Browsing by Author "White, Helen M."

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    Biotic and Abiotic Factors of Picea rubens (Red Spruce) Seedling Regeneration in Disturbed Heathland Barrens of the Central Appalachians
    White, Helen M. (Virginia Tech, 2019-06-20)
    During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, extensive logging reduced the forests of red spruce (Picea rubens) by nearly 99% through portions of West Virginia. In the wake of this disturbance, red spruce has begun regenerating on the ridge and mountaintop areas of Canaan Valley, West Virginia, where heath and grassland communities have both persisted in natural barrens and expanded into formerly forested areas. To understand abiotic and biotic conditions guiding the advance of the red spruce stand, I conducted a broad-scale assessment of thirty-one demographics plots spread across two sites (north Cabin Mountain and Bear Rocks/Dolly Sods), and a more focused assessment of red spruce species associations within thirty-two paired plots at Cabin Mountain. At the 15m x 15m demographics plots, I conducted a count of all P. rubens present, measured specimen height, DBH or diameter at ground level (DGL) for specimens < 1.37m tall, and assessed the relative percent cover of rock, shrub, herbaceous, and tree cover. These data, along with additional abiotic components derived from a DEM, formed the basis of my assessment using a generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) to identify the most significant biophysical variables related to P. rubens count. In the paired plots, I used the relative interactions index (RII) to compare the total cover of each present non-graminoid vascular species and the grouped cover types Rock, Graminoid, Lichen, Litter, and Moss in one 45cm-radius plot with a < 1.37m P. rubens specimen, and one paired 45cm-radius plot in open heath. The significance of differences in total cover were assessed with the Wilcoxon test and Tukey HSD. The GLMM identified percent rock cover and distance from the nearest P. rubens stand to be important correlates of P. rubens count at the demographic plots. Graminoid cover was found to be higher in P. rubens 45cm-radius plots than in paired heath plots, and Vaccinium angustifolium cover was found to be concentrated in 45cm radius plots beyond the first 15cm from the P. rubens stem. These findings reinforce a complex interplay between both the biotic and abiotic characteristics of a microsite and the successful germination and regeneration of a red spruce seedling in the heathland.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Characteristics of Red Spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) Encroachment at Two Central Appalachian Heathland Study Areas
    White, Helen M.; Resler, Lynn M.; Carroll, David F. (IGI Global, 2021)
    During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, intensive land use nearly eliminated red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) throughout portions of West Virginia (WV). Red spruce has been slow to regenerate on mountaintop heathland barrens surrounding Canaan Valley, West Virginia (WV), and little is known about the nature of encroachment. Using field surveys, geospatial data, and statistical modelling, the objectives were to 1) characterize and compare red spruce encroachment at two upland heath study areas in West Virginia (Bear Rocks and Cabin Mountain), 2) characterize percent cover of major ground cover types associated with red spruce regeneration sites in order to elucidate biotic interactions, and 3) model the biophysical correlates of red spruce encroachment using geospatial data and statistical modelling. Red spruce count was similar at both study areas, but there were substantially more seedlings and saplings at Cabin Mountain. Modelling revealed a positive relationship between red spruce count and rock cover and a negative relationship between red spruce and stand distance.