Hubbard Brook REU Program

Our "American Gothic" pose

Hey there! My name is Jamal Jarrett and I am currently a graduating senior at Tennessee State University in Nashville, Tennessee. I am a biology major, minoring in chemistry and history. I am enjoying my time in New Hampshire, it is VERY different from what I am used to, but that is a good thing. I am originally from Kansas and never seen these many mountains!  Since I have been up here I can count on two hands how many times I have heard, “Toto, I have a feeling were not in Kansas anymore.” I love to stay active by working out, playing sports, hiking, and bicycling. I also enjoy drawing, reading history, and learning things about different cultures.

I am mentored by Don Buso and Dr. Michelle Pruyn. My main project with Don consists of looking at Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest Watershed 6 site specific forest history and major disturbances (from 1800 to present) to see how much of an impact they actually had on forest growth and species composition (hardwoods vs conifers). The reason why we are reexamining the history is because we know most of these disturbances (such as 1910 cut, 1938 hurricane, 1942 salvage logging) happened but don’t know to what severity and W6 has served as the biogeochemical reference watershed for HBEF since 1963. In the past, red spruce were more common in the lower elevations of W6 before major logging happened which promoted regrowth of hardwoods.

Tree cookies of dead Red Spruce saplings

This summer I will aim to supply data for the reconstruction of a multi-modal timeline of W6’s biomass release.  It is important to look back and understand the history of HB so we can get an idea of forest resiliency and sustainability with following damage to the forest. My data will consist of tree cookies of dead spruce saplings (2-10 cm in diameter) west of W6 and a ranking of live spruce saplings health in the area. Hopefully, I can find reoccurring disturbances within the rings of the cookies, red spruce age structure within the area, and other correlations with my data. This historical study of the removal of  red spruce population by logging can be paired with studies of calcium and nitrogen cycling that could be related to forest’s response to climatic warming.

Gathering roots from a Yellow Birch tree

So far I have taken part in running course roots, testing them for their conductivity by running a mixture of water and HCL through them to see how fast they absorb and push the water through the other side. I also have played a part in sap flow sensor construction, which monitors obviously sap flow. My favorite part thus far of the project is slicing the roots (very thin) and looking at the anatomy under the microscope. It’s pretty cool to look at, but it is an art to it.  Defining the differences in response to increases in calcium availability and other nutrients will help us explain why trees grow where they do, improving forest management practices.

Until next time readers, I will be sure to give you an update on my projects, adventures, and experiences when the summer progresses.