Ecosystem Services in the northern hardwood forest at

the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest

Peter M. Groffman

Institute of Ecosystem Studies

Millbrook, NY USA

OUTLINE:

• An introduction to ecosystem services.

• The long-term research at Hubbard Brook:– Acidification– Mercury– Nitrogen– Biodiversity (birds)

• Conclusions:– The importance of long-term monitoring.– Science:policy interactions.

Ecosystem services:• “Flows of materials, energy, and information from

natural capital stocks that are combined with manufactured and human capital services to produce human welfare” (Daily et al. 1997). Things in nature that people value.

• A means for comprehensive quantification of environmental damage.

• Useful for evaluating tradeoffs and conflicts between different goals and values.

Focus: Ecosystem Services The benefits people obtain from ecosystems

Focus: Consequences of Ecosystem Change for Human Well-being

Examples of Costs: The 1992 collapse of the Newfoundland cod fishery cost

~$2 billion in income support and retraining.

The “external” cost of agriculture in the UK in 1996 (damage to water, soil, and biodiversity) was $2.6 billion, or 9% of yearly gross farm receipts.

The frequency and impact of floods and fires has increased significantly in the past 50 years, in part due to ecosystem changes. Annual losses from extreme events totaled ~$70 billion in 2003

Costanza et al. (1997) estimated that 17 ecosystem services for 16 biomes provide an average $33 trillion/year of value (compare to U.S. Gross Domestic Product of $12.5 trillion in 2005 dollars (source: https://bea.gov/bea/newsrel/gdpnewsrelease.htm).

Degradation of ecosystem services often causes significant harm to human well-being

Controllers:• Inherent/state factors:

– Parent material– Topography

– Climate

– Biota (organisms capable of living in a place).

– Time

• Variable/stochastic (some examples):

– Herbivores (insects, moose, deer)

– Extreme climate events (ice storms, soil frost)

– Pathogens

– Acid rain

Functions/process/services:

• Wood and fiber• Fresh water• Water purification• Air purification• Climate regulation• Soil carbon storage• Biodiversity maintenance• Aesthetics• Recreation

Acid rain and ecosystem services in the northern hardwood forest:

1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000

SO

2 E

mis

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ns

Mill

ion

sh

ort

to

ns

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

with Canadian Emissionsw/out Canadian Emissions

Year

1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000

NO

x E

mis

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ns

Mill

ion

sh

ort

to

ns

0

2

4

6

8

Source Area Includes: VT, MA, NY, NH, CT, RI, ME, OH, PA, DC, MD, NJ, DE, MI, VA, WV, QUE, ONT

SO

42

-

(eq

/L)

0

50

100

150

NO

3-

(eq

/L)

0

20

40

60

Ca2

+

(eq

/L)

0

25

50

75

100pH

4.50

4.75

5.00

5.25

Year

1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Al

(m

ol/L

)

0

5

10

15

AlmAlo

Time

1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

H+

Co

nce

ntr

atio

n in

Pre

cip

itat

ion

(µ

eq/L

)

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Precipitation Trends

Changes in the calcium cycle have delayed recovery from acid rain . . .

A watershed scale calcium manipulation at Hubbard Brook:

• Apply 1.2 tons of Ca per ha as wollastonite (CaSIO3) to an 11.8 ha watershed.

• Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest :– Northern hardwoods– ~80 years old– Acidic spodosols. – New Hampshire

• Monitoring:• Stream and soil chemistry.• Vegetation.• Soil microbes and fauna.• Forest floor mass.• Birds, salamanders, etc.

The “Science Links” model for outreach to policy makers:• Led by separate “interface” organization,

the Hubbard Brook Research Foundation.

• Convene group of scientists.

• Write synthesis paper for publication in peer-reviewed journal.

• Write popular publication based on scientific papers.

• Train scientists for outreach activities.

• News releases; op-ed pieces; briefings/talks.

Mercury: A new, surprising problem?

New Study Identifies Causal FactorsGlobal and Regional Atmospheric Emissions and Deposition

Reservoir Fluctuations

Local Emissions

Landscape Sensitivity

But there are new mysteries in the long-term nitrate record . . . .

Source: Hong et al. (2005)

(bird abundance at HBE,1969 - 2006)

0

50

100

150

200

250Number/10 ha

And biological mysteries as well . . . .

Possible Causes of Population Change

• Habitat change (e.g., due to succession/disturbance)

• Weather events/climate change

• Food resources (insects)

• Predators, especially on eggs and young

• Nutrient levels (e.g., Ca losses due to acid rain)

• Events in the non-breeding season

CONCLUSIONS:• Ecosystem services approach helps to define

the full range of important questions.

• Long-term iterative process:– Long-term monitoring– Modeling– Experiments

• Policy effectiveness:– Scientific consensus– Outreach– “Interface” organization, e.g, HBRF

New thinking in the U.S. National Science Foundation Long-Term Ecological Research network . . .