Through the institute of agricultural and environmental research, the goal of forestry research at tennessee state university (TSU) is to create and communicate new knowledge in the production,…

Through the institute of agricultural and environmental research, the goal of forestry research at tennessee state university (TSU) is to create and communicate new knowledge in the production, utilization, and protection of forestland and to train future forestry scientists. Research activities in TSU forestry are described below. In forests, recruitment patterns of tree species shape the diversity, structure and function of the ecosystem for ensuing decades. Until now, well-studied successional dynamics have allowed US to predict the natural chain of events in terms of short-term dynamics after disturbances. However, the combination of changes in climate, disturbance regimes, land use, natural enemy populations, and the increase of invasive species have resulted in rapid shifts in species composition of hardwood forests across eastern north america. The effects of these changes have been remarkable in OAK-dominated forests. The goal of this research at TSU is to better ascertain the relatively long-term changes in species composition and carbon sequestration and mechanisms of species coexistence in OAK-hickory dominant cumberland plateau forests since the 1970S. This work is critical since, with current global trends, the level of uncertainty around any potential outcome based on classical successional theory and past records has been magnified. Urban forests can provide a wide range of tangible goods production and intangible ecosystem services such as producing food, cleaning the air, mitigating the urban heat island effect, sequestering carbon, reducing stormwater runoff, creating green jobs, providing wildlife habitat and biodiversity, and improving human health and wellbeing. To rehabilitate compacted urban soils in place to better suit urban forests and enhance long-term ecosystem services, the researchers have developed soil profile rebuilding (SPR), which is a technique that incorporates subsoiling, compost amendment, and tree planting. However, this technique has not been used and evaluated in tennessee, and its long-term impacts on tree growth and carbon sequestration have not been studied yet. The overall objective of this project at TSU is to further evaluate the influence of SPR on urban soil quality (e.g., soil bulk density), tree establishment and growth, and long-term ecosystem services (e.g., carbon sequestration). The historical range of the longleaf pine ecosystem once ranged throughout the southeast coastal plain of the southeast united states in large contiguous forest tracts that totaled 24 million hectares. However, a combination of fire suppression, anthropogenic development, and habitat conversion, has led to the overall decline of the longleaf pine ecosystem. As these forest types have declined, so too have the unique plant and animal communities that have adapted to the growing conditions in these ecosystems. One particular animal group (amphibians and reptiles) are especially tied to large, intact stands of longleaf pine and the biological conditions that are present within these ecosystems. This proposed work will advance the scientific knowledge of vertebrate species conservation by evaluating the ecological benefits of longleaf pine forest restoration in a portion of the range of the longleaf pine ecosystem that has not been evaluated previously. The researchers will use a large-scale replicated field study to evaluate the impacts of longleaf pine restoration on amphibian and reptile communities. This study will further the understanding of how restoration leads to changes in amphibian and reptile communities, which is essential given the global decline of this species group. IT is important to raise awareness of this declining ecosystem and the organisms that inhabit these landscapes. Only by understanding the unique conditions that these habitats present, will we be able to understand the ecological importance - and thus the need to restore these ecosystems.