T HE G ROWTH R ATE AND B IOMASS OF T REES ON THE NCSSM C AMPUS Christine Ha, Annie Jin and Nelessa Lewis

Background  Trees on NCSSM Campus vs Trees in Duke Forest  What is DBH? Biomass?  Trees in urban New York  Hypothesis: The trees on our campus will have a greater DBH and Biomass because they have less competition for food and water and are regularly maintained.

Procedure  Tree Maps and Deciding our Plot  Measuring DBH and Tree Height  Biomass formula

Data Trees of NCSSMTrees of Duke Forest Average for Sweet Gums: DBH cm Biomass kg DBH-32.6 cm Biomass-598 kg Average for Loblolly Pines: DBH cm Biomass kg DBH-16.2 cm Biomass-67 kg Average for White Oaks:Average for White Oaks DBH cm Biomass kg DBH-28.2 cm Biomass-400 kg

Conclusions  The trees of NCSSM campus, which are closer to an urban setting, were significantly larger than the trees in Duke Forest  Because:  Less competition for light and water.  More space  Larger Crown  More Photosynthesis  Healthier Trunks  Regularly maintained by our grounds crew  Mulch  Pruning

Further Study: Coring  Procedure  What these cores mean

Acknowledgements  Mr. Oishi-Researcher at Duke University  Dr. Schmalbeck  Mr. Bollinger  Urbanization Effects on Tree Growth in the Vicinity of New York City by Jilian W. Gregg, Clive G. Jones and Todd E. Dawson  Global Change in the Ecology of Cities by Nancy B. Grimm, Stanley H. Faeth and Nancy E. Golubiewski