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It’s been one month since our 2024 Summer Research Technicians arrived, and Holt Research Forest has been bustling with activity. Our Research Fellow, Paulina Murray, and three Summer Research Technicians have been working collaboratively and independently to explore a variety of lines of inquiry into the property’s forest ecology.
Under Paulina’s guidance, the regeneration inventory has been completed, and S-1 data collection is well underway. Both procedures aim to investigate regeneration dynamics in the forest, focusing on seedling growth into saplings. During inclement weather, the technicians have been making great progress in counting and sorting 2023 tree seeds, a task that requires exceptional attention to detail as well as significant patience for tedium. When not engaged in inventorying, seed sorting, or S-1 data collection, the research technicians diligently work on their own research.
Olivia Chase, an undergraduate student at Penn State majoring in Forest Ecosystem Management with a concentration in Forest Biology, chose to focus on salamanders. “Originally, I took an interest in the four-toed salamander, as it’s an elusive and semi-rare species that is present on the Holt species list, but later pivoted to the red-backed salamander because of the abundance of relevant data. There’s no doubt that red-backed salamanders are a common species, but along with most other amphibians present in the research forest, current data about local populations is nonexistent. Current resources at the Holt Research Forest are limited, and without sufficient manpower, censuses and counts of previously monitored species are no longer feasible. In an effort to ease the strain on researchers, this project will predict current populations of red-backed salamanders based on past data. If this project succeeds, it could open opportunities to monitor and predict biodiversity while incurring little costs for the researchers themselves.” explained Olivia.
Olivia Chase, Summer Research Technician observes salamanders in the Holt Research Forest
Toby Ouellette, Summer Research Technician, collecting data on Tree Mortality at Holt Research Forest
Toby Ouellette, an undergraduate student studying Ecology and Environmental Sciences with a concentration in forest ecosystems at the University of Maine in Orono, is investigating tree mortality rates in the forest, focusing on mortality pre- and post-harvest. Toby explained that the data used for this project comes from previous timber inventory datasets ranging from 1984 to the mid-2000s and his own observations in the field of what issues are present today. “While I’m mainly looking at the Holt Research Forest harvests, I’m also taking into consideration factors such as causes of mortality (storm-downed trees, tree diseases, etc) and the condition of dead trees in the forest,” Toby said. Further explaining that this will give us a clearer picture of the current state of the forest, which can help inform management decisions in the future. Toby also believes that his research has additional benefits outside of management decisions, saying, “I feel that this research is important because it may give an idea of what we might see in the future in other forested areas along Maine’s coast and beyond, such as in Acadia National Park. Gaining a better understanding of tree mortality in our forests will hopefully have far-reaching benefits for our forests and, ideally, better the health of forests all over Maine.”
Gursimran Sahota, Summer Research Technician, breaks down complex datasets to reveal meaningful patterns and conclusions.
“For this independent research project, I will be studying the long-term changes in tree species composition, volume, and regeneration patterns within the Holt Research Forest. Utilizing R programming and statistical analyses, I am trying to uncover significant trends and insights that have evolved over the decades. I chose this project because I’m studying bioinformatics, where data analysis plays a crucial role.” said Gursimran Sahota, a Graduate student studying bioinformatics at Northeastern University. Gursimran elaborated that she enjoys breaking down complex datasets to reveal meaningful patterns and conclusions, saying that “The Holt Research Forest, with its extensive and meticulously collected data, offers a unique resource for this type of analysis. By understanding how tree species and volumes have changed over time, we can better comprehend the forest’s health and resilience. It’s exciting to see how this analysis can help inform sustainable forest management practices and contribute to our understanding of environmental changes!”
We are halfway through the season, and Olivia, Toby, and Gursimran are now working on analyzing their chosen research subjects. They will present their research to the Maine TREE staff and board on August 1. Be sure to check back next month to read more about their findings.
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