Carbon Detectives…….. Jason Lee Olivia S., Maddy, Atticus, Jamillia, Lela, Ajah, Olivia H., Emma, Tabitha, Antonio

Introduction Q: How does stand age affect carbon sequestration rate in trees at Pack Forest? H1: Middle aged trees sequester carbon faster because in our human anatomy, middle aged humans could eat fastest H2: Young trees will sequester carbon fastest because they have the most growth potential H3: Old trees will sequester carbon faster because they are larger and can store more.

Why do we care?

Definitions Transect Tape: More sciency term for a measuring tape Caliper: An instrument for measuring external or internal dimensions Leaf Litter: Plant litter that has fallen to the ground DBH: Diameter at breast height – method of expressing the diameter of a tree Fox tail: Object tossed to create a non-biased sample area Quadrat: Portable frame with internal grid Stand: A section of trees Downed Log: Fallen log Sequestration: Trapping of a chemical in the atmosphere or environment

Materials and plot selection Transect tape x2 Flagging tape Clipboard Data sheets Quadrat Percentage Quadrat Large Ziplock Bag Drop Scale Calipers DBH tape Incremental borer Storage for bored wood Micrometer Methods for site selection Adult throws foxtail in a random direction Mark where foxtail lands as the origin of the plot w/flagging tape Measure out 37.2 feet from the origin in all 4 cardinal directions Mark every end of the transect tape with flagging tape

We sampled Carbon in 4 places at each plot Forest Floor Cover Throw percentage quadrat randomly in NW section of the plot Count every square in percentage quadrat with live green plant matter Record Percent cover Repeat steps 1-3 in each section NW,NE,SW,SE of the plot Leaf Litter Using drop scale, weigh ziplock bag and record Throw quadrat in NW section of the plot Collect all organic material other than dirt (leaves, sticks, pine cones) Place collected leaf litter in large ziplock bag Using drop scale, weigh bag full of leaf litter and subtract weight of bag Record and repeat in each section NW, NE, SW, SE of the plot Live Trees Measure DBH and record species of all lives trees in the plot Core 2 trees in the plot to a depth of 10 cm Downed Log Starting from the plot origin, head north along the transect tape measuring diameter of every downed log that crosses the tape with calipers and record. Repeat for East, South, and West

Results

Discussion Further questions Improvements to our method…

Broader Implications Protect living trees to keep carbon inside Plant more trees inside correct environment Educate people on the problem and the solutions Population control Re-plant trees after cutting them down Harvest the correct trees