Browsing by Subject "Ottawa National Forest"

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    Effects of Soil Compaction and Organic Matter Removal on Ground-flora Diversity in the Great Lakes Forests
    (University of Minnesota Duluth, 1996) Host, George E
    Soil is one of the key factors regulating the productivity and diversity of forest ecosystems. Soil organic matter resulting from the decomposition of leaf litter provides an important reservoir of nutrients for future forest growth. The structure of soils, in conjunction with soil texture, determines the ability of a soil to retain moisture. Forest harvest operations, through the use of heavy equipment and slash management practices, have the potential to damage soil structure and remove organic matter from the forest floor. We lack a clear understanding, however, of which soil types are most susceptible, and what degree of impact soils can sustain before the potential productivity and diversity are reduced. To address this issue, a nationwide Long-Tenn Soil Productivity (LTSP) study was initiated to assess the effects of logging operations on the structure and organic matter content of forest soils (Powers et al. 1990). In the Lake States, study plots were installed on the Chippewa, Ottawa, and Huron National Forests. These plots represent the range of soil textures which occur across the Lake States: silt loams, clays, and sands, respectively. Using an experimental approach, different levels of soil compaction and organic matter removal were applied to harvested aspen stands across this soil gradient. Aspen reproduction, forest biomass, and the diversity of the ground-flora layers are being monitored on an annual or biennial basis to assess their response to these treatments. The results of this experiment will allow us to predict the degree of protection required to sustain productivity and floristic diversity in aspen stands across a range of common Lake State soil types. The Lake States LTSP study has included an analysis of floristic diversity to the suite of measurements made on the study plots. Biodiversity and forest management has become a critical issue in the Lake States Forests. In Minnesota's Generic Environmental Impact Statement, diversity was one of the key focal issues. Ground-flora has received wide use in ecological indicators and in ecological land classification systems across the Great Lakes (Spies and Barnes 1986, Host and Pregitzer 1991, Coffmann et al. 1983, Shadis et al. 1995). A primary objective of this study was assess the response of the ground-flora community to the soil compaction and organic matter removal treatments within the LTSP study. This response can be assessed not only on a year-by-year basis, but also in describing the rate and trajectory of recovery toward the compositional state of the uncut forest.
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    National Interagency Canada Lynx Detection Survey in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan
    (University of Minnesota Duluth, 2006) Burdett, Christopher L.; Lindquist, Ed; Moen, Ronald; Niemi, Gerald J; Route, Bill
    A variety of non-invasive techniques including hair snagging, snow-tracking, and remote cameras can be used to monitor mammalian carnivores. The National Interagency Canada Lynx Detection Survey (NLDS) was a survey designed to detect lynx with a hair-snagging protocol applied throughout the conterminous U.S. range of the lynx. Hare-snagging stations consisted of a scent lure, a carpet piece with nails to snag hair, and a pie tin to attract the cat’s attention. We applied the NLDS protocol in the Superior and Chippewa National Forests in Minnesota, the Chequamegon and Nicolet National Forests in Wisconsin, and the Ottawa National Forest in Michigan. Mammalian species detected included black bears (Ursus americanus), bobcats (Lynx rufus), coyotes (Canis latrans), ungulates, and other canids. The NLDS did not detect lynx in the Great Lakes Geographic Area (GLGA) despite their likely presence on some of the Minnesota NLDS grids. We also opportunistically set up hair snagging stations in areas in Minnesota where we knew lynx were present to further test the efficacy of hair-snagging stations. We had limited success using hair snares to selectively sample for lynx despite placing snares in areas regularly used by lynx. We suspect the detection probability for lynx hair-snagging surveys in the GLGA may be low and other survey techniques may prove more useful, particularly for localized selective sampling for lynx presence.