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SCBI Tree Mortality

DOI

Survey Dashboard

Map of survey progress

progress_map

Census Info

Sampling location

SCBI ForestGEO plot

Sampling dates

2014- present (annually)

Protocols

The basic census is described in Gonzalez-Akre et al. (2016). This publication covers methods used in 2014 and 2015. From 2016-2023, we monitored all ash tress (Fraxinus spp.) with stems >1cm DBH in order to capture dynamics of the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) infestation. For updated methods please check this folder.

We have collected cores from many of the trees found dead in our censuses. In 2016-2017, all trees found dead in 2016 and 2017 were cored at breast height (1.3 m) and at base (~30 cm form ground) except if trees where extremely rotten or if other hazards prevented boring or resulted in a very poor quality core. Since 2018 we have reduced the number of cores taken from dead trees as we have good chronologies for multiple species and to avoid additional work from our field technicians. Tree core data can be found here.

Numbers of trees and species cored since 2017 is as follows:

  • 2016 - all trees found dead
  • 2017 - all trees found dead
  • 2018 - 24 cores, 7 sp
  • 2019 - 51 cores, 19 sp
  • 2020 - 68 cores, 15 sp
  • 2021 -
  • 2022 - no cores collected
  • 2023 - no cores collected
  • 2024 - no cores collected

As a resut of our annual surveys, We have been paying increasing attention to signs of insect pests and pathogens on newly dead and unhealthy trees. A list of pests and pathogens that may affect trees at the SCBI plot is given here.

New mortality census

See this (README.md)[https://github.com/SCBI-ForestGEO/SCBImortality/blob/main/raw_data/README.md]

Data use

Data are published to this reposity immediately upon collection. We require that the (mostly early-career) members of our team who contributed to data collection be given the opportunity to contribute as coauthors (with full opportunity to comment on analysis plans and draft manuscripts) to the first scientific publication using the data. Data usage agreements therefore depend upon collection date, currently deliniated as specified below.

Data from 2014-2019, 2021

These data are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.

Data from 2020, 2022 - present

These data are covered by a custom data use agreement. Please refer to the data_use_agreement.md file for details. Data use requests may be denied if they compete with planned publications (particularly those led by early-career researchers) or fail to adhere to acceptable standards of scientific integrity and rigour. We strongly advise contacting PI Kristina Anderson-Texeira prior to beginning analysis of these data.

Contributors

name GitHub ID position* role
Kristina Anderson-Teixeira teixeirak staff scientist, SCBI & STRI PI overseeing project
Erika Gonzalez-Akre gonzalezeb lab manager, SCBI designed census, led 2014 census, oversaw subsequent censuses until 2020
Cheng-Yin Eng research assistant , SCBI led 2015 census
Victoria Meakem research assistant, SCBI led 2016 census
Ryan Helcoski RHelcoski research assistant, SCBI led 2017 census
Maya Prestipino PrestipinoMN research assistant, SCBI volunteered for 2017 census, led 2018 census
Alyssa Terrell alyssaterrell research assistant, SCBI volunteered for 2018 census, led 2019 census
Katherine Aldrich field assistant, SCBI volunteered for 2016 census
Clayton Hatcher field assistant, SCBI volunteered for 2016 census
Abigail Ferson aferson field assistant, SCBI volunteered for 2017 census
Meghan Ward field assistant, SCBI volunteered for 2019 census
Alex Georgopolis field assistant, SCBI volunteered for 2019 census
Cameron Dow camerondow35 research assistant, SCBI led 2020 census
Albert Y. Kim rudeboybert research associate and 2020 sabbatical visitor, SCBI volunteered for 2020 census, continuous integration
Valentine Herrmann ValentineHerr ecologist, SCBI data organization, coding, continuous integration
Brianna Calkins briannakcalkins field assistant, SCBI 2021 census leader
Jennifer Jordan jenajordan field assistant, SCBI 2021, 2022 census assistant
Teagan Rogers Troger4 field assistant, SCBI 2021 census assistant
Isabella Dangler irdangler SMSC student tree disease guide
Erin MacMonigle emacmonigle field assistant, SCBI 2022 census leader
Katherina Wilkins field assistant, SCBI 2022 census assistant, 2022 field fixes
Lukas Magee mageeluke PhD Student, UFL assisted with censusin 2022, 2023
David Mitre mitreds research technician, STRI 2023 census lead
Jessica Shue jess-shue research technician, SERC 2023 census prep, training & data support
Iris Kennedy Iriskennedy ForestGEO Intern 2023 census - Data collection and data entry
Krystal Bagnaschi krystalbagnaschi ForestGEO Intern 2023 census - Data collection and entry
Caroline Troy CarolineTroy ForestGEO Intern 2023 census - Data collection and entry
Rachel Hoffman rmh24 ForestGEO Intern 2023 census - Data collection and entry
Erin MacMonigle emacmonigle ForestGEO Intern 2023 census - Data collection and entry
Christopher Pate christopherp8 ForestGEO Intern 2023 census - Data collection and entry

*refers to position at time of main contribution to this repository

Funding

  • ForestGEO
  • Virginia Native Plant Society (2017, 2019)
  • NSF Macrosystems (2021 - 2024)

Publications using these data

Gonzalez-Akre, E. B., Meakem, V., Eng, C.Y., Tepley, A. J., Bourg, N. A., McShea, W. J., Davies, S. J. and Anderson-Teixeira, K. J. (2016). Patterns of tree mortality in a temperate deciduous forest derived from a large forest dynamics plot. Ecosphere 7(12): e01595. doi: 10.1002/ecs2.1595.
Data from this publication are published in Dryad

Anderson-Teixeira, K. J., V. Herrmann, W. B. Cass, A. B. Williams, S. J. Paull, E. B. Gonzalez-Akre, R. Helcoski, A. J. Tepley, N. A. Bourg, C. T. Cosma, A. E. Ferson, C. Kittle, V. Meakem, I. R. McGregor, M. N. Prestipino, M. K. Scott, A. R. Terrell, A. Alonso, F. Dallmeier, and W. J. McShea. 2020. Long-Term Impacts of Invasive Insects and Pathogens on Composition, Biomass, and Diversity of Forests in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Ecosystems. DOI: 10.1007/s10021-020-00503-w.

Kim, A. Y., V. Herrmann, R. Bareto, B. Calkins, E. Gonzalez-Akre, D. J. Johnson, J. A. Jordan, L. Magee, I. R. McGregor, N. Montero, K. Novak, T. Rogers, J. Shue, and K. J. Anderson-Teixeira. 2022. Implementing GitHub Actions continuous integration to reduce error rates in ecological data collection. Methods in Ecology and Evolution 13(11): 2572-2585. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.13982