intro to restoration ecology ensc 201 – spring 2008
TRANSCRIPT
Intro to Restoration Ecology
ENSC 201 – Spring 2008
Why do we need restoration?• 53 % of wetlands lost nationwide• > 35 % of wetlands lost in Vermont• 50-70% loss of brackish intertidal mudflats, shores, and coastal
plains• 90 % loss of aquatic vegetation in the Chesapeake Bay• 70 % loss of riparian forests nationwide• 90 % loss of old-growth forests nationwide• 99.5 % loss of old-growth forests in the eastern U.S.• 97 % loss of pine-oak-heathland in the Lake Champlain Basin• 90 % loss of short and tall-grass prairie ecosystems nationwide• 90 % of shrub-steppe ecosystems degraded by livestock grazing
nationwide
Source: Noss et al (1995)
http://www.millenniumassessment.org//en/index.aspx
How do we prioritize areas for restoration?1. Need
• Ecological value What is the relative importance of different sites for ecosystem functioning? Examples:
1. Riparian areas2. Headwaters3. Estuaries4. Unstable uplands5. Wetland complexes6. Rare communities7. Critical habitats for particular species
• Degree of degradation?• Degree of threat more applicable for identifying areas in need of protection or
conservation
2. Opportunity
MatrixLarge Core Reserve
Buffer Terrestrial
Corridor
Terrestrial RestorationWetland Restoration
Riparian Restoration
Riparian Corridor
Matrix
Matrix Large Core Reserve
Buffer
Small Core Reserve
How does restoration fit into an overall conservation or sustainability strategy?
The Functional Landscape Approach
But what about entire ecosystems that have been severely degrade?
Answer: We need an ecosystem-level restoration approach
Restoration as The Acid Test of Ecology: Do we understand how ecosystems work well enough to reconstruct them?
It helps to have a conceptual model of the system
Ecosystem-Level Restoration
• Focus on ecological processes
Examples:
1. Soil productivity
2. Natural disturbance dynamics
3. Hydrology
4. Ecological succession!
Tiered Restoration
Site-specific restoration, remediation, mitigation, etc.
Coordinated restoration of critical areas as per an overall ecosystem management plan
Ecosystem restoration: “Bringing back an entire system or the dynamics of that system”
Large-scale
Small-scale
Atlantic Rainforest Restoration• The Atlantic rainforest
once covered 400,000 square miles
• Only 7% remains• 450 tree species per
hectare• 2.7% of world’s plant
species just in what is left• Testing innovative
funding mechanisms U.S. companies paying
for carbon sequestration• How do we restore it?
• Estimates of potential carbon credit values range from $4 to $60 (or even $110) per ton of C.
• European market currently trading for $8 to $20 per metric ton.
• Future value could increase substantially as international carbon markets develop.
Carbon Revenue
Chicago Climate Exchange
• “Voluntary ‘Cap and Trade’ greenhouse gas emission reduction and trading system.”
• One Mg Carbon trading for about $5
• Membership from the forest products industry includes:– Abitibi-Consolidated– Aracruz Celulose S.A.– Cenibra Nipo Brasiliera S.A.– International Paper– Klabin S.A.– MeadWestvaco Corp.– Stora Enso North America– Suzano Papel E Celulose SA– Temple-Inland Inc
Figure from Ingerson. 2007.
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Northeastern USA Pacific Northwest USA Uholka, Carpathians,Ukraine
Liv
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Bio
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MatureOld-growth
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1700 1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000
Year
Per
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cap
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Forest Cover Trends in New England Since European Settlement
Differences Between Pre-Settlement and Current Forests in VT and NH
Species: Abundance:Chestnut Elm
BeechSugar MapleHemlock
White PineRed Spruce
White BirchCottonwoodPin CherryRed Maple
Functionally Extirpated
Communities: Abundance:Old-Growth Forest of All Types
Floodplain Silver Maple and Sugar Maple
Rich Lowland Oak/Basswood/Ash
Forested Wetlands
Native Grasslands and Shrublands
Forest Composition
Sources: Cogbill (2000); McLachlan et al. (2000); Fuller et al. 1998; Foster 1992; Siccama (1971)
Prescribed Fire
Restoration as Experimentation
What are the elements of experimental design?
Table 1. Number of Bare Root Seedlings per Treatment Brush mats, no tubes, ½
watered periodically Brush mats and tubes, ½ watered periodically
6’ by 6’ Density 294 294 10’ by 10’ Density 106 106
FACTORIAL EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN
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At Planting Year 1 Year 2 Year 3
Per
cen
t
Alive (Tubes)Alive (No Tubes)Dead (Tubes)Dead (No Tubes)
Seedling Mortality
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Girdled (Tubes) Girdled (NoTubes)
Browsed (Tubes) Browsed (NoTubes)
Per
cen
tEffectiveness of Tubes