DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Restoration of Upland White Cedar in Northeastern Minnesota

白雪松林曾经在西部大湖地区很常见。20世纪初的大范围砍伐和火灾使古老的白雪松林减少到几片被年轻森林包围的小树林。高地地区的白雪松林，如苏必利尔湖北岸，尤其罕见。几十年来，在剩下的斑块上，白雪松的繁殖已经很少了。随着老树的死亡，没有年轻的树来代替它们。北岸白雪松恢复项目将确定白雪松面临的最严重问题。这项拟议的研究将确定苏必利尔湖北岸原始雪松林再生的障碍，并为这种稀有植物群落制定恢复计划。导致雪松繁殖失败的因素可能包括白尾鹿的觅食、生长条件差和种子传播受限。如果繁殖继续失败，这些森林可能会在我们的有生之年消失，因此这在几个层面上代表了对生物多样性的关注。白雪松林作为一种生态系统类型，是我们自然遗产的一部分；此外，可能有一些与雪松林特别相关的植物和动物，它们的分布和丰度可能由于这种栖息地类型的缩小而受到限制。

REICH DEB-9623458 White cedar forests were once common in the western Great Lakes region. Widespread logging and fire in the early 20th century reduced old-growth white cedar forests to a few small stands surrounded by younger forest. White cedar forests in upland areas, such as the North Shore of Lake Superior, are especially rare. For several decades, white cedar reproduction in remaining patches has been scarce. As older trees die, there are no younger trees to replace them. The North Shore White Cedar Restoration Project will identify the most serious problems faced by white cedar. The proposed study will identify barriers to regeneration in old-growth cedar forests on the North Shore of Lake Superior and enable the development of a recovery plan for this rare plant community. Factors leading to unsuccessful cedar reproduction may include browsing by white-tailed deer, poor growth conditions, and seed dispersal limitations. If reproduction continues to be unsuccessful, these forests may disappear within our lifetime, and thus this represents a biodiversity concern at several levels. The white cedar forest as an ecosystem type represents a part of our natural heritage; moreover, there may be plants and animals particularly associated with cedar forests whose distribution and abundance may be restricted due to the shrinkage of this habitat type.