Ecological Study of Mesic Forest Area

Phillip Peyton
Edward Whonic
Donald Custer
Jeremy Crock

Mentors: Neil Giffen

Facilitator: Larry Pounds

The ARC teachers will study the susceptibility of East Fork Ridge Old Growth Forest to invasion by exotic plant species. They will mark a boundary for the old grownth area based on data taken by the 2006 ARC teachers and on changes in the forest composition (particularly even sized composition vs. mixed size compostion.) The teachers will survey for exotic invasive plants within this boundary recording the species and location (GPS) of each occurrence of exotic invasives. All of the marked exotic invasives will be removed. The teachers will alsohave an opportunity to survey for salamanders in the Oak Ridge Reservation creeks.