Ecosystem Dynamics of the Altona Flat Rock
Hypothesized effect of wetlands on carbon storage in a fire-dependent ecosystem. Photo credit: Amy Bedard
Project Description
The Altona Flat Rock (Altona, NY) is a sandstone pavement pine barren, a rare habitat. The forest community is dominated by jack pine (Pinus banksiana), a species that requires fire disturbance to reproduce successfully. Following a wildfire in summer 2018 that burned 225 ha of the Flat Rock, an interdisciplinary team of faculty from the
Center for Earth and Environmental Sciences at SUNY Plattsburgh began a project investigating recovery of the ecosystem following the fire. My students and I focus on the role wetlands play in short-term and long-term carbon storage in the ecosystem. We use permanent-plot sampling, intensive sampling of wetlands within and outside the burn, and paleo cores to describe patterns of carbon storage over time and space.
To learn more about student research related to this project, please visit the Undergraduate Research Projects page.
Collaborators
Mark Lesser
Danielle Garneau
Timothy Mihuc
David Franzi
Funding Sources
SUNY Plattsburgh In-house Mini Grant. PI: Lesser
Mary Alldred
Associate Professor of Environmental Science
My research interests include nitrogen cycling, wetland ecology, urban ecology, and coastal management and restoration.