Newsletter

Volume 16, Number 2
March - April 1999

Director’s Note

Uusually in this space I introduce the
topics featured in the current lES
Newsletter. Following that format, for this
issue I would have written a brief back-
ground on the research described on
page one, aimed at learning what factors
affect forest growth, and maybe on the
article about acid precipitation as well.

But, a particularly sad event takes
precedence. In February, I lost my
Administrative Assistant of 16 years.

When I came to the Institute in Septem-
ber 1983, Janice Claiborne already had
almost 10 years of experience working for
directors of the Mary Flagler Cary
Arboretum. She was a big help to me as I
learned my new job, and her intelligence
and efficiency were invaluable as the
Institute grew in size and scope.

I, along with everyone at the Institute and
those of you who knew Janice through
the lES membership program, will miss
her.

The lES Newsletter is published by the
Institute of Ecosystem Studies, located at
the Mary Flagler Cary Arboretum in
Millbrook, New York.

Director: Gene E. Likens

Admini.strator: Joseph S. Warner

Head of Education: Alan R. Berkowitz
Newsletter editor: Jill Cadwallader

Address newsletter correspondence to the
editor at:

Institute of Ecosystem Studies

Education Program, Box R

Millbrook NY 12545-0178
e-mail: CadwalladerJ@ecostudies.org

Printing: Central Press, Millbrook, N.Y

Investigating the Forces of Forest
Change

The Mary Flagler Cary Arboretum covers
almost 2,000 acres. Those of you who have
walked its trails or driven its perimeter
and internal roadways might try to
imagine hiking across those acres, back
and forth, field equipment in your
backpack, on a hunt for young trees. If you
now imagine the same hike on a parcel of
land four times the Arboretum’s size,
you’ll be in the shoes of Seth Bigelow as he
did the groundwork for a study to address
one of ecology’s mysteries; what factors
contribute to determining the composi-
tion of a natural community?

The community that Dr. Bigelow is
interested in is the forest. Previous
research by lES ecologist Dr. Charles
Canham and colleagues has shown that in
adult trees there is a strong relationship
between the individual tree species and
the amount of calcium in the soil. Oak
trees and hemlocks thrive in soils with
low levels of calcium, while maples —
especially sugar maples — and ash thrive
in soils with high calcium content. Why is
this? In spite of the long life span and
immobility of trees, forests change, and
with a long-term view toward both forest
health and the demand for certain
economically important species, we
humans are in a stronger position if we
know what factors control their growth
and survival.

A team of ecologists is
working at the 8000 acre
Great Mountain Forest in
northwestern Connecti-
cut to learn more about
the relationship between
soil calcium and trees.

Some team members —

Drs. Gene Likens and
Gary Lovett from lES, Dr.

Nico van Breemen and
doctoral student Feike
Deikstra from
Wageningen Agricul-
tural University in The
Netherlands, and Dr.

Adrien Finzi from Duke
University — are investi-
gating the roles that trees
play in the relationship:
do the deeper roots of
some species, for
example, bring to the
surface nutrients that
change the composition
of the soil? At the same
time, Drs. Bigelow and
Canham are approaching

the question from the environmental side:
how do soil properties and light affect tree
growth?

Dr. Bigelow, an lES postdoctoral associate,
arrived at the Institute in May 1998 and
started his study by searching the Great
Mountain Forest for ash, red maple, sugar
maple, beech, red oak and hemlock
saplings. At five spots around the trunk of
each of the 1100 saplings he selected, he
and lES research assistant Connie Chase
took light readings, measured annual
growth by looking at leaf scars, and
collected soil samples. Now, beginning in
early April of this year, he is testing
specific nutrients to see how they affect
those same saplings.

In a process that Dr. Bigelow said will take
two people two to three weeks to complete,
each sapling is being fertilized with one of
five elements — calcium, magnesium,
nitrogen, potassium or a carbonate
material that changes soil pH, each in
combination with sulfate to promote
dissolution. Half of the control group of
trees is being treated with sodium sulfate
to see if the sulfate itself has any effects,
and the other half is untreated. In autumn
2000, just after a second post-fertilization
growing season, the scientists will return
to measure growth. Growth response will
be an indication of the importance of the
fertilizing agent.

continued on page 3

Dr. Bigelow measures the branches of saplings to compare the effects of
different soil nutrients on tree growth.

Is Buying and Selling Pollution the Solution?

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Percent of total anion charge in bulk precipitation at the Hubbard Brook Experi-
mental Forest from 1 963-64 to 1 995-96 (from “The importance of long-term data in
addressing regional environmental issues ”, by Gene E. Likens and Kathleen Fallon
Lambert, published in Northeastern Naturalist, Volume 5 Number 2, 1998. This
graph shows the steady increase in the proportion of nitrate, a precursor of nitric
add, over the past 30 years.

An Acid Precipitation Primer

It could be argued that “acid rain” had its
beginnings millions of years ago, when
the Earth’s geological and physical
environments were catalysts that turned
decomposing plant and animal remains
into petroleum, coal and natural gas.
These end-products, the “fossil fuels” for
humans today, therefore contain the
chemicals that constitute life, whether
prehistoric or modern. Among the
chemicals are sulfur and nitrogen.

Today, as fossil fuels are burned, in
industry, automobiles, power plants and
homes, the stored sulfur is released to the
atmosphere as sulfur dioxide and the
nitrogen as nitrogen oxides. When these
chemicals react in the clouds of the
atmosphere, dilute sulfuric and nitric
acids are produced and are delivered to
the Earth in rain, snow, cloud, fog and even
as dry particles and gases.

In 1970 the U.S. Government passed the
Clean Air Act, the purpose of which was to
control pollution at its source by setting
national air quality standards and
requiring states to reduce emissions of
particulates, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen
oxides. Evidence of the harmful effects of
acid deposition grew, however, and some
twenty years later, presented with irrefut-
able evidence supported by the discover-
ies of scientists including lES Director Dr.
Gene Likens and his Hubbard Brook
Ecosystem Study colleagues. Congress
passed the Clean Air Act Amendments of
1990. This legislation added to and
strengthened the regulatory requirements
of the earlier Clean Air Act, and for the
first time focused on acid rain.

Limitations of the Free Market

One of the features of the 1990 amend-
ments was establishment of an “emissions
trading system”. An annual, nationwide
limit on emissions was set, and each power
plant was given an emissions allowance
for sulfur, calculated as a percentage of its
1980 emissions. Plants were restricted
from emitting more of this pollutant than
they had allowances for, unless they
bought the necessary number of allow-
ances from a plant that hadn’t used all of
its own. This was the first time that a free-
market approach to an environmental
challenge of this sort had been tried.

In a letter published in the 1 1 December
1 998 issue of Sdence, Dr. Likens, Dr.

Kathleen Weathers', Mr. Thomas Butler
and Mr. Donald Buso wrote , “We applaud
the successful application of flexible

regulatory mechanisms in combination
with a free-market approach in lowering
the costs of reducing sulfur emissions to
the atmosphere.” The four lES ecologists,
however, all of whom are involved in
ongoing studies of acid deposition,
cloudwater and dry deposition, also
explained their misgivings. “A trading
program that cuts U.S. emissions, but
allows continued amounts of damaging
deposition on sensitive ecosystems would
miss the point.” They went on to question
whether the 1990 Clean Air Act Amend-
ments will adequately reduce the atmo-
spheric deposition of sulfur and nitrogen
compounds to sensitive ecosystems, such
as the Appalachian and Adirondack
Mountain regions and eastern Canada,
and whether these sensitive ecosystems
can recover from the current and pro-
jected impact of acid rain.

They back up their concerns with
evidence, including citations of published
papers that suggest the expected recovery
of natural ecosystems from acid rain
damage has not been observed. They also
explain that recent studies at the Hubbard
Brook Ecosystem Forest in New Hamp-
shire show that about 45% of acidity in
precipitation is contributed by nitric acid,
and that if present trends continue it will
become the dominant acid in precipita-
tion early in the next century. Yet the focus

1 . Dr. Weathers ’ study of cloudwater chemistry
in Chile was featured in the January-February
1 999 issue of the lES Newsletter.

of federal legislation has been almost
exclusively on controlling sulfur emis-
sions; there is currently no cap on the total
emission of nitrogen oxides. Finally, the
lES researchers note that dry deposition
of acidifying gases and particles, which
can contribute 30% to 50% of total acid
deposition, also has significant impact on
ecosystems.

The lES scientists conclude with a critical
argument for the reduction of acid-
forming emissions rather than the trading
of rights to emit. “... acidifying gases and
particles of sulfur contribute to the acid
rain problem when they are deposited to
the Earth’s surface, after being transported
in the atmosphere,” they write. If the
emissions continue at anything close to
their present levels, sensitive ecosystems
dovmwind of sources of pollution will
continue to be severely altered, and the
location of the emissions source, contrib-
uting deposition of acids to the receiving
ecosystem, matters. A

Reminder:

lES Spring Plant Sale

Friday, May 21: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Saturday, May 22: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Sxmday, May 23: 1 1 a.m. - 4 p.m.

For information, call:
914/677-5365

Forest Change, from page 1

Data from Dr. Bigelow’s research, along
with the findings of his collaborators, will
be plugged into an existing computer
model designed by Dr. Canham and co-
workers that predicts species composition
and tree location over a long periods. By
using tree species and soil calcium data
gathered from other forests in addition to
the one they are studying, the scientists
will be able to predict what different
forest sites will look like 1000 years from
now. Will the sugar maples in the year 3000
be in the same place as they are now? Or
will they have been replaced by hemlocks?
And what about the economically
important oaks? The scientists hope that
their new knowledge of the role of human
impacts, through alteration of nutrient
inputs, and of the role played by the trees
themselves, will help them to address
questions of long-term forest change. 0

* sK ♦ * *

Dr. Seth Bigelow received his masters and
doctoral degrees from the University of Florida.
His doctoral research, done in Costa Rica's
tropical rainforests, investigated the loss of soil
nutrients after forest clearing. By comparing
short rotation cropping systems with longer
rotations and measuring which allowed more
nutrients to drain through the system, he
discovered that under short rotation there was
an increase in nitrogen loss from soil and a
resulting decrease in soil fertility. In March, he
returned to Costa Rica for three weeks to do a
related study on evapotranspiration, or water
vapor loss from leaves. Dr. Bigelow will be at
lES through fall 2000.

Director’s Program for
Visiting Scientists

Dr. Doris Soto (above) , Full Professor in
Aquatic Ecology at the Universidad
Austral de Chile, spent 10 days at the
Institute in February under the auspices

In Memoriam: Janice B. Claiborne

A query about your lES membership? Call
Janice. Need to set up a meeting with the
director? Call Janice. A question about
lES scientific publications? Call Janice.
Need a listing of lES graduate students?
Call Janice. From editorial advice to wry
commentary . . . from Mary Flagler Cary

Arboretum history to the details of lES
administration, these things are what we
could count on from Janice Claiborne. The
Institute’s staff, members and friends were
shocked and deeply saddened when Ms.
Claiborne died suddenly on February 18,
1999.

In autumn 1974Janice
Byrns Claiborne, intrigued
by the newly opened Mary
Flagler Cary Arboretum,
applied for a secretarial
position and was hired. She
worked for a number of the
Arboretum staff, including
botanist Dr. Thomas Elias,
plant geneticist Dr. David
Karnosky and executive
administrator Mr. George
Bookman before becoming the
assistant to Dr. Willard Payne,
Arboretum director from 1977
until 1983. In the meantime, in 1975,
the Arboretum instituted a mem-
bership program and Ms. Claiborne
took on the challenges of member-
ship secretary, building a strong
program of which she was proud.
When the Institute of Ecosystem
Studies opened in fall 1983, Ms.
Claiborne became assistant to its
director. Dr. Gene Likens. She remained
assistant to the director, as well as
membership secretary, until her death.

There was a memorial .service at the
Institute on March 12, at which lES staff
recalled Ms. Claiborne’s contributions to
their lives as well as to their work. Contribu-
tions in memory of Janice Claiborne may be
made to the Campaign for the Institute of
Ecosystem Studies. 9

of the Director’s Program for Visiting
Scientists. Dr. Soto’s research interests
include interactions between zooplankton
and fish, global change effects on fresh
waters, and the environmental impact of
aquaculture, salmon culturing and
salmon introduction in fresh and marine
waters. In 1990, Dr. Soto and Dr. Likens
began collaborative studies of lakes and
streams of southern Chile. Over the years
she has provided space in her own
laboratories as well as general logistical
support for lES scientists and graduate
students doing research in the Puerto
Montt area.

While she was in residence at lES, Dr. Soto
shared ideas with staff scientists and
discussed future collaborations. At the
end of her stay, she presented a talk on the
lake ecosystems of Chile, a contribution to
the Institute’s free public seminar series. ^

Campaign Update

The Campaign for the Institute of
Ecosystem Studies was developed to
secure the Institute’s scientific and
educational excellence into the
future. The campaign has two goals:

• new environmental research
building, to expand lES research
capabilities

• endowment of the G. Evelyn
Hutchinson Chair, to attract an
outstanding senior ecologist

The lES Board of Trustees is pleased
to announce that $5.3 million has
been raised to date. To complete the
campaign, $700,000 is needed by
October 1999.

INSTITUTE OF
ECOSYSTEM STUDIES
Education Progi-am
BoxR

Millbrook, New York 12545-0178

Newsletter

Volume 16, Number 2
March -April 1999

CONTINUING EDUCATION
For spring 1999 program information, call the
Continuing Education office at 914-677-9643.
Programs during May and June include:

Gardening

May 23: Natural Landscape Techniques:

Design, Planting and Management

June 6: Container Gardening

June 12 & 26: Fern Identification, Propagation

June 19: Healthy, Hardy Roses

June 20: Native Wildflowers for the Display

Garden

Landscape Design

June 19: History of Landscape Design: Great
Estates of the Hudson River Valley
Natural Science Illustration
May 22 - 23: Sketching Live Animals
May 24 - 27: Colored Pencil Illustration
June 5 (4 sessions): Botanical Watercolor III:
Special Topics - Capturing Summer’s Bloom
Biology and Earth Science
May 1 1 : Heavenly Bodies
May 23: Wild Plant Ident.: Late Spring
June 5: Tree Identification
June 27: Sedges

Natural Crafts

June 12: Oshibana: The Art of Pressing
Flowers

Ecological Excursions

May 15: Catskill Mountain Ecosystems

May 15: Mohonk: The Moimtain House,

Gardens, Lake and History

May 16: Institute of American Indian Studies

May 22: Ecology of a Floodplain Forest

Community: Canoe Exploration of the Great

Swamp

June 5: Canoe & Cobble: A Special Trip to
Bartholomew’s Cobble

June 5: Catnip Acres Herb Gardens & Gertrude
Jekyll’s Glebe House Carden
June 19: Great Estates (see Landscape Design
prog;rams, above)

GREENHOUSE

The lES greenhouse, a year-round tropical plant
paradise and a site for controlled environmental
research, is open until 3:30 p.m. daily except
public holidays. Admission is by free permit (see
HOURS).

Calendar

ART EXHIBIT

Illustrations by Linda Beckwith McCloskey are on
display in the Plant Science Building lobby. Four
of the seven drawings in the exhibit are original
plates from the Hudson River Field Guide to Plants
of Freshwater Tidal Wetlands, published by the NYS
Department of Environmental Conservation.
Previous work by Ms. Beckwith McCloskey, a
student and instructor in the lES Natural Science
Illustration Program, has been published in lES
Continuing Education Program catalogues,
Earthworks, and the 1996-1997 lES report. This
exhibit is open weekdays from 9-4. Admission is
free with a visitor permit.

lES SEMINARS

Free scientific seminars are held each Friday at
1 1:00 a.m. at the lES Auditorium.

May 7: There’s More to Elxotic Plant Invasions
Than Meets the Eye: The Belowground
Connection. Dr. Joan Ehrenfeld, Cook College,
Rutgers Univ.

May 14: Biogeochemistry of Phosphorus in the
Australian Lowland Rivers. Dr. Barry Hart,

Water Studies Centre, Monash Univ., Australia
• The Friday Seminar Series resumes in September. •

lES ECOLOGY SHOP

New in the Shop ... flower-of-the-month magnets ...
floral pins ... bird-of-paradise (from the lES
Greenhouse) notecards ... lES T-shirts and
sweatshirts ... for children ... butterfly and frog
books for the very young ... metamorphosing
animal toys ... and in the Plant Room ... terra cotta
planters ... brass planters ... new supplies of EZ
diggers and Ecospouts

Senior Citizens Days: 10% off on Wednesdays
• Gifi Certificates are available •

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Current Needs

Education Program Office: weekday telephone
reception

lES Ecology Shop: weekday and weekend visitor
orientation and/or customer assistance
Volunteer Program: help with administration, 3-5
hours a week.

For information, call Ms. Su Marcy at 914-677-7641.

Nonprofit Org.
US Postage
PAID

Millbrook, NY
Permit No. 16

Printed on
1 00% Recycled
Paper

HOURS

Summer hours: April 1 - September 30
Public attractions are open Mon. - Sat., 9 a.m.-
6 p.m. & Sun. 1-6 p.m., with a free permit*.

(Note: The Greenhouse closes at 3:30 p.m. daily.)
The lES Ecology Shop is open Mon.- Fri., 11a.m.-
5 p.m.. Sat. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. &Sun. 1-5 p.m.

(The shop is closed weekdays from 1-1:30 p.m.)

* Free permits are required for visitors and are
available at the lES Ecology Shop or the Education
Program office daily until 5 p.m.

MEMBERSHIP

Join the Institute of Ecosystem Studies. Benefits
include subscription to the newsletter, member’s
rate for courses and excursions, a 10% discount
on lES Ecology Shop purchases, and participa-
tion in a reciprocal admissions program.
Individual membership: $30; family member-
ship: $40. Call Laura Corrado in the Membership
Office at 677-5343.

The Institute’s Aldo Leopold Society

In addition to receiving the benefits listed above,
members of The Aldo Leopold Society are
invited guests at spring and fall lES science
updates. Call Ms. Jan Mittan at 677-5343.

TO CONTACT lES ...

... for research, graduate opportunities, library
and administration:

Institute of Ecosystem Studies
Box AB

Millbrook NY 12545-0129
Tel: 914-677-5343 • Fax: 914-677-5976
Street address: Plant Science Building,

Route 44A, Millbrook, N.Y

... for education, general information and the

lES Ecology Shop:

Institute of Ecosystem Studies
Education Program, Box R
Millbrook NY 12545-0178
Tel: 914-677-5359 • Fax: 914-677-6455
lES Ecology Shop: 914-677-7649
Street address: Gifford House Visitor and
Education Center, Route 44A, Millbrook, N.Y.

... lES website: www.ecostudies.org