Soil Carbon in a Hemlock Stand Infected by Hemlock Woolly Adelgid at Harvard Forest since 2015

The main objective of this research is to study changes in soil carbon stocks (soil C, root biomass) and fluxes (soil respiration) in a hemlock stand that is currently infested by the hemlock woolly adelgid, and where trees are declining in vigor and dying off. Soil respiration is measured throughout the growing season using an automated system, which produces a long-term, high-temporal-resolution series of soil respiration over multiple locations. Soil carbon stocks and root biomass are estimated by sampling soil in multiple locations throughout the hemlock stand following the sampling design used by Serita Frey at Harvard Farm (“Conant plots”). The large number of samples will be used to determine how many should be resampled in the future to be able to determine if any difference in soil C content or root biomass is statistically significant. Soil and roots will be sampled every 5 to 10 years to evaluate the trends in soil carbon stocks during and after the decline of hemlock caused by the hemlock woolly adelgid infestation.