IRES: U.S.-Finland Study of the Impacts of Forest Floor Manipulations and Post Harvest Residue Removal for Biofuels

IRES：美国-芬兰对森林地面操作和生物燃料收获后残留物去除影响的研究

• 批准号: 0754033
• 负责人: John Dighton
• 金额: $ 14.61万
• 依托单位: Rutgers University Camden
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2008-09-01 至 2012-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0754033&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: IRES; U.S.; Finland; Study; Impacts

This U.S.-Finland activity provides International Research Experience for Students (IRES) for graduate and undergraduate students from Rutgers University, in Camden and the tri-state area, to study forest floor manipulations with restoration of pine and natural vegetation being the focus in New Jersey and maintenance, or loss, of soil fertility being the focus of research in the intensively managed pine production forests of Finland. At Rutgers, the principal investigator is John Dighton, joined by Dennis Gray from the Pinelands Field Station. Helja-Sisko Helmisaari from the Finnish Forest Research Institute in Vantaa heads the team in Finland. Together, they will oversee student research projects that manipulate forest floor organic matter inputs to soils. Student domestic and international field studies will inform aspects of separately funded, longer-term research headed respectively by Dighton on production forestry and Helmisaari on nutrient dynamics. Overall, results are expected to improve our knowledge of potential ecological consequences of biofuels extraction and help IRES participants understand the link between biofuels energy choices and environmental sustainability issues.The experienced Rutgers-Vantaa researcher team maintains that the quality and quantity of forest floor material is important in the regulation of the decomposition process, mineral nutrient availability and plant antagonistic chemicals. Together they designed their IRES program to help students learn more about the severe ecological disturbance by evaluating the impacts of biofuels harvesting and fire, disturbance, and seed restoration techniques on the two contrasting forests. Student research projects will be an experiential extension of the learning process started in the classroom. With guidance from U.S and Finnish mentors, IRES student participants will gain training in field biology and forest science as they examine soil fauna, vegetation, soil microbiology and mycology, and soil chemistry at manipulated sites. Findings from student sites in pitch pine nutrient-poor ecosystems in New Jersey will be compared to those of the Scots pine nutrient-poor ecosystems in Finland that have experienced intensified collection of logging residues. From their results students and researchers hope to gain new insights into the major effects that follow from altering forest floor decomposition and how the resultant changes in soil physical and chemical composition influence plant species, productivity and forest sustainability.This interdisciplinary IRES with an emphasis on soil ecology fulfills the program objective of advancing scientific knowledge by enabling experts in the United States and Europe to combine complementary talents and share research resources in areas of strong mutual interest and competence. Broader impacts include early career introduction of U.S. graduate and undergraduate students to a culture of international collaboration and interdisciplinary research at a time when there is growing global interest in biofuels and forest development as well as the associated ecological and economic consequences.

这个美国-芬兰的活动为罗格斯大学的研究生和本科生提供了国际研究经验（IRES），在卡姆登和三州地区，研究森林地面操作与松树和自然植被的恢复是重点在新泽西和维护，或损失，土壤肥力是集中管理的芬兰松树生产林的研究重点。 在罗格斯大学，首席研究员是约翰·戴顿，来自皮内兰野外站的丹尼斯·格雷也加入了进来。来自万塔芬兰森林研究所的Helja-Sisko Helmisaari领导着芬兰的团队。 他们将共同监督学生的研究项目，操纵森林地面有机物质输入土壤。学生的国内和国际实地研究将为分别由Dighton领导的生产林业和Helmisaari领导的营养动态的单独资助的长期研究提供信息。 总的来说，结果预计将提高我们的生物燃料提取的潜在生态后果的知识，并帮助IRES参与者了解生物燃料能源选择和环境可持续性问题之间的联系。经验丰富的罗格斯-万塔研究团队认为，森林地面材料的质量和数量在分解过程的调节，矿物营养物质的可用性和植物拮抗化学品是重要的。他们一起设计了他们的IRES计划，以帮助学生通过评估生物燃料收获和火灾，干扰和种子恢复技术对两种对比森林的影响，更多地了解严重的生态干扰。学生的研究项目将是在课堂上开始的学习过程的经验延伸。 在美国和芬兰导师的指导下，IRES学生参与者将获得野外生物学和森林科学方面的培训，因为他们将在操作地点检查土壤动物，植被，土壤微生物学和真菌学以及土壤化学。 从沥青松营养不良的生态系统在新泽西的学生网站的调查结果将进行比较，在芬兰的苏格兰松营养不良的生态系统，经历了强化收集的伐木残留物。从他们的研究结果中，学生和研究人员希望获得新的见解，了解改变森林地面分解的主要影响，以及由此产生的土壤物理和化学成分的变化如何影响植物物种，这个强调土壤生态学的跨学科IRES通过使美国和欧洲的专家能够将联合收割机在双方都感兴趣和有能力的领域，双方可以互补人才，共享研究资源。 更广泛的影响包括美国研究生和本科生的早期职业介绍国际合作和跨学科研究的文化，当时全球对生物燃料和森林发展以及相关的生态和经济后果的兴趣日益增长。