Forest Inventory of the DroughtNet plots at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest

A throughfall removal manipulation is being carried out within a beech, birch and maple forest stand at Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest as part of the Northern Forest DroughtNet project, in collaboration with Climate Change Across Seasons Experiment (CCASE). Two 15 x 15 m plots have a series of troughs covering 50% of the surface area to remove throughfall and reduce soil moisture, in order to simulate a 1st percentile drought based on the long term meteorological record. DBH measurements were recorded for all trees > 10 cm DBH beginning in spring of 2014, and remeasured annually. Drought and control plots will be compared to determine the effect of reduced soil moisture availability on tree growth. This dataset includes measurements from 2014. These data were gathered as part of the Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study (HBES). The HBES is a collaborative effort at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, which is operated and maintained by the USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station.