Secrets of the Stumps Tree Composition in Barrington Headwaters: Past, Present, Future E MILY T ANSEY, J ULIE C AFARELLA, K ATIE M INDESS

Questions: What were the dominant tree species at our study site prior to the most recent logging event? What are the current dominant tree species? What factors have affected the shift in tree species? Based on our analysis of climate projection models, what do we project will be the dominant tree species at our site in the future?

Background Information Abenaki Indians utilized the land that is now known as Barrington Headwaters –Burned brush to keep it suitable to grow berries and create habitat for wildlife Portsmouth settlers arrived and logged the forest to build ships About 100 years later (1800s) the Tibbets family settled in the area Used the land for raising sheep and logging At the time of the Civil War the wool industry took a turn for the worse and the Tibbets family left Logging continued on and off through WWII Tamposi bought the land in the 21 st century with the hopes of building a mall he logged the property The mall was never built and it was sold to Barrington and surrounding towns who made it a protected watershed (Cilley, and Yeomans)

Methods Qualitative data –Wessels Quantitative data –30X30 meter pixel –Canopy/ground cover –Tree count and dominant species determination –Stump Analysis –Tree core samples –Climate prediction models

Final Results- Past & Present Dominant tree species within our study area: White Pine, Sugar Maple, and White Birch. Stump samples: 3 White Pine, one Oak (indeterminate) Core Samples- –White Oak –White Pine –Sugar Maple –White Birch Examination of the samples revealed some changes in growth ring structure during the 5 -year period from Both the Sugar Maple and White Oak cores revealed much tighter growth rings during this time period, while the White Pine had larger growth rings for those five years. The growth rings on the White Birch appeared relatively consistent throughout the entire core.

Final Results- Future Current Northeast Forest Types

Final Results- Future Northeast Forest Predictions

Final Results- Future More projections

Teaching Implications Ecosystem Play: –Goal: To help students begin to understand the basic components and interactions that take place in a forest ecosystem –6-8 years old Leaf Scavenger Hunt –Goal: To teach students how to observe and find different types of trees leaves in the forest. –3-5 (Pre-K/K, with adults) Stump Secrets –Goal: To develop hypotheses about forest composition based on qualitative analysis of stumps –9-12 years old

Resources Cilley, Rachel, and Kate Yeomans. "If these walls could talk." Tibbetts Family Homestead. Wiki, Web. 3 Aug 2010.