The fourth census of the ForestGEO plot at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) was completed on December 18th, 2024. Six technicians censused over 69,000 stems (living and dead) with 5,129 new trees added with an additional 8,605 new secondary stems. The census began in late May and was completed in seven months; two months faster than any of the three previous censuses at SERC.
SERC’s 16-hectare Forest Dynamics Plot is located on a sub-estuary of the Chesapeake Bay, representing data at the lowest elevation of any site in the global ForestGEO network. It is located on the Mid-Atlantic coastal plain, representative of both upland tulip poplar forests and floodplain forests.
How many people are on the census team?
This year, SERC was fortunate enough to hire six experienced technicians. SERC has been using tablets to enter data in the field, but having an experienced team and the use of Esri’s Field Maps app to collect data has increased the team’s efficiency – completing the census in seven months compared to nine months.
The technicians come from a variety of regions and backgrounds, spanning from the Rockies to the Great Lakes to Maryland itself. Two of the technicians, Adam and Nick, just received their BS in Environmental Science and are jumpstarting their careers by participating in the census. Jake came to Maryland from Green Bay, WI where he served with the Green Bay Conservation Corps performing habitat restoration and cultivating native plant species. Hayden recently earned her MS in Ecosystem Science and Management, onto which she will build her forestry skills at SERC. Having studied the effects of the Emerald Ash Borer on Maryland’s wetlands in 2019, Alannah has particular interest in observing the long-term ash response on SERC’s plot. Lastly, Jonas brings a background in ornithology from the American Museum of Natural History, where he conducted field expeditions across the Americas.
What notable species are on the plot?
To census SERC’s plot, the technicians measure all stems above one centimeter in diameter at breast height (DBH) and record qualitative characteristics about each stem following the ForestGEO protocol. SERC’s plot contains 76 trees, shrubs, and vine species of which 12 or 16% are non-native. Tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima), privet (Ligustrum spp.), and multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora) are the most prevalent non-native species on the plot. When imagining a forest census, many would expect the majority of stems to be large, adult trees when in fact a large proportion of stems are multi-stemmed shrubs such as spicebush (Lindera benzoin). Spicebush itself makes up approximately 40% of total live stems; its prevalence supports healthy populations of bird and butterfly species such as wood thrush and spicebush swallowtail.
Of course, being in the field every day for months means the technicians can enjoy the natural seasonal changes of the forest and often encounter various wildlife. Early in the census, they learned about the SERC Box Turtle Study, a wildlife survey looking to better understand box turtle populations on SERC’s campus. Over the summer months, the team recorded nearly a quarter of all sightings enabling them to engage in citizen science with the SERC community.
Are you encountering any pests, pathogens, or invasives affecting the forest?
One major species loss due to a pathogen that the technicians have observed is flowering dogwood (Cornus florida). Introduced to the US in the 1970’s, dogwood anthracnose (Discula destructiva) has progressed with no inhibition through Eastern and Southern states. In SERC’s first census, 449 live dogwood trees were recorded. As of the 2024 census only 92 remain alive.
The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), especially active in North America since the early 2000’s, has devastated millions of ash trees across the eastern United States. EAB was first recorded in Maryland in 2003 and found in Anne Arundel County in 2013. Signs of EAB damage to the ash on SERC’s plot were first recorded in 2016, and the technicians continue to note high mortality of adult trees. However, in 2024 they have recorded almost 1,300 new saplings of ash across the plot, suggesting a possible recovery, or persistence, of the species. Continued monitoring and future censuses will show how this particular pest dynamic plays out.
Congratulations to the SERC team!
Thank you to Jess Shue, SERC PI, as well as the census team for their help producing this blog post.
