First Advisor

Marion Dresner

Date of Publication

1-1-2011

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (M.S.) in Environmental Science and Management

Department

Environmental Science and Management

Language

English

Subjects

Stand composition, Urban forestry, Western temperate forest, Forest Park (Portland, Or.) -- Environmental conditions -- Research, Trees -- Growth -- Environmental aspects -- Oregon -- Portland, Forest ecology -- Effect of human beings on -- Oregon -- Portland, Forests and forestry -- Effect of human beings on -- Oregon -- Portland

DOI

10.15760/etd.313

Physical Description

1 online resource (vi, 74 p.) : ill. (some col.), col. maps

Abstract

In June of 2010, two permanent research plots were established in Forest Park, based on their differing proximities to downtown Portland, Oregon. As part of a long-term ecological research project that seeks to explore the ecological status and human thumbprint on this 5,100 acre forested reserve, the 2010 tree data was investigated for emergent compositional and spatial patterns. Stand composition, tree size, growth rates, and spatial patterns were analyzed, along with ecological and land use histories. Results indicate that the Balch plot, more closely located to the urban center, has different stand composition, condition, and vegetation growth rates, compared to the more rural Miller site. This study supports findings from a study done by Broshot in 2009, where more urban plots demonstrate a different stand composition and recruitment pattern than rural sites. The study is an initial step for exploring questions regarding the ecological status of Forest Park and how land use and disturbance, past and present, shape Portland's forested reserve.

Rights

In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).

Persistent Identifier

http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/8079

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