Hanna, Hoffman, Redd, Riesenberg 1

Lexi Hanna, Jenette Hoffman, Rebecca Redd, Kelsey Riesenberg

Mr. Lee

Advanced Placement Environmental Science

24 October 2018

Forest Report

Introduction

What is a forest?

The most prominent terrestrial ecosystem on earth, “forest” is a broad term that describes

a general large area of land that is dominated by trees.

As they are found all over the world, there are numerous different forest biomes: boreal,

temperate, subtropical, tropical, old growth, new growth, and forests that defined based on the

most dominant tree species it contains.

Forests contain four specific layers: the forest floor, understory, canopy, and occasionally

the emergent layer. The forest floor is made up of decomposing organisms which provide

nutrients to the plants, such as ferns, grasses, and seedlings. The understory contains bushes,

shrubs, and young trees that have adapted to living in the canopy shade. The canopy is formed by

the intertwining parts of mature trees, which forms a protective, shady cover over the rest of the

forest. The emergent layer is composed of several scattered trees that emerge over the canopy, a

somewhat rare occurrence that typically happens in subtropical and tropical biomes.

What does a healthy forest look like?

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Forests are considered healthy due to a couple of factors- biodiversity, density, and

complexity. The biomass per unit of a forest is much higher in comparison to other ecosystems,

such as a desert or a shrubland. Forests actually make up 80% of the world’s biomass and 75%

of the gross primary productivity of the Earth’s biosphere. Density of the forest is also important

to determine its’ health, according to Forest Health: Growing Resilient Trees: “Trees become

stressed when they are too crowded, and have to fight for sunlight, nutrients, and water. This

stress makes them more susceptible to attacks by insects and diseases.” Therefore, a healthy

forest is dense enough to have consistent tree cover for a healthy understory, but not so dense

that the trees become prone to disease and attacks by insects. Forests must also be structurally

complex in order to be healthy, and “structure refers to the variety of tree sizes and ages, and the

presence of shrubs and ground… greater variety [of species] also improves a forest’s ability to

respond to attacks and support wildlife,” (Forest Health: Growing Resilient Trees). This is

because different species have different adaptations to aid them in survival, and the variety

would ensure that the forest as a whole will succeed, not a particular species.

Where are we going?

We went to Merwin Trail at the Parklands Foundation near Lexington, Illinois. The trail sits right

off of the Mackinaw River. This particular forest is a temperate deciduous forest: temperate,

meaning that it is located between the latitudes of 35° and 66.5° and deciduous, meaning that it

sheds its leaves every year. The Parklands Foundation has a network of restoration projects

branching through Woodford, McLean, and Tazewell counties, consisting of prairies, savannas,

forests, and river habitats along the Mackinaw River. The foundation was created in 1967 to help

protect and conserve the nature biomes found in Central Illinois. The climate in Central Illinois

fluctuates seasonally because it is a temperate climate. During the winter months, it is cold and
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slightly drier, and during the summer months it is much warmer and wetter. The graphs below

depict the average monthly temperature and precipitation in Lexington, Illinois.

Methods

To collect our data for deciding if this forest is healthy, we measured and recorded the trees, and

measured the light in our plot of land. To determine the diameters of the trees we used a
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yardstick measured at breast height (4.5 ft above the ground). To measure the height of the trees

we walked back from the center of the tree with an arm raised at 45° until it lined up with the top

of the tree. We then measured the distance between the person and the tree. By using equilateral

triangle logic, we could fairly accurately estimate the height of the trees. To measure the amount

of light, we used the Google Science Journal app on Jenette’s phone. It measures light in

exposure value (EV) meaning that the higher the number, the brighter the light captured.

Data

Tree Diameter (DBH) Height Dormant? Species

1 11 inches 84 ft yes n/a*

2 6 inches 55 ft yes n/a

3 10 inches 80 ft no hickory

4 5.5 inches 40 ft yes n/a

5 5 inches 40 ft yes n/a

6 12 inches 86 ft yes n/a

7 7 inches 55 ft yes n/a

8 4 inches 35 ft yes n/a

9 6.5 inches 80 ft no hickory

10 13 inches 85 ft no buckeye

11 24 inches 95 ft no pine oak

*indicates tree that is either dead or dormant and the species is unrecognizable
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Animals seen: Light Levels:

Animal Total number Position Intensity in EV

aphids 8
Shade 8.4 EV
spiders 1

ants/flies/bees/ 1 Sun 11.3 EV

mosquitos

beetles 2 Temperature in Sun: 41°

mammals 1 Temperature in Shade: 35°
Wind on Beaufort Scale: 2
TOTAL 13
Cloud Cover: 1% clouds to 99% clear
Canopy Cover: 50% leaves 50% sky

● Description of data

When we arrived at the forest we found that the sky was almost completely clear. We

found that the amount of EV was different in the sun than in the shade, and the sun had

2.9 more units of EV than the shade. In our quadrant we had 11 trees with the range of

DBH being 20 inches and the range of heights being 60 feet. We found that most of our

trees were either dormant or dead, the difference was hard to discern. However, we were

able to determine that there were two hickories one buckeye, and one pin oak. The tallest

tree was the pin oak measuring 95 feet, and the shortest was a dormant tree that was 35

feet tall. We also had an assortment of animals in our quadrant, including eight aphids,

two beetles, one spider, one ant, and one mammal.

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Conclusion

It is hard to determine whether an ecosystem as large as a forest is healthy or not based

on a small 10 m x 10 m plot of land, but in general, our land was fairly diverse. The majority of

the trees in our quadrant had either died or started to go dormant, and without the leaves, it was

nearly impossible to determine the species. While this might be true, the trees were all varying

heights, species, and ages (determined by DBH and height). There was also a lively understory,

with many shrubs and grasses, which is also evidence of a healthy forest. The existence of bugs

and wildlife is evidence that the existing trees can support them, as well as the microclimate that

existed in a fallen tree towards the back of our quadrant. This variety will ensure that the entire

quadrant of the forest will survive during an upset in the ecosystem, and that makes this a healthy

forest.

We found out that forests are very dependent on their trees in order to be healthy, because

the trees create shade for the understory as well as create microclimates for many organisms to

live in, creating more diversity. This importance of trees to the health of a forest really changed

how all of us view trees and our treatment of resources that utilize trees, such as wood and paper.

We all gained a new respect for their importance to life itself.

Sources

● “Forest.” wikipedia.org, 22 October 2018. Accessed 22 October 2018.

● “Forest Health: Growing Resilient Trees.” woodlandinfo.org, 2018. Accessed 22 October

2018.
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Pictures from the field trip: