Extract of Env S 200 Field Ecology
Field trip manual
How a Tree Grows: Huron Natural Area
Introduction:
The Huron Natural Area, owned by the City of Kitchener, is an important
example of municipal planning for conservation and regeneration of the natural
system. As ENVS 200 students you will participate by planting approximately 110
trees of various species this year, and every year! During this exercise, try to
hone your skills regarding tree planting and ecological restoration. While not
every student is ultimately interested in forest conservation, each of us has a
responsibility to be educated on tree health. The instructional aim is for you to
understand the ecological requirements of plants, and specifically trees, and to
learn a little about soils. This links to your theory material on limiting factors,
soils and urban trees. It is also a skill set for those involved in restoration and in
design.
Objectives:
1. You will master how to care for a sapling and how to plant it. This
includes being able to identify strategic anatomy for planting purposes.
2. You will learn basic soil characteristics.
3. You will better understand the idea of “what is best for the tree?” (often
in planning and developing situations, natural amenities become ancillary
and the tree’s best interest is ignored!)
4. By monitoring the health/survival of previously planted trees you will
better understand population, biology/survivorship.
5. As a planner or manager, you will know when to call on a consultant on
tree-related issues.
6. For some of you we hope to inspire a new ambition to work in forest
management, conservation, or ecosystem restoration.
History of the Site: About the Huron Natural Area
Before European settlement this area was occupied by deciduous forest after
deposition of a moraine during ice sheet recession. The uneven landscape and
droughty soils atop the moraine made the land marginal for agricultural use from
that began in the early to mid 1800s (We lack specific information on this). As a
result such land tended to be the last to be cleared of forest for farming. Look
for evidence of former farms and land boundaries on the introductory walk.
The great economic depression of the1930s, together with land degradation,
forced many farmers out of production, especially on these marginal lands. Post
WWII, many properties like this one were repossessed by the townships.
Eroded marginal lands such as this site became the focus of active restoration
from the early 1900s. German forester, E.J. Zavitz, an associate of the Ontario
Agricultural College (now University of Guelph) put together a provincial
reforestation scheme to replant provincial lands. The Red Pine plantation (Pinus
resinosa Ait.) on this property is typical of this kind of restoration.
The Huron Natural Area (HNA) is Kitchener's largest and most valuable natural
area, and is bordered by Bleams, Huron and Fischer-Hallman Roads and Trillium
Drive (Rynnimeri 2004). This site includes Strasburg Creek (one of Kitchener’s
few remaining coldwater streams), provincially significant wetlands, and
significant species (Rynnimeri 2004). Environmental and Urban Forestry Project
Manager, David Schmitt, coordinates a 1990 agreement with Kitchener and the
Waterloo Region Public and Separate School Boards, whose aim is to protect this
162 ha biologically diverse area. The strategy is to synthesize urban growth with
an ambitious plan to improve ecosystem health and integrity (Rynnimeri 2004). A
2001 Master Plan uses the sustainable development paradigm and focuses on
ecosystem approaches to
restoration. The late Professor
James Kay of the University of
Waterloo Faculty of
Environmental Studies and an
early member of the HNA
partnership, was a leader in
shaping the ten-year
development process and was
a strong proponent of this idea
(Rynnimeri 2004).
Image 1: The Huron Natural
Area (Kay 2001).
Definitions:
Apical Meristem: a rapidly dividing mass of cells located on the ends of stems
and roots, responsible for plants’ vertical plant growth (Daigle et al, 2000).
Bare Root: a method of transplanting a sapling where the tree is kept dormant
by temperature control and packaged without any soil surrounding the roots.
Cambium: the tissue in a plant that produces new cells.
Coniferous: a term that is assigned to tree species that bear cones: Pine,
Spruce etc.
Deciduous: a term that is assigned to species of trees that shed their leaves for
the winter months. (or in a dry season in the tropics)
Direct or Active Restoration: also known as “managed succession” uses
proactive restoration techniques to accelerate the processes of natural
succession towards the desired forest community (Daigle et al 2000).
Ecological Integrity: the quality of naturally occurring or actively managed
ecosystems specifically regarding the degree to which they can practice selfrenewal and regeneration and maintain a healthy level ecosystem function
including all physical, chemical and biological processes (Daigle et al 2000).
Hardwood: applied to woods from deciduous, broad-leafed trees.
Horizon: a distinctive visible layer in the soil indicating a separate layer in the
soil profile (Denholm et al 2003).
Indigenous: refers to species that originate in a specific region. (This
designation is more specific than native. Ie. Red Pine is Native to Canada, but
not Indigenous to Waterloo.)
Moraine: an accumulation and deposition of glacial debris resulting from glacial
recession and often having a hummocky terrain.
Mycorrhyzae: fungi that grow symbiotically with and around the roots of
plants.
Native: refers to a species that originates in a certain geographic locale, e.g.
Canada. (also see, indigenous)
Plant Community: an assemblage of plants commonly found growing together
due to symbiosis or an overlapping of needs.
Radial Meristem: a group of ribbon-like cells in a tree’s cross section, visible as
a line in the wood, responsible for transporting water and nutrients horizontally
across the trunks or larger branches (Kershaw 2001).
Root Collar: the junction between the plant’s roots and stem (Daigle et al,
2000).
Root Hairs: are outgrowths of epidermal (“skin”) cells. These threadlike hairs
facilitate water uptake and absorption of dissolved nutrients from the soil
Softwood: applied to woods from coniferous species because the wood is less
dense than that of a deciduous species.
Soil Profile: a vertical section of the soil exhibiting the results of weathering
that has created distinct layers.
Water Table: the upper zone of saturation in the soil; the upper surface of
groundwater.
Introductory Walk:
On this introductory walk, try to use your observational skills to identify trees
that you may have keyed out in the Introduction to the Identification of
Organisms Lab. Be aware of the different ecological communities on the site,
including plantations, a wetland area, a meadow and forests.
Important things to Ponder:
With the current high Canadian rate of Carbon emissions and general decline in
ecological health, planting trees has become desirable if not a necessity. Tree
planting is also essential to reverse ecosystem degradation, including
degradation in urban settings. However, many plantings fail because of poor
design or poor execution.
Long-term survival of planted trees is crucial and depends on appropriate
planting stock and site preparation. One must make preliminary investigations to
see what the tree will encounter. Therefore, make your planting hole sufficiently
large. This also serves to expose a soil profile for observation. How many
horizons are there? What do the horizons look like? What are their depths and
thicknesses? How would you name them? What events, conditions and land
management led to the soil profile that you see? Based on the test pit you will be
able to better understand drainage issues. Is the soil porous? Will the tree be
confined by a clay layer? Is there an organic layer? How far down did you dig
before you hit the water table (if any)? Are there any stones, and at what depth?
What kinds of stones are here? Walk around the site and investigate the plants
colonizing the site. This initial research will give you an indication of what plant
community is best suited to the site.
In restoration, one needs to pay careful attention to the assemblage of trees
chosen. In this case, we have chosen deciduous and coniferous native species
for you. Why does this selection fit the site? (Think about this on our Woodlot
field trip). In most cases you will need to research where you can purchase
native plant stock in your area and you need to know what kinds and sizes of
tree you can afford.
Planting techniques are vitally important! What is the relative cost of a planting if
the failure rate is 5%, 20%, 80%? On that note, pay careful attention to the next
section!
Methods: Handling your Tree
From the time that you are handed your sapling, you need to ensure that you
are keeping the root hairs moist. Damage to the root hairs can severely affect
the survival of your plant material as it affects the tree’s ability to take up water
and absorb dissolved nutrients. At each stage of the planting, you should
conscious of the needs of fine roots and root hairs.
READ ALL THESE INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE BEGINNING TO PLANT!
1. When you receive your sapling, note the fine roots (these are NOT root
hairs) and root collar, and whether the tree is tap-rooted or has a flat root
plate. Later, when you get back to the picnic shelter, draw the saplings
that are available there (These are being used by every group for
drawing, so that only a few trees are spoiled by being handled and dried
out). We want you to DRAW the trees because that obliges you to
observe accurately. You can take photos if you wish, but you must submit
a drawing in your lab write-up. Note the dimensions of the various parts
of the sapling and label them. Do NOT copy diagrams from text books or
the internet. You should draw what you actually see here.
2. How big is the root ball? After mentally assessing the root system size
you can begin digging your pit. The pit you dig should accommodate the
root system without it being cramped vertically or horizontally – This is
like buying shoes, don’t get too small a size! Separate the humus and “A”
horizons from the mineral subsoil as you dig in order to reassemble them
properly when you re-fill the pit (Daigle et al, 2000). Do NOT put fertilizer
in the bottom of your pit prior to planting. The pit you dig should be at
least 50cm deep in order to accurately observe the soil profile.
3. Clean up the vertical face of the pit so that you can observe the soil
profile. Draw the profile to scale, using a tape measure to assess the
depth and thickness of each horizon. Label each horizon, and note
its colour, texture and other characteristics like stoniness. What kinds of
stones do you find in each horizon? How do you think that they got here?
Where do you think they came from? What do they tell you about the
possible chemistry of the soil? How deep do the roots of the plants that
already live here penetrate? Why do you think that this pattern exists?
How do you think that the soil has been changed by human activities?
Once again, draw what you SEE, not what you SHOULD SEE. You may
take a photo, but you MUST submit a drawing for your lab write-up. Do
not submit drawings of soil profiles copied from texts or web-sites.
4. If you are going to write this lab up, bag a sample from each horizon, for
determination of soil organic matter and pH in the lab. Be sure to label
your samples clearly. Put paper labels in the bags if the weather makes
labeling the bag difficult. Pencil is best for these labels. Do not use a felt
pen or soluble ink pen.
5. Before the next stage, make sure that you have observed the sample
trees that have been deliberately planted correctly, too shallow and too
deep. Spread out the roots of your sapling in the pit. Look closely to make
sure there is no rot evident within the root system (This can appear if the
sapling has been packaged, wet, in plastic for an extended period of
time.) If significant damage is present, you should decide with your TA
whether the plant material has a good enough chance for survival to plant
it, or whether it should be composted. The plant’s root collar should be
about 5-7 centimeters (a hand’s width) below the soil surface.
6. Begin to replace soil over the carefully placed rootstock. Try to retain the
structure of the original soil horizons as much as possible. DO NOT FIRM
THE SOIL YET.
7. Grasp the trunk of the sapling and gently but firmly, shake the tree in
order to distribute soil particles around the root system. At this point, you
should gently pull up on the sapling to raise the root collar until it is
parallel with the soil surface. (Don’t snap it off though!)
8. After ensuring that you have planted the sapling straight, firmly tamp,
with your foot, around the edge of the newly planted tree. Any excess soil
can be drawn up around the base of the plant (about three inches high)
into a soil collar (a “moat” that will retain rain water and artificial
watering). (Daigle et al, 2000).
9. Water your tree heavily in order to ensure percolation to the roots. Make
sure you do NOT tamp the soil after you have watered to avoid excessive
soil compaction around the roots. How many liters were needed to soak
the tree?
10. Attach a numbered label to the tree, and fill in the form that goes with it.
The form will ask you: year and date of planting, location, planter’s
names, home emails, height (cm), diameter, and species. This
information will be used to monitor the survival and growth of the trees
and built into future year’s lab work at this site.
Monitoring
Find the trees whose numbers you are given by your T.A. Measure the height of
each tree, its girth at the base and at 1.3m (diameter at breast height, or dbh).
Record the tree’s condition using the form provided.
When you have finished, submit your data as instructed. When you write up you
lab exercise, consider the percent survival and health of the various trees planted
last year. What conclusions can you draw about the ecology of the area and the
previous planting strategy and methods? Do the species planted differ in health
or survival?
Soil Profile and Horizon Descriptions:
Figure 1: Mineral Soil Profile Description (Denholm et al 2003).
Figure 2: Mineral Soil Descriptions (Denholm et al 2003).
When you have finished planting:
Follow the TA’s instructions on what to do with the equipment.
Return to the picnic shelter, where you should complete the drawing of the
sample hardwood and softwood saplings
You should also draw the tree trunk cross section that is provided, noting the
radial meristem, cambium, heartwood, sapwood, bark, tree rings etc. What
variations in the growth of the tree can you observe, and what are the probable
causes? Make sure that your drawing reflects what you actually saw, not
something copied from a book.
Hand in your tree planting and your tree survival forms to the TA.
Questions:
Why is it important to retain the order of the soil horizons when you are
replacing the soil over the roots?
What are some of the major impacts of soil compaction on a restoration site?
How does your sketch of the soil profile you saw in your pit differ from the
diagram of a characteristic soil of this area that was provided? Were any horizons
missing? Why does the soil profile look like this?
What other factors, aside from the ones stated above, might negatively impact
your restoration effort if you are not closely monitoring the success rate?
What kinds of rocks were you bringing up when you were digging your planting
pit?
Could you see evidence of soil disturbance? How did you know the soil was
disturbed?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of using mulch at a new planting?
How many tonnes of carbon are we likely to take out of the atmosphere with this
planting?
What is governing the survival and health of previous plantings?
How can you use what you learned here in future?
References:
Anon. 1982. Field Manual for Describing Soils. 2nd Edition. Ontario Institute of
Pedology University of Guelph. 1982. O.I.P. Publishing. No. 82-1. 44pp.
Daigle, Jean-Marc, and Donna Havinga. Restoring Nature’s Place. © Ecological
Outlook and Ontario Parks Association, 2000.
Denholm, K.A. and L.W.Schut. Field Manual for Describing Soils in Ontario.
Department of Land Resource Science. University of Guelph., 2003.
Kay, James. Huron Strasburg Natural Park Conservation Project Master Plan.
Welcome to the Huron Natural Park Environmental Area. March 22, 2001.
http://www.nesh.ca/jameskay/www.fes.uwaterloo.ca/u/jjkay/HNA/index.html
Kershaw, Linda. Trees of Ontario. Lone Pine Publishing: Edmonton, 2001.
Presant, EW & Wickland. The Soils of Waterloo County. Report No. 44 of the
Ontario Soil Survey. Research Branch Canada Department of Agriculture, 1971.
Department of Soil Science, University of Guelph and the Ontario Department of
Agriculture and Food. 104pp & 38 maps
Rynnimeri, Val. Natura Naturens in the City: The Huron Natural Area. 4th
Canadian River Heritage Conference. Guelph, Ontario, June 7 2004.
http://www.grandriver.ca/RiverConferenceProceedings/RynnimeriV.pdf.
Record of Planting Form
Date of Planting (D.M.Y):
Name(S):
Email address(es) (Ones that you will use for a while):
Date
Tree
Number
Location
Species
Height
(cm)
Diameter @
Root Collar
(cm)
Record of Tree Survival Form
Tree
Number
a
Species
Height (cm)a Diameter
at soil
level b (cm)
Diameter
at
1.3 mb (cm)
Live
or
Dead?
Has the tree been chewed?
Where?
How much? (see below)
To nearest cm
To 0.1 cm
c
To 0.1 cm (if tall enough – otherwise “0.0”)
d
Your TA will show you how to find out if your tree has died. If you confirm that the tree is totally dead,
dig it up to find out why.
e
codes for tree damage (add written notes if necessary):
0=Not browsed or gnawed
G1=Gnawed at base
G2=DeBarked above 5cm
B = Tips browsed off
d = Dead
L = Live
b
d