Forests provide so much more than lumber and firewood to the Commonwealth - they are our number one source of clean water; numerous species depend on them for habitat; they sequester climate warming carbon dioxide; they provide recreation and refuge. Ensuring that our State Forests are resilient to climate change related stressors starts with understanding the soils that nourish the trees, fungi, and other biota in the woods.
Forest soils are one of the most critical and nearly non-renewable of the factors that influence living forests. Soil physical and chemical properties are influenced by our changing climate, human activities, and the forests growing on them; and in turn exhibit tremendous influence on those forests. Yet, because of their extent and nature, relatively little data exist on their status and trends compared to the forest ecosystem above ground.
What is MGS doing to foster resilient forests?
This project is assessing soil physical and chemical properties across State Forests managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) Division of State Parks and Recreation (DSPR). Our observations help to evaluate the relationship between soil properties, forest history and management, tree species communities, and metrics of forest resilience. The results will help inform how management practices can be strategically applied to complement the intrinsic characteristics of forest soils to ensure the long-term productivity and resiliency of forests.
Funding from MassDCR as part of the ResilientMass initiative.