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

这项美国-芬兰的活动为罗格斯大学卡姆登和三州地区的研究生和本科生提供了国际研究经验(IRES)，学习森林地面操作，松树和自然植被的恢复是新泽西州的重点，土壤肥力的维护或损失是芬兰集约化管理的松林的研究重点。罗格斯大学的首席研究员是约翰·戴顿，来自皮涅兰野战站的丹尼斯·格雷也加入了他的行列。来自万塔芬兰森林研究所的Helja-Sisko Helmisaari领导了芬兰的这个团队。他们将共同监督学生研究项目，这些项目操纵森林地表有机质输入到土壤中。学生的国内和国际实地研究将为单独资助的长期研究提供信息，这些研究分别由Dighton领导的生产林业和Helmisaari领导的营养动态。总体而言，研究结果有望提高我们对生物燃料开采的潜在生态后果的了解，并帮助IRES参与者了解生物燃料能源选择和环境可持续问题之间的联系。经验丰富的罗格斯-万塔研究团队坚持认为，森林地面材料的质量和数量在调节分解过程、矿物质养分可用性和植物拮抗化学物质方面非常重要。他们共同设计了IRES项目，通过评估生物燃料收获和火灾、干扰和种子恢复技术对这两个不同森林的影响，帮助学生更多地了解严重的生态干扰。学生研究项目将是从课堂开始的学习过程的经验性延伸。在美国和芬兰导师的指导下，IRES的学生参与者将获得田间生物学和森林科学方面的培训，他们将在受操纵的地点研究土壤动物、植被、土壤微生物学和真菌学以及土壤化学。来自新泽西州营养贫乏的沥青松生态系统的学生站点的研究结果将与芬兰的苏格兰松营养贫乏生态系统进行比较，后者经历了更多的伐木残留物收集。学生和研究人员希望从他们的研究结果中获得新的见解，了解改变森林地面分解所产生的主要影响，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、生产力和森林可持续发展。这种侧重于土壤生态学的跨学科IRES通过使美国和欧洲的专家能够在相互感兴趣和能力很强的领域结合互补的人才和共享研究资源来实现提高科学知识的计划目标。更广泛的影响包括，在全球对生物燃料和森林发展以及相关的生态和经济后果越来越感兴趣的时候，美国研究生和本科生及早进入国际合作和跨学科研究的文化。

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.