skip to main content


Title: Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest: Soil Profile Maps and Horizon Thicknesses on Watershed 5, 1983-1998
We sampled soils prior to the whole-tree harvest of watershed 5 at Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in 1983, and again in 1986, 1991, and 1998, using the quantitative soil pit method. Here we report horizon thicknesses and present hand drawn maps of the sides of a subset of the 239 sampling pits excavated over the four sampling years. Note that U.S. standard soil horizon nomenclature changed between 1983 and 1986. In nearly all cases, the 1983 horizon designations have the following equivalencies: A2 = E, Bhir = Bs, Bir = Bs1, B23 and B23+ = Bs2. 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.  An analysis of these data has been published in: Johnson, C.E., A.H. Johnson, T.G. Huntington, and T.G. Siccama. 1991. Whole-tree clear-cutting effects on soil horizons and organic-matter pools. Soil Science Society of America Journal. 55:497-502. https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj1991.03615995005500020034x  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1637685
NSF-PAR ID:
10316993
Author(s) / Creator(s):
;
Publisher / Repository:
Environmental Data Initiative
Date Published:
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. We sampled soils on watershed 5 at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in 1983, prior to a whole-tree harvest conducted in the winter of 1983-84. We resampled in 1986, 1991, and 1998. All sampling was performed using a quantitative soil pit method. Samples of the combined Oi and Oe horizons; the Oa horizon; 0-10 cm, 10-20 cm, and >20 cm layers of mineral soil; and the C horizon were collected. Grab samples of pedogenic mineral horizons were also taken from the sides of a subset of pits in each year. Here we report soil chemistry, mass of soil, percent rock, bulk density, and organic matter. 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.  
    more » « less
  2. We sampled soils on watershed 5 at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in 1983, prior to a whole-tree harvest conducted in the winter of 1983-84. We resampled in 1986, 1991, and 1998. All sampling was performed using a quantitative soil pit method. Samples of the combined Oi and Oe horizons; the Oa horizon; 0-10 cm, 10-20 cm, and >20 cm layers of mineral soil; and the C horizon were collected. Grab samples of pedogenic mineral horizons were also taken from the sides of a subset of pits in each year. Here we report soil chemistry, mass of soil, percent rock, bulk density, and organic matter. 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.  
    more » « less
  3. The forest inventory surveys in the bird area were initiated in 1981 and transects were made permanent in 1991 by Tom Siccama who created and designed this tree survey. The inventory is representative of approximately 2.5 km2 of mid elevation northern hardwood forest. The data set is particularly geared toward producing accurate mortality and recruitment estimates. It consists of a total inventory of all trees greater than or equal to 10 cm dbh within each of four 10 m wide belt transects. The parallel transects are placed approximately 200 m apart and 290° bearing in an east-west direction for 2200 to 2900 m. In 1991, each live stem greater than or equal to 10 cm dbh was tagged with a unique number. Tree vigor is assessed every two years and diameter is remeasured every ten years. Every two years, new tags are placed on stems that have grown into the 10 cm diameter class. A survey of smaller trees (greater than or equal to 2 to less than 10 cm dbh) was first taken in 1991 and is resurveyed every ten years. This dataset includes 1991 and subsequent samplings. Data from an earlier sampling in 1981 can be found in: Sherry, T., D. Holmes, and T. Siccama. 2019. Forest Inventory of a Northern Hardwood Forest: Bird Area at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, 1981 ver 7. Environmental Data Initiative. https://doi.org/10.6073/pasta/206b98f6553f1ff95cf584dd2185554e (Accessed 2021-09-16). 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. These data have been used in the following publication: Siccama, T.G., Fahey, T.J., Johnson, C.E., Sherry, T.W., Denny, E.G., Girdler, E.B., Likens, G.E., and Schwarz, P.A. 2007. Population and biomass dynamics of trees in a northern hardwood forest at Hubbard Brook. Can. J. For. Res. 37(4): 737–749. doi:10.1139/X06-261. 
    more » « less
  4. The MELNHE study looks at patterns of resource limitation through nutrient manipulations in three study sites in New Hampshire: Bartlett Experimental Forest, Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, and Jeffers Brook, located in the White Mountain National Forest. The investigation is monitoring stem diameter, leaf area, sap flow, foliar chemistry, leaf litter production and chemistry, foliar nutrient resorption, root biomass and production, mycorrhizal associations, soil respiration, heterotrophic respiration, N and P availability, N mineralization, soil phosphatase activity, soil carbon and nitrogen, nutrient uptake capacity of roots, and mineral weathering. This data set includes phosphate, nitrate and ammonium availability measured using resin exchange strips. Additional detail on the MELNHE project, including a datatable of site descriptions and a pdf file with the project description and diagram of plot configuration can be found in this data package: https://portal.edirepository.org/nis/mapbrowse?scope=knb-lter-hbr&identifier=344 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. The following papers describe and make use of these data: Fisk MC, Ratliff TJ, Goswami S, Yanai RD. 2014. Synergistic soil response to nitrogen plus phosphorus fertilization in hardwood forests. Biogeochemistry 118:195-204. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-013-9918-1 Goswami S, Fisk MC, Vadeboncoeur MA, Johnston M, Yanai RD, and Fahey TJ. 2018. Phosphorus limitation of aboveground production in northern hardwood forests. Ecology 99: 438-449. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.2100 Shan S, Fisk MC, Fahey TJ. 2018. Contrasting effects of N on rhizosphere processes in two northern hardwood species. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 126: 219-227. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2018.09.007 Shan S, Devens H, Fahey TJ, Yanai RD, Fisk MC. 2022. Fine root growth increases in response to nitrogen addition in phosphorus-limited northern hardwood forests. Ecosystems, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-021-00735-4 Gonzales KE, Yanai RD, Fahey TJ, Fisk MC. 2023. Evidence for P limitation in eight northern hardwood stands: Foliar concentrations and resorption by three tree species in a factorial N by P addition experiment. Forest Ecology and Management 529: 120696. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2022.120696 Li S, Fisk MC, Yanai RD, Fahey TJ. 2023. Co-limitation of root growth by nitrogen and phosphorus in early successional northern hardwood forest. Ecosystems. https://10.1007/s10021-023-00869-7 
    more » « less
  5. Soil atmosphere fluxes of the trace gases; carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) have been measured at several locations at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest (HBEF) including 1) the “freeze” study reference plots that provide contrast between stands dominated (80%) by sugar maple versus yellow birch and low and high elevation areas, 2) the Bear Brook Watershed where trace gas sampling is coordinated with long-term monitoring of microbial biomass and activity and 3) watershed 1 where trace gas sampling locations were co-located with long-term microbial biomass and activity monitoring sites that are located near a subset of the lysimeter sites established for the calcium addition study on this watershed. This dataset contains the Freeze study data. Watershed 1 and Bear Brook trace gas data can be found in: https://portal.edirepository.org/nis/mapbrowse?scope=knb-lter-hbr&identifier=116. 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. These data have been published in: Groffman, P. M., Hardy, J. P., Driscoll, C. T., & Fahey, T. J. (2006). Snow depth, soil freezing, and fluxes of carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane in a northern hardwood forest. Global Change Biology, 12, 1748–1760. 
    more » « less