by ants affect success of the winter annual plants at the edge of ant nests? 3. Are there significant differences in the floristic assemblage and belowground standing crop (root biomass) between the edge of ant nest and the surrounding unaffected soils? Variables included in the dataset include density and cover of all winter annual plants measured at regular intervals between January and May of 1987. Density is expressed as the number of individuals of a species per square meter. The cover of each species was calculated as the area covered by a perpendicular (not vertical) projection of its aerial parts onto the ground surface and expressed in covered area (cm squared) per square meter. This study was completed in 1987.

Soil nutrients sampled in and around harvester ant nests in three habitats at the Jornada Basin LTER site, 1987

This dataset contains soil nutrient content measurements from harvester ant nests and reference soils in three nesting habitats at the Jornada Basin LTER site in 1987. The purpose of this investigation was to answer three general questions: 1. How does the modification of soil properties and the ratios of resources (e.g., water-N) by ants alter species assemblages of winter annual plants at the edge of the ant nests? 2. How does the "spring cleaning", clipping, predation or herbivory by ants affect success of the winter annual plants at the edge of ant nests? 3. Are there significant differences in the floristic assemblage and belowground standing crop (root biomass) between the edge of ant nest and the surrounding unaffected soils? Five ant nests and paired (non-nest) reference soils were sampled in three study locations. This dataset contains chemical analyses for the soil samples collected for each of the three sites, including total nitrogen, (ammonium, nitrate), inorganic phosphorus, and exchangeable cations (K+, Na+, Ca2+ and Mg2+). Also included is below ground biomass from five ant nests for each of the three sites. This study was completed in 1987.

Soil organic matter content sampled in and around harvester ant nests in three habitats at the Jornada Basin LTER site, 1987

This dataset contains soil organic matter content measurements from harvester ant nests and reference soils in three nesting habitats at the Jornada Basin LTER site in 1987. The purpose of this investigation was to answer three general questions: 1. How does the modification of soil properties and the ratios of resources (e.g., water-N) by ants alter species assemblages of winter annual plants at the edge of the ant nests? 2. How does the "spring cleaning", clipping, predation or herbivory by ants affect success of the winter annual plants at the edge of ant nests? 3. Are there significant differences in the floristic assemblage and belowground standing crop (root biomass) between the edge of ant nest and the surrounding unaffected soils? Five ant nests and paired (non-nest) reference soils were sampled in three study locations. This dataset contains percent (%) organic matter content measured by mass-loss on combustion in a muffle furnace. This study was completed in 1987.

Gravimetric soil water content sampled in and around harvester ant nests in three habitats at the Jornada Basin LTER site, 1987

This dataset contains gravimetric soil water content measurements from harvester ant nests and reference soils in three nesting habitats at the Jornada Basin LTER site in 1987. The purpose of this investigation was to answer three general questions: 1. How does the modification of soil properties and the ratios of resources (e.g., water-N) by ants alter species assemblages of winter annual plants at the edge of the ant nests? 2. How does the "spring cleaning", clipping, predation or herbivory by ants affect success of the winter annual plants at the edge of ant nests? 3. Are there significant differences in the floristic assemblage and belowground standing crop (root biomass) between the edge of ant nest and the surrounding unaffected soils? Five ant nests and paired (non-nest) reference soils were sampled in three study locations on a monthly schedule from January to May 1987. This dataset contains percent (%) soil water content in these samples determined using the gravimetric method. This study was completed in 1987.