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North Central Research Station - Experimental Forests |
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Climate Soil types Vegetation types Long-term data bases Research – past and current Major research accomplishments Collaborators Research opportunities Facilities, contact address, location Brief introductionStreamflow, weather, and well data collection started on the The Marcell Experimental Forest in 1960. This 2200-acre site has six calibrated watersheds each consisting of a mineral soil upland and an organic soil peatland; an intermittent or perennial stream drains each peatland and its larger watershed. Formally established in 1962, it contains two units on land owned by the Chippewa National Forest, State of Minnesota, Itasca County, and a private individual. Originally established to study the ecology and hydrology of peatlands, research there concerns typical upland/wetland watersheds in the Lake States, atmospheric chemistry, nutrient cycling, soil quality, tree stand dynamics, and a variety of watershed treatments applied to upland or bog to investigate their impacts on water yield, peak streamflow, water quality, and nutrient processing. It is operated by the North Central Research Station, Research Work Unit 4351: Ecology and Management of Riparian and Aquatic Ecosystems located at Grand Rapids, Minnesota. ClimateThe climate of the MEF is subhumid continental, with wide and rapid diurnal and seasonal temperature fluctuations. The average annual air temperature is 3°C (37°F), with extremes of -46°C (-51°F) and 38°C (100°F). The average January temperature is -15°C (5°F), and the average July temperature is 19°C (66°F). Average annual precipitation at the MEF is 78.5 cm, with 75% occurring in the snow-free period (mid-April to early November). An average of 75 rainstorms occur each year, but normally only 3 to 4 exceed 2.5 cm.top Soil typesEly greenstone and Canadian Shield Granite and Gneiss bedrock underlie glacial drift deposits 45 to 55 meters thick. An 8 meter thick, compact till of clay, sand, and gravel containing limestone fragments (fingernail size) lies directly on bedrock and limestone in this deposit (derived from Hudson Bay) typically gives perennial stream water in the area a pH of 6.5 with Ca and Mg concentrations of 25 and 5 mg/L respectively. Sand drifts totaling 35 m in thickness overlay the compacted till, and derive from the N and NE; first near the Labrador Ice Center near the Hudson Bay Dome and later near the Patrician Ice Center West of James Bay. The upper member of these sand drifts (the Rainy Lobe-Bemis Phase) is exposed at the surface on about 1/3 of the Experimental Forest. Soils in this parent material are: Menahga sands (a mixed, frigid, Typic Udipsamment), Graycalm loamy sands (a mixed, frigid, Alfic Udipsamment), Cutaway loamy sands (a loamy, mixed, Arenic Eutroboralf), and Sandwick loamy fine sands (a loamy, mixed, frigid, Arenic Glossaqualf). On 2/3rds of the Experimental Forest, the deep sand drifts are over-ridden by the Koochiching phase Red-River Lobe originating from the NW near the Keewatin Ice Center. This brown till is a clay loam with rock, is slightly calcareous and has few cretaceous shale fragments. In many places, a 10-cm layer of eolian loess lays on the surface. Soils in this parent material are: Warba fine sandy loam - clay loam at depth (a fine-loamy, mixed Glossic Eutroboralf), Nashwauk fine sandy loam (a fine-loamy, mixed, Typic Glossoboralf), and Keewatin fine sandy loam (a fine-loamy, mixed Glossic Eutroboralf). Forested fen peatlands developed on the Mooselake peat (a Euic, Typic, Borohemist). They are typically hemic in decomposition, reddish in color and full of wood fragments. The forested bog peatlands developed on Loxely peat (a Dysic, Typic, Borosaprist) with porous Sphagnum and Ericaceous moss at the surface grading to hemic and sapric horizons within a meter depth. The poor fen, sedge peatlands developed on Greenwood peat (a Dysic, Typic Borohemist).top Vegetation typesSandy uplands support Red Pine (Pinus resinosa), Jack Pine (Pinus banksiana), in pure fire-origin stands or in plantations. They also support mixed stands of Aspen (Populus tremuloides), White Birch (Betula papyrifera), Balsam Fir (Abies balsamea), and White Spruce (Picea glauca). The sandy loam till soils support similar mixed stands where Beaked Hazel (Corylus cornuta) is a common and abundant shrub species. Big Leaf Aster (Aster macrophylus) and Braken Fern (Pteridium aquilinum) are common herbs. Forested bogs contain Black Spruce (Picea mariana), and Eastern Tamarack (Larix laricina). The peatland surface is dominated by Sphagnum mosses, and Ericacea shrubs. The forested fens contain similar species as the bogs but also Northern White Cedar (Thuja occidentalis), and occasionally Black Ash (Fraxinus nigra). Shrub, moss and herbaceous species in the fens far out number those in bogs. Open poor fens are dominated by depauperate sedges (Carex spp.), and a wide variety of mosses. Long-term data basesMany of the databases available are accessible at the Forest’s full Web site. Soil data available at Marcell include: organic soil physical properties, mineral soil physical properties, saturated hydraulic conductivity of mineral and organic soils, soil temperature profiles in both organic and mineral soils, and von Post profiles for organic soils. Weather data include max., min., and mean daily air temperature, and daily precipitation. Precipitation chemistry includes all major anions and cations (weekly since 1978; accessed through the NADP database in Champaign, IL), total mercury (weekly values), and methyl mercury (monthly composites of weekly values), and various QA/QC data associated with the chemistry and precipitation amounts. Seasonal snowpack data (depth and water equivalent), soil frost (depth and occurrence), and soil moisture (one foot increments to 10 feet) are available. Streamflow (daily) and water table elevation data (daily in peatlands and one regional water table site, monthly at other wells) are available at a variety of V-notch weir, and steel well pipe sites. Streamflow is partitioned between the mineral soil and organic soil parts of each watershed. Interflow and near surface flow amounts of runoff are available for mineral soil sites. Water chemistry (major anions) is available from mineral soil runoff plots, peatland water tables, watershed streams, and regional water table wells on a two-week or storm grab-sample basis.top Research – past and current
Major research accomplishmentsMany of the current concepts of peatland hydrology and peatland ecology were first observed and tested in a variety of experiments at the Marcell Experimental Forest. Peatland hydrology and organic soil physical property work done at Marcell is repeatedly quoted in the literature. Watershed evaluations of forest management options (eg. Clearcutting of aspen) and watershed modeling of storm hydrographs have been used to show the relation between open or young forest land and increases in bankfull streamflow rates. These data have been translated to harvest rate and open land guides for various national forest plans, state forest plans, and county forest plans as well as river basin planning groups in the Lake States. Unlike many experimental watersheds, the Marcell Experimental forest incorporates an extensive and long term evaluation of groundwater wells. These data are used in combination with paleo botanical studies of peat profiles, and soil hydraulic conductivity to illustrate the significance of deep seepage to water and nutrient budgets on experimental watersheds. The MEF along with (now) some 200 sites in the United States has documented the chemistry of precipitation and trends in atmospheric deposition in the United States for the last 25 years. Work at Marcell, in conjunction with other U.S., Canadian, and European data, illustrated the fundamental relationship between coal plant emissions and acid rain by removing the confounding effect of salt neutralization of acid in precipitation. Currently the MEF has built 8 years of mercury deposition data. We have significantly contributed to the evaluation of methane as a greenhouse gas and potential impacts to global warming processes. Work at the MEF on soil compaction was the first site in the Lake States to illustrate on experimental plots the serious and prolonged impact to future aspen productivity. CollaboratorsThe Univ. of Minnesota (Depts. of Soil Water and Climate, Natural Resources, Ecology, Environmental Engineering, Water Resources Research Center), Science Museum of MN (St. Croix Watershed Group), MPCA, MNDNR, Chippewa National Forest, Univ. of Nebraska, Univ. of Wisconsin, Michigan State Univ., Univ. of Mich., Michigan Tech Univ., NASA, NOAA, USGS, NSF, USEPA, various USDA grant programs, and UPM-Kymmene. Research opportunitiesThe Marcell Experimental Forest has been the subject of hundreds of studies since its establishment in 1962. Most of these studies have been hydrological in nature, but there is a great opportunity for many other types of research. The depth, variety, and length of water, soil, atmosphere, and vegetation databases at the Marcell Experimental Forest afford graduate students and collaborative scientists a unique opportunity to study watershed and landscape aspects of northern Lake States upland and peatland ecosystems. Additionally, the experimental forest installs and monitors a variety of demonstration plots. We welcome any interest in using the facilities and watershed plots for research in vegetation, entomology, ecology, wildlife, nutrient cycling, etc. Facilities, contact address, locationThe experimental forest currently has a field laboratory constructed in 1964 with a bunkroom, office, bench lab, kitchenette and ¾ bathroom. This facility will be replaced in 2003 with a larger field laboratory with four bedrooms, handicap access toilets, laundry, kitchen, bench laboratory, and small conference area. Contact information: The Marcell Experimental Forest is located 25 miles north of
Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Its address is: |
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USDA Forest Service - North Central Research Station |