Twelfth-Year Update on a 200-yr Soil Monitoring Study

Don Ross, University of Vermont

Thom Villars, USDA NRCS

Scott Bailey, USFS Northern Res. Sta.

Nancy Burt, Angie Quintana-Jones, USFS

Sandy Wilmot, Vermont Dept. of Forest, Parks and Recreation

Deane Wang, University of Vermont

Jamie Shanley, USGS

Project Goals:

1. Establish five 50 x 50 m relatively uniform plots in sites associated with the VMC.

2. Sample plots at 0, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 150 and 200 years. Year 0 = 2002

3. Archive samples for later comparisons.

4. Analyze initial samples to determine baseline values.

5. Protect the plots for future monitoring.

Sites:• Mt. Mansfield Ranch Brook

– northern hardwood

• Mt. Mansfield Forehead– high elevation spruce/fir

• Mt. Mansfield Underhill State Forest– transitional– SCAN site

• Lye Brook “Road”– northern hardwood– SCAN site

• Lye Brook “Trail”– transitional

Mansfield Forehead

NW NE

91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100

81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90

71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80

61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70

51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60

41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50

31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40

21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

SW 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 SE

50 m 5m

50 m

A typical plot plan.

Plots with red numbers were sampled in 2002 (Year 0).

Sampling Scheme

• 2002: All samples taken by horizon (no depth increments)

• 2007, 2012: 4 large samples from each pit– Litter layer (Oi)– Oa or A (near-surface humified horizon)– Top 10 cm of B horizon– 60-70 cm (usually C horizon)– (Also small samples of each genetic horizon)

Lye Road

Lye Road

Lye Road

Lye Trail

Lye Trail

Ranch Brook 2002

Underhill State Park or ‘Polka-Dot’, 2400’

Polka-dot

Forehead, 3600’

Forehead

Samples taken by horizonHorizon 2002 2007 2012Oi - 39 50Oi/Oe - 9Oe - 36 48Oa 49 48 48A 22 21 25E 30 30 32B 91 129 126BC 12 -C - 28 42Total 204 340 371

Samples taken by horizon ordepth increment

Sample type 2007 2012Oi/Oe 50 50Oa or A 50 50A - 2E 8 9top 10 cm of B 44 4660-70 cm 40 40Total 192 197

60-70 cm particle size from 2012(only one sample from Forehead)All averages are fine sandy loam

Clay Silt Sand% % %

LT 1.6 43.1 55.3LR 2.9 42.7 54.4RB 5.6 35.1 59.3PD 5.8 36.1 58.1FH 7.3 32.9 59.8

60-70 cm total elemental analysis 2012(only one sample from Forehead)

Ca Fe P Mn Sr Timg/kg mg/kg mg/kg mg/kg mg/kg mg/kg

Lye Trail 14572 21482 357 345 311 3198Lye Road 16148 24658 154 461 337 2963Ranch Brk 5684 38579 751 920 110 6525PolkaDot 5416 38980 523 961 110 5739Forehead 4105 50681 624 1399 90 6263

Carbon in the Oa/A horizon

Carbon in the 60-70 cm samples

Carbon in the B horizons

Exchangeable Ca in B horizons

Ranch exchangeable Ca in the uppermost B horizon red = 2002, blue = 2007, green =

2012

N

91 92 0.45 94 95 96 1.50 98 99 1.85

81 82 83 84 85 86 3.71 3.69 89 90

71 72 73 74 0.74 76 77 78 79 80

61 0.31 63 0.34 0.78 2.46 3.01 1.51 69 70

51 0.74 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60

41 0.41 43 44 45 46 47 48 1.51 3.45

0.33 32 0.34 34 0.37 0.31 37 38 39 40

21 22 23 24 25 26 2.66 28 29 2.98

11 0.55 0.44 14 15 16 0.72 1.76 19 0.93

0.46 2 3 0.70 5 1.31 7 8 9 10

Challenges facing the project:

•Separating natural soil variation from actual long-term changes

•Developing a permanent archive plan

•Funding for lab work and unsupported personnel costs

•200 years??? - Institutionalizing the program into agencies and passing on the project to a new generation of scientists

Power analysis

0.1140.1180.1190.1570.1400.1180.1600.1790.1840.216

n 10std dev 0.0348mean 0.150

difference to detectP 0.05 0.071P 0.10 0.060

Lye Road B 0-10 cmExchangeable Ca cmolc/kg

Detecting change

Detecting change

(Almost) everyone involved in 2012:• Ashley Walker, UVM• Ben Dillner, Vermont Forest, Parks and Rec• Charlotte Ford, UVM• Courtney Dyche, UVM• Dana Andrews, UVM• Deane Wang, UVM• Don Ross, UVM• Doug Morin, UVM• Emily Piche, UVM• Meghan Knowles, UVM• Nancy Burt, US Forest Service• Noah Ahles, UVM• Rebecca Bourgault, UVM• Ryan Melnichuk, UVM• Ryan Morra, UVM• Sandy Wilmot, Vermont Forest, Parks and Rec• Scott Bailey, US Forest Service• Thom Villars, NRCS• Vermont Youth Conservation Corp

Funding generousy provided by VMC and Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests

Thanks Carl Waite and Nancy Burt!

Lye Trail

Polka-dot

Forehead

Young volunteers needed!