Sap Flow in Red Maple and Red Oak in the Harvard Forest Snow Removal Study 2011

The climate is changing in mid and high latitude environments with the depth and duration of snowpack shrinking for many temperate forest ecosystems. A reduced snowpack and increased depth and duration of soil frost can injure fine roots, which are essential for plant water uptake. Water uptake is a crucial component of ecosystem functioning because this process strongly impacts other biological processes, such as primary productivity and nutrient uptake. We evaluated the effects of changing winter climate, including snow and soil frost dynamics, on rates of water uptake (i.e. sap flow) in a snow manipulation study at Harvard Forest. We had three reference and tree plots from which we removed snow and induced soil freezing.