Moist Loamy Lowland with Carbonates
Scenario model
Current ecosystem state
Select a state
Management practices/drivers
Select a transition or restoration pathway
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Transition T1A
Stand replacing disturbance that includes fire.
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Transition T1B
Removal of forest cover and tilling for agricultural crop production.
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Restoration pathway R2A
Conifers slowly increase in abundance in the deciduous forest community.
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Transition T2A
Removal of forest cover and tilling for agricultural crop production.
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Restoration pathway R3A
Cessation of agricultural practices leads to natural reforestation, or site is replanted.
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Transition T3A
Cessation of agricultural practices leads to natural reforestation, or site is replanted.
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No transition or restoration pathway between the selected states has been described
Target ecosystem state
Select a state
Description
Reference State is a forest community dominated by sugar maple (Acer saccharum), American basswood (Tilia Americana), and red maple (Acer rubrum). Other hardwood species including white ash (Fraxinus americana) and red oak (Quercus rubra) occur sporadically, but often only regenerate in canopy gaps and cannot compete with the shade tolerance of the maples and basswood. Depending on history of disturbance, two community phases can be distinguished largely by differences in dominance of tree species and community age structure.
Submodel
Description
Pure, or mixed, aspen – paper birch community replaces the reference state community. If seed source is present, red maple and red oak readily becomes member of this community. In time, and with a seed source, sugar maple will establish a young cohort in the subcanopy.
Submodel
Mechanism
Major stand-replacing disturbance. In pre-European settlement time, the event was most often a severe blow down, sometimes followed by fires. Such blow downs have been estimated to occur in this part of Wisconsin every 300 to 400 years (Schulte and Mladenoff, 2005). In post-settlement, virtually every acre has been logged either by clear cutting or successive cuts targeting species marketable at that time. Post-logging slash fires also have been a significant factor in most areas. These disturbances created the environment suitable for natural regeneration of many shade-intolerant species and for commercial planting.
Mechanism
Removal of forest cover, tilling and application of other agricultural techniques to grow agricultural crops.
Mechanism
Aspen or aspen-paper birch canopy ages out and sugar maple becomes dominant along with mixtures of red oak and red maple. Even from the deciduous forest state this transition may require over 100 years to reach the reference state. Conifers slowly increase in abundance in the deciduous forest community.
Mechanism
Removal of forest cover, tilling and application of other agricultural techniques to grow agricultural crops.
Mechanism
Abandonment of agricultural practices and allowing natural vegetation to colonize the site or apply artificial afforestation. The time required for forest community to reach the reference state conditions may exceed 100 years.
Model keys
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Ecological sites
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The Ecosystem Dynamics Interpretive Tool is an information system framework developed by the USDA-ARS Jornada Experimental Range, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and New Mexico State University.