Report on the Ecological Characteristics of the Old-Growth Forest Near Lane Stadium

Abstract

The Old-Growth Forest near Lane Stadium is an 11.3 acre fragment of a white oak late successional forest on Virginia Tech’s campus. The forest contains dozens of trees that predate the university and thus carries significant historical, cultural, and ecological value. This project sought to provide a thorough description of the forest’s characteristics and introduce a baseline by which it can effectively be managed. This was accomplished through a forest inventory and an ecological sampling assessment. The forest inventory involved manual collection of metrics related to tree health, structure, and dimensions on trees greater than or equal to 4 inches DBH, and this data was exported to i-Tree Eco to evaluate forest composition and ecosystem services. The ecological sampling assessment was performed through the establishment of 1/20th acre radial plots and observation of saplings, seedlings, overstory trees, standing and fallen dead stems, and invasive species presence. It was found that there are 1,711 living woody stems over 4 inches DBH and 70 different species of woody plants in the over- and understory, with white oak (Quercus alba L.), sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.), and black oak (Quercus velutina Lam.) being the most significant species regarding population density and service provision across the board. The replacement value of all overstory species in the forest amounted to $6.23 million. Additionally, the understory is primarily composed of ash (Fraxinus spp. L.), blackhaw (Viburnum prunifolium L.), and black cherry (Prunus serotina Ehrh.) saplings and seedlings. Several non-native species were commonly found in the overstory, including sweet cherry, Norway maple (Acer platanoides L.), and littleleaf linden (Tilia cordata Mill.), and Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus Thunb.) and English ivy (Hedera helix L.) were present in most of the understory.