Forest Health Assessment of Hurricane Island

Post by Chloe Tremper, Science and Research Intern, Project Update 

For my summer research project, I am completing a forest health assessment of the spruce-fir stand on the northern half of Hurricane Island.  Forest health and how to assess it is hugely subjective depending on the forest type you’re working with and what your definition of “healthy” is.  For this particular assessment I decided to focus on damage and disease within the forest, regeneration, blow down risk, and fire risk.  Since little is known about Hurricane’s forests, my project aims to determine any major risks currently facing the spruce-fir stand on the island as well as recommend any needed management and improved methods of monitoring the overall forest health into the future.

In order to complete this assessment in a few short weeks by myself, I decided to collect data at 12 plots within the spruce-fir stand.  Using Slocum’s Trail as the base of my 600m transect, I used a random number generator to determine 12 random distances between 0 and 600m.  After each of these distances were measured out and flagged, the real fun began! At each distance in from the start of the transect, I start by flipping a coin to determine if the plot will be on the left or right side of the trail: heads means right and tails means left.  After that, I roll a di to determine the distance into the stand I go from Slocum’s (1=5m, 2=25m, 3=50m, 4=75m, 5=100m, 6=150m).

Chloe enters data with ISLE botany students recording DBH for white and red spruce trees in a plot

Once at each plot center, I set up a 5x5m square plot.  Within that plot I record the species, DBH (diameter at breast height), and signs of damage/disease for each tree.  I am also recording the number of 1-hour, 10-hour, 100-hour, and 1000-hour fuels. 1-hr fuels are debris less than 1/4in diameter (twigs, needles, dead grass), 10-hr are woody debris 1/4 – 1in in diameter, 100-hr are woody debris 1 - 3in in diameter, and 1,000-hr are woody debris greater than 3in in diameter. These numbers are important for estimating the risk of a fire within the stand as well as how much potential damage a fire would cause.  I also tally the number of spruce saplings, fir saplings, Vaccinium spp., and other woody saplings or shrubs in order to get an idea of what would likely take over a plot if the large trees were to die back.  Once all these data are recorded, I measure the soil depth in the northwest corner of each plot.  Knowing the soil depth is helpful in considering the risk of blow-downs. 

I am taking notes about each plot including information about the openness of the canopy, exposed bedrock, fallen trees, herbaceous cover, etc.  So far, I have 8 of the 12 plots completed.  I finished 3 of these plots with help from our SLE Botany students! Of the plots I have completed, I’ve noticed a lot of diversity among them, however the one thing I have seen throughout is a lot of dead woody debris which puts the island at a huge risk if there were to ever be a fire on the island.  Remember, only you can prevent forest fires! 

The Ferns of Hurricane Island

Post by Chloe Tremper, Science and Education Intern

If you find yourself hiking around Hurricane Island's trail system and come across a fern, take a closer look! Can you identify it? Here are different types of ferns we have found this summer. It may help to check out this helpful diagram showing fern anatomy before reading below.

Mountain Wood Fern Dryopteris campyloptera (Kunze) Clarkson.

Sori of the Mountain Wood Fern

Mountain Wood Fern

Mountain wood fern is one of, if not the most abundant fern species on Hurricane Island as it can be seen on nearly every part of the island. These ferns inhabit cool forests throughout New England, though typically are only found on higher elevations in more southern states, hence the name “mountain” wood fern.  Its thrice-pinnate leaf blade, pale green kidney-shaped sori (the little dots on the underside of the main fern blade), brown scales on the leaf stalk, and the veins, which do not reach the edge of the leaf blade, help easily identify this species. Fun Fern Fact: Native Americans used a tea of the leaves to treat stomachaches and used the rhizomes for food.

Rock Polypody Polypodium virginianum L.

Rock Polypody

Rock polypody is another common fern on Hurricane, however you have to know where to look.  Rock polypody often grows directly on rock or on thin soil over rocky cliffs and boulders. We’ve found it growing all over many of the granite rock outcrops within the shade of the spruces and firs here on the island. The blade of rock polypody is once-pinnate and lobed with large, circular sori that tend to be brown in color.  If you look closely at the blade of rock polypody, it almost looks like the pinna are all connected and smoothly zig-zagging back and forth. Fun Fern Fact: It was widely used by Native Americans as a medicinal herb to treat stomachaches, colds, coughs, and other ailments.  

Cinnamon Fern Osmundastrum cinnamomeum (L.) C. Presl

Cinnamon Fern

Cinnamon fern is abundant along trails mostly on the northern half of Hurricane Island, and these ferns are typically found along water edges and within forests.  Cinnamon fern is a large fern that grows in rounded clumps with fertile fronds emerging from the center.  Unlike mountain wood fern and rock polypody, which have spores on the undersides of their pinna, the spores of cinnamon fern are all found within modified leaflets on individual fertile fronds which look very different from the sterile fronds.  The sterile fronds of cinnamon fern are twice-pinnate and can grow to be over three feet in length and the fertile fronds are erect with cinnamon colored sporangia covering the top of the stalk. Fern Fun Fact: Cinnamon fern fiddleheads are mildly toxic and are often mistaken for ostrich fern fiddleheads, which are commonly collected for food in the spring. Careful what you harvest!

Sensitive Fern Onoclea sensibilis L.

Sensitive Fern

Sensitive fern is fairly abundant on Hurricane Island, especially in poorly drained areas open areas as sensitive ferns are indicators of wet sites and are one of a few ferns that are sun-tolerant.  The blade is once-pinnate with slightly lobed margins on the pinna and a light yellow-green color.  Like cinnamon fern, sensitive ferns have fertile fronds that look like rows of black capsules along the top of an erect stalk growing along with the sterile fronds. Fern Fun Fact:  Sensitive fern received its name because the sterile fronds are very susceptible, or sensitive, to frost damage.

Interrupted Fern Osmunda claytoniana L.

Interrupted Fern

Interrupted fern is a very common fern found throughout New England, however we have only found it one location on Hurricane Island so it’s a rare one for us.  They are generally found in forests and along water edges.  The leaf blade is twice-pinnate and many fronds have distinct interruptions at the center of the frond caused by fertile pinnae. The fertile pinnae are generally chestnut-brown to black in color and close to the stalk.  Fern Fun Fact: Interrupted fern has the oldest known fossil record of any living fern in the world, it's been around for 200 million years!

Royal Fern Osmunda regalis L.

Royal Fern

Royal fern is a species found commonly around the world, however we’ve only found it in one location on Hurricane so it gets treated like royalty here! Royal ferns are often found by water and within forests.  The leaf blades of the sterile fronds are twice pinnate with a gap between each pinna.  The fertile fronds rise above the sterile fronds and are somewhat crown shaped, thus the name royal fern. Fern Fun Fact: Royal fern is the largest fern found in North America and the young fiddleheads are edible.

Whew! That's all the ferns we've found for now, but stay tuned, and see if you can find any of these ferns growing around your own home or neighborhood! I recommend A Field Guide to Ferns and Their Related Families: Northeastern and Central North America (A Peterson field guide) if you are looking to become a fern expert :) Happy fern finding!

First Impressions of Hurricane Island: Chloe

Post by Chloe Tremper (Summer 2014 Science and Education Intern)

Lots of familiar, lots of new.  My first impression started at the Hurricane Island Foundation office in Rockland.  I opened the door to the office and was immediately greeted by two very happy dogs followed by Cait, and I couldn’t have had a better welcome.  Once we pulled up to Hurricane Island itself I was immediately struck with how beautiful the island is. I couldn’t think of a better place to be spending my summer. Every staff member I met throughout the day was really nice and it was pretty apparent they are a tight-knit group of people who love what they do even with the challenges that come along with jobs like theirs.

Chloe on one of the Hurricane Island trails

After getting a chance to walk around the island a bit, everything seemed very familiar.  The forested areas on the island made me feel like I was back in the spruce-fir forests that I’m used to seeing on the mountaintops of Vermont. Dark-eyed juncos, golden-crowned kinglets, Swainson’s thrushes, all birds I’m used to hearing in the dead silence of a mountaintop, I’m now hearing with the crash of ocean waves in the background. On top of that, here I am on an island with an elevation of less than 200ft and I’m seeing mountain ash, red spruce, mountain paper birch, and balsam fir--it’s pretty neat!

Overall, my first impression of Hurricane Island was a great one.  I’m looking forward to getting to know the island better and being able to navigate myself around the trails. I am also really excited to get started with the ISLE classes and my research project to assess the health of Hurricane Island’s forest stands (more on that later!). 

First Impressions of Hurricane Island: Collin

Post by Collin Li (Summer 2014 Science and Education Intern)

The voyage to Hurricane Island was swift. The cool breeze and frigid waters heavily contrasted with what I was used to, but I was too excited to lay eyes upon my home for the next two months to care. After unloading my gear, HIF staff gave us a tour of the infrastructure and I immediately noticed how environmentally conscience the Foundation is. Solar panels lined many roofs, skylights were installed in the cabins, and the composting "throne" toilets, and outhouses with Dutch doors were a plus.

Our hikes later that evening allowed me to begin to explore the inner parts of the island and learn about the local flora and fauna. The task seemed daunting at first, but it is great to be immersed in this learning environment, and with repetition I have been able to pick out the more vocal birds and trailside plants.

As I hiked the trails, I felt like I was walking through a scene of the Hobbit. The songs of white throated sparrows and Swainson's thrushes filled the temperate evening air. Mosses found their homes on rocks and the trunks of the towering white spruces. And the stars began to glisten as the sun set over the mainland. The Island is a place teeming with life and inhabited by the Foundation. Through their work, science education and sustainable living is fostered in the hopes of creating leaders within the field of science for the future. Looking forward, it is exciting to take part in the HIF mission this summer and see what we can accomplish!

Paperwork - the not-so-fun side of research...

Phoebe and I prior to one of our dives on the Muscle Ridge closed area in the fall of 2013.

This month (June 2014), we have been making incremental progress towards getting into the field for the second year survey effort for the Lower Muscle Ridge scallop closed area. Basically, overcoming barriers to collaborative research takes time. Some organizations, like the Maine Department of Marine Resources and the University of Maine already have systems in place to allow their divers to do field work off of commercial fishing vessels while, others have not yet ventured into that realm. I am in the process of putting those systems in place for the Hurricane Island Foundation so our staff will be able to conduct research dives from commercial fishing vessels as well as our own. Doing so can take some time, but it's all in the name of having a safe SCUBA diving operation which is of the utmost importance if we want to continue doing research-related diving in the future. This process involves creating documents that outline the potential risks of participating in field work on a boat and underwater, as well as identifying ways we plan to mitigate those risks by being prepared with safety equipment and identifying the closest medical facilities to our field site. We are also developing a project dive plan that outlines our anticipated diving activity.  Diver conduct will adhere to the University of Maine's diving safety manual until we create one specific to the Hurricane Island Foundation. Eventually, we will create a diving control board made up of experienced scientific divers who will review our dive plans to ensure we are operating safely. We are also considering pursuing an organizational membership with the American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS), an organization that specializes in establishing and maintaining scientific diving standards.