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
50
m
NW
50 m
SW
5m
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
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
NE
A typical plot
plan.
Plots with red
numbers were
sampled in
2002 (Year 0).
SE
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 horizon
Horizon
2002
2007
Oi
39
Oi/Oe
9
Oe
36
Oa
49
48
A
22
21
E
30
30
B
91
129
BC
12
C
28
Total
204
340
Samples taken by horizon or
depth increment
Sample type 2007
2012
Oi/Oe
50
50
Oa or A
50
50
A
2
E
8
9
top 10 cm of B 44
46
60-70 cm
40
40
Total
192
197
2012
50
48
48
25
32
126
42
371
60-70 cm particle size from 2012
(only one sample from Forehead)
All averages are fine sandy loam
LT
LR
RB
PD
FH
Clay
%
1.6
2.9
5.6
5.8
7.3
Silt
%
43.1
42.7
35.1
36.1
32.9
Sand
%
55.3
54.4
59.3
58.1
59.8
60-70 cm total elemental analysis 2012
(only one sample from Forehead)
Ca
mg/kg
Lye Trail 14572
Lye Road 16148
Ranch Brk 5684
PolkaDot 5416
Forehead 4105
Fe
mg/kg
21482
24658
38579
38980
50681
P
mg/kg
357
154
751
523
624
Mn
mg/kg
345
461
920
961
1399
Sr
mg/kg
311
337
110
110
90
Ti
mg/kg
3198
2963
6525
5739
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
91
92
0.45
94
95
96
1.50
81
82
83
84
85
86
3.71 3.69
71
72
73
74
0.74
76
61
0.31
63
51
0.74
53
54
55
56
57
58
41
0.41
43
44
45
46
47
48
0.33
32
0.34
34
37
38
39
40
21
22
23
24
25
26
2.66
28
29
2.98
14
15
16
0.72 1.76
19
0.93
0.70
5
1.31
9
10
11
0.46
0.55 0.44
2
3
77
98
78
0.34 0.78 2.46 3.01 1.51
0.37 0.31
7
8
99
1.85
89
90
79
80
69
70
59
60
1.51 3.45
N
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
Lye Road B 0-10 cm
Exchangeable Ca
cmolc/kg
0.114
0.118
0.119
0.157
0.140
0.118
0.160
0.179
0.184
0.216
n
10
std dev 0.0348
mean
0.150
difference to detect
P 0.05
0.071
P 0.10
0.060
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
Funding generousy provided by
Dana Andrews, UVM
VMC and Green Mountain and
Deane Wang, UVM
Finger Lakes National Forests
Don Ross, UVM
Doug Morin, UVM
Thanks Carl Waite and Nancy Burt!
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
Lye Trail
Polka-dot
Forehead
Young volunteers needed!