Incumbent will participate in a study on freshwater ecology of Northern Forest lowlands, including forested swamps and seeps.
The project will inform understanding of the intermittent wetland habitats and processes associated with management of northeastern lowland forests, focusing on northern white-cedar forests. This includes quantifying ecological impacts in these systems and developing standardized measurement protocols.
The specific objectives are:
1) to compare wetland processes across harvesting treatments in northern white-cedar forests, with particular focus on decomposition, and insect biomass, assemblages, and biodiversity within the wetted environment;
2) to develop standard quantification methods for aquatic leaf litter processing, wood decomposition and insect biodiversity in seasonally wetted lowlands that can be applied throughout the Northern Forest; and
3) to communicate about tradeoffs in wetland ecosystem condition and biodiversity associated with harvest regimes to forestry practitioners to aid lowland forest management planning.