Survey Of ONU Eastern Woodlot Woody Species
Advisor(s)
Dr. Robert Verb
Confirmation
1
Document Type
Poster
Location
ONU McIntosh Center; Activities Room
Start Date
11-4-2025 12:00 PM
End Date
11-4-2025 12:50 PM
Abstract
Eastern deciduous forests face many disturbances, ranging from invasive species to anthropogenic impacts to climate change. These disturbances can impact biomass, diversity, and successional pathways. Short and long-term studies are one way to track shifts in floristic changes. On the campus of Ohio Northern University, in Ada, Ohio there is a small 5-acre woodlot. This woodlot has been fragmented into an east and west block by a road. This project lays the foundation for tracking long-term changes in the woody vegetation within the eastern portion of this woodlot. Eleven west-to-east linear transects were used to survey and quantify the woody species within this section of the woodlot. A GPS unit was used to record the coordinates of the individual woody species encountered. For each tree/shrub, the diameter at breast height was measured and the tree was identified to the species level. This project found that many of the woody species were less than an inch in diameter, the majority of which were Green Ash, (Fraxinus pennsylvanica). By observation, the older woody species composition was made up of basswoods (Tilia americana), red oaks (Quercus rubra) and white oaks (Quercus alba), sugar maples (Acer saccharum), American beech (Fagus grandifolia), and shagbark hickory (Carya ovata) trees. Further analyses will examine if there are differences in species diversity, biomass, and community composition between the transects on the edge of the woodlot versus those in the interior.
Recommended Citation
Hinkle, Camden Franklin Eastman, "Survey Of ONU Eastern Woodlot Woody Species" (2025). ONU Student Research Colloquium. 68.
https://digitalcommons.onu.edu/student_research_colloquium/2025/Posters/68
Open Access
Available to all.
Survey Of ONU Eastern Woodlot Woody Species
ONU McIntosh Center; Activities Room
Eastern deciduous forests face many disturbances, ranging from invasive species to anthropogenic impacts to climate change. These disturbances can impact biomass, diversity, and successional pathways. Short and long-term studies are one way to track shifts in floristic changes. On the campus of Ohio Northern University, in Ada, Ohio there is a small 5-acre woodlot. This woodlot has been fragmented into an east and west block by a road. This project lays the foundation for tracking long-term changes in the woody vegetation within the eastern portion of this woodlot. Eleven west-to-east linear transects were used to survey and quantify the woody species within this section of the woodlot. A GPS unit was used to record the coordinates of the individual woody species encountered. For each tree/shrub, the diameter at breast height was measured and the tree was identified to the species level. This project found that many of the woody species were less than an inch in diameter, the majority of which were Green Ash, (Fraxinus pennsylvanica). By observation, the older woody species composition was made up of basswoods (Tilia americana), red oaks (Quercus rubra) and white oaks (Quercus alba), sugar maples (Acer saccharum), American beech (Fagus grandifolia), and shagbark hickory (Carya ovata) trees. Further analyses will examine if there are differences in species diversity, biomass, and community composition between the transects on the edge of the woodlot versus those in the interior.