Monitored by: Evan Griffith and Alex Hamilton TESC Forest Plot C-9

The Project In coordination with the Evergreen Ecological Observation Network (EEON), our program adopted forest plots to monitor as a group As a community service project we adopted an additional plot to monitor on our own time We performed the same measurements as in our group plots

Understory Species Sword Fern- Polystichum munitum Bracken Fern- Pteridium auilinum Salal- Gaultheria Shallon Evergreen Huckleberry- Vaccinium ovatum Red Huckleberry- Vaccinium parvifolium Trailing Blackberry- Rubus ursinus Beaked Hazelnut- Corylus cornuta Black Rasberry- Rubus leucodermis Dull Oregon Grape- Mahonia nervosa Cleavers- Galium aparine English Holly- Ilex aquifolium

Tree Species Douglas Fir- Pseudotsuga menziesii Western Red Cedar- Thuja plicata Red Alder- Alnus rubra Western Hemlock- Tsuga heterophylla

Litterfall -Litter was collected every other week from a collection bin at the center of the plot -The litter was dried, separated by species, and weighed -Our plot produced approximately 200 grams of litter per square meter over the six week period -The litter consisted almost exclusively Douglas Fir needles

Rainfall -Rainfall was collected weekly unless heavy precipitation required more frequent data collection -Our plot received approximately 514 millimeters over the six week monitoring period

Results -The stand of trees in plot C-9 is approximately 70 years old -Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) is the dominant tree species -The largest trees are in excess of 100 feet tall -The understory is dominated by Salal (Gaultheria shallon), Sword Fern (Polystichum munitum), and Evergreen Huckleberry (Vaccinium ovatum)

Results Cont. -We observed a clear division in forest types within our forest plot -The eastern side of the plot exhibits characteristics of mesarch succession Douglas Fir -The western side of the plot exhibits characteristics of hydrarch succession Western Red Cedar Red Alder

40 years ago

Present State of Plot

40 years from now 40 Years From Now Image courtesy of THE END