1. Intro to Trees: SW Ohio’s Old Growth Forests

2. Outline Our Geologic History Eastern Deciduous Forests –Forest Layers –Forest Types –Old Growth Features of the Krippendorf Forest –Horticultural Legacy –Defining Species Challenges to our forest today –Invasive Species

3. A Forest over A Sea

4. Geologic History Bedrock Formation –Ordovician Seas – 450,000,000 ya –Sedimentary – Limestone & Shale Tectonic Plates –North American Plate moves north Uplift – Cincinnati Arch Lexington Peneplane Pleistocene Glaciation –2,000,000 ya

7. Glacial Periods in SW Ohio Pre-Illinoian Glacier –About 1,000,000 ya Illinoian Glacier –250,000 ya Wisconsian Glacier –70,000-19,500 ya Note: Kansan Glacier ( 2M ya) did not reach SW Ohio

9. Glacial Deposits Glacial Till –Sand, gravel, soil, erratics carried by glacier Glacial Outwash –Carried by melt waters –Sorted by size when deposited

10. Ohio Soils Divided mainly into those topsoils resultant from glacial activity and those not impacted

11. Ohio Surface Water Primarily small streams low to mid-gradient rivers and oxbows. Few natural lakes.

12. Cincinnati Bioregion 4 Ecoregions Defined by: –Geology –Topography –Climate –Hydrology –Soil type –Vegetation –Wildlife –Land Use

13. Pre-Wisconsinan Drift Plains Eco-region -Illinoian deposits -Drift – material of glacial origin (till, lake sediments, gravel, sand, loess) -generally flat landscape -poor drainage (due to young age) -Swamp Forest – Pin Oaks Loess – wind blown glacial silt

14. Ohio Vegetation

15. Ohio 1803

16. Ohio 1903

17. Ohio 2003

18. Forest Layers Canopy Understory –Sub- Canopy –Shrub Layer Forest Floor –Herbs and Vines

19. Forest Types Beech-Maple Mixed Mesophytic (Mesic) Oak-Hickory Bottomland Hardwood

21. Beech-Maple Forest Beech-Maple forests once covered much of Ohio, including parts of Hamilton and Clermont counties. Abundance of beech and (sugar) maple trees (in some cases up to 90% of the trees are of these two species).

22. Beech-Maple Forest

23. Mixed Mesophytic (Mesic) Forest on well-drained soil, usually a loam. a high species diversity of trees and other plants generally appear lush. Most of the Eastern Deciduous Forest can be described as Mesic.

24. Mixed Mesophytic (Mesic) Forest

25. Oak-Hickory Forest A forest of nut producing trees: various species of oak, hickory, formerly chestnut (now surviving only as understory sprouts). Understory of flowering dogwood, sassafras, hackberry, hawthorn. The shrub layer is distinct, dominated by species characteristic of acidic soils; blueberries, huckleberries, and laurels. Some shrubs are evergreen.

26. Oak-Hickory Forest

27. Bottomland Hardwood Forest Also known as Riverine Forests - moist sites along rivers and floodplains. Spring flooding may be an annual occurrence Box Elder, Sycamore, Cottonwoods, Silver and Red Maple occur. Some invasion by oak, hickory forest species. Open spaces allow herb growth in though cover may be minimal throughout a large portion of the year.

28. Bottomland Hardwood Forest

29. Forest Succession Field or forest opening Colonization by herbaceous plants Early successional shrubs & trees –Shrub spp –Red Cedar & Black Locust Deciduous trees –Mid successional –Young Forest –Mature Forest Old Growth Forest

30. Many old trees – greater than 150 years All age classes Standing deadwood Prevalence of fallen trees High species diversity - in all forest layers Deep top soil with rich humus layer No signs of human influence

31. Forest Layers Canopy Understory –Sub- Canopy –Shrub Layer Herbs and Vines

32. Sub-canopy Paw Dogwood Buckeye Sassafras Redbud

33. Paw

34. Dogwood

35. Buckeye

36. Sassafras

37. Redbud

38. Shrub Layer Spicebush Service Berry Bladdernut Leatherwood Buttonbush

39. Spicebush

40. Service Berry

41. Bladdernut

42. Leatherwood

43. Buttonbush

44. Common invasive species Amur Honeysuckle Lesser Celandine Garlic Mustard Multiflora Rose Wisteria Purple Loosestrife Autumn Olive Burning Bush (euonymus) Wintercreeper (euonymus) English Ivy Asian Bittersweet

45. Amur Honeysuckle

46. Garlic Mustard Lesser Celandine

49. Autumn Olive

50. Burning Bush (Euonymus)

51. Wintercreeper (Euonymus) English Ivy Asian Bittersweet