PARENT SESSION
Oral Session #12: Landscape Ecology: Theory and application. Presiding: C. Johnston.
Monday, August 6, 2001. 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM. Madison Ballroom D.
Three centuries of vegetational change in the Shawangunk Mountains: What are we preserving today?
Russell, Emily W1, Thompson, John2, 1 2
ABSTRACT- A major question facing anyone proposing to "restore" an ecosystem is determining what they want to restore. If the goal is to restore a system as it was before human-caused disturbances of the last several centuries, it is especially difficult to characterize the desired system. One must integrate historical, sedimentary and field studies to establish species composition and the processes that have driven changes through time. Using a variety of methods results in more convincing and reliable reconstructions than using any one method alone. In this example, we describe the vegetation patterns and species composition of the last 3 centuries in the Shawangunk Mountain Region of southeastern New York, under a variety of changing land uses. Data have included written documents, field study, tree rings, palynology, photointerpretation, GIS comparisons and oral history. Major mosaics seen today, of pitch pine-dominated communities on the mountain summits, oak-dominated communities at lower elevations, and hemlock-dominated ravines, are essentially the same as the mosaic of communities that existed before people logged, burned, farmed and abandoned the land. The human-caused disturbances have, however, altered the species composition and structure of these forests. Changes in forest structure and composition continue, affected by both past and current processes. Understanding the dynamics of this system can help planners and managers to make informed decisions about land management.
KEY WORDS: Shawangunk Mountains, forest history