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Abstract
Over the next century, the Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment (HEE) in Indiana will provide numerous opportunities for collaborative research on how forest management affects the ecological, economic, and social resources of southern Indiana. Here, we highlight the pre-treatment research conducted at the HEE sites from 2006 through 2008 and discuss the role that pre-treatment differences among experimental units and/or treatments may have on future research activities. We then formulate hypotheses about the effects of the various silvicultural regimes on communities monitored for the duration of the study (i.e., woody plants, terrestrial salamanders, birds), focal communities and species (i.e., box turtles, timber rattlesnakes, cerulean warblers, moths, and wood-boring beetles), and public attitudes toward forest management. HEE researchers will face a number of key challenges, ranging from overcoming constraints in experimental design to maintaining scientific, managerial, and social relevance. However, each of these challenges provides opportunities for high-impact research and outreach that can improve the management of our Central Hardwood Forests for decades to come.
Parent Publication
Keywords
bats,
beetles,
birds,
Central Hardwoods,
experiment,
forest management,
human attitudes,
Indiana,
moths,
oak,
reptiles,
salamanders,
silviculture,
small mammals,
wildlife
Citation
Saunders, Michael R.; Swihart, Robert K. 2013. Science in the hardwood ecosystem experiment: accomplishments and the road ahead. In: Swihart, Robert K.; Saunders, Michael R.; Kalb, Rebecca A.; Haulton, G. Scott; Michler, Charles H., eds. 2013. The Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment: a framework for studying responses to forest management. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-P-108. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station: 315-332.
