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2013 Spring | Natural Science & Restoration

Small Shrubs Can Make a Big Difference

Student(s):

Gillian Kenagy

Program or Department(s):

  • Program on the Environment
  • University of Washington

Site supervisor(s):

James Lutz

Partner(s):

  • University of Washington

Faculty advisor(s):

James Lutz, School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington

The forestry research conducted for my internship monitors and analyzes forest structure and function on the Yosemite Forest Dynamics Plot (YFDP), which is located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of Yosemite National Park, California. Beyond the annual data collection of tree mortality, the site serves as a center for diverse scientific studies including an analysis of shrub species. In 2012, YFDP scientists and I collected field measurements on 41 specimens of the shrub Cornus sericea to determine its in situ characteristics. In the lab, the field measurements were evaluated to calculate specific biomass equations and allometric relationships for Cornus sericea.