United States Department of Agriculture The Delaware River Forest Service Basin Collaborative Northern Research Station Environmental Monitoring General Technical Report NRS-25 and Research Initiative: Foundation Document Edited by: Peter S. Murdoch Jennifer C. Jenkins Richard A. Birdsey Abstract In 1998 the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the National Park Service formed the Collaborative Environmental Monitoring and Research Initiative (CEMRI) to test strategies for integrated environmental monitoring among the agencies. The initiative combined monitoring and research efforts of the participating Federal programs to evaluate health and sustainability of forest and freshwater aquatic systems in the Delaware River Basin. Forest ecosystem health issues addressed by the CEMRI effort include urbanization and forest fragmentation, productivity and carbon sequestration, nitrogen saturation and calcium depletion, vulnerability to exotic insects, and the effects of interactions among these factors. Ongoing monitoring programs were enhanced with supplemental sampling locations and measurements, and models were developed or modified to associate intensive process-level information with extensive landscape-scale information from satellite, aerial, and ground monitoring systems. The CEMRI project illustrates a powerful approach for integrated tracking of environmental conditions, development of models for predicting responses of forest and aquatic processes to perturbations, estimation of future forest conditions, and identification of threats to watershed health and forest sustainability. This paper discusses the development of the CEMRI in the DRB and methods to address environmental issues across multiple spatial and temporal scales. The Editors PETER S. MURDOCH is Research Hydrologist at the U.S. Geological Survey, Troy, New York. JENNIFER C. JENKINS is Research Assistant Professor, The Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, Gund Institute for Ecological Economics, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont. RICHARD A. BIRDSEY is Manager of the Northern Global Change Research Program, U.S. Forest Service, Northern Research Station, Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. Contributing Authors Richard A. Birdsey, U.S. Forest Service, Newtown Square, Pennsylvania Richard A. Evans, National Park Service, Milford, Pennsylvania Jeffrey M. Fisher, U.S. Geological Survey, West Trenton, New Jersey John L. Hom, U.S. Forest Service, Newtown Square, Pennsylvania Jennifer C. Jenkins, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont Gregory B. Lawrence, U.S. Geological Survey, Troy, New York Rakesh Minocha, U.S. Forest Service, Durham, New Hampshire Michael E. Montgomery, U.S. Forest Service, Hamden, Connecticut Peter S. Murdoch, U.S. Geological Survey, Troy, New York Yude Pan, U.S. Forest Service, Newtown Square, Pennsylvania Rachel Riemann, U.S. Forest Service, Troy, New York Karen Riva-Murray, Geological Survey, Troy, New York Kathleen S. Shields, U.S. Forest Service, Hamden, Connecticut Walter C. Shortle, U.S. Forest Service, Durham, New Hampshire Kevin T. Smith, U.S. Forest Service, Durham, New Hampshire David W. Williams, USDA APHIS, Otis Air National Guard Base, Massachusetts This publication was sponsored by the U.S. Forest Service’s Northern Global Change Research Program, the Northern Forest Inventory and Analysis Program, and the National Forest Health Protection Program; the U.S. Geological Survey, the National Park Service, and the National Aeronautics and Space Adminstration. Material presented here does not represent the policy of any of the sponsoring agencies. CONTENTS 1.0 Executive Summary ..................................................................................................1 1.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................1 1.2 The Need for Multiscale, Multiparameter Monitoring .........................................1 1.3 Rationale for Selecting the Delaware River Basin ..............................................3 1.4 Multi-tier Integrated Monitoring Strategy ............................................................3 1.5 Intensive Monitoring and Research Areas to Link Processes with Monitoring ......................................................................................................5 1.6 Identifi cation of Resource Issues ........................................................................6 1.7 Measurement and Monitoring of Forest Carbon Stocks and Fluxes ................7 1.8 Monitoring Methods for Forests Vulnerable to Non-Native Invasive Pest Species ...................................................................................................................8 1.9 Monitoring of Recovery from Calcium Depletion and Nitrogen Saturation .....9 1.10 Monitoring of the Status and Impacts of Forest Fragmentation ...................10 1.11 Integrated Analysis and Scaling Methods .......................................................12 1.12 Preliminary Results ...........................................................................................12 1.13 Conclusions .......................................................................................................13 Literature Cited (for Executive Summary) ...............................................................14 Chapters 2-10 are included in the foundation document available online only at: http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/ 2.0 Introduction to the Delaware River Basin Pilot Study .........................................16 2.1 Objectives of the Study .......................................................................................16 2.2 The Framework Concept behind CEMRI ...........................................................17 2.3 Unique Characteristics of the CEMRI Framework ............................................20 2.4 Rationale for Selection of the Delaware River Basin as a Frame of Reference .........................................................................................................21 2.5 Collaborating Agencies .......................................................................................21 2.6 Environmental Issues Addressed During the CEMRI Pilot ..............................21 2.7 Objectives of this Report ....................................................................................21 2.8 Study Area Description .......................................................................................22 3.0 Foundation Programs for the Delaware CEMRI Framework ...............................24 3.1 Tier 1: Intensive Monitoring and Research Areas (IMRAs) ..............................24 3.3 Tier 3: Regional Surveys .....................................................................................28 3.4 Tier 4: Remote Sensing and Mapping ...............................................................30 3.5 Enhancement of the Foundation Programs ......................................................31 4.0 Measuring and Monitoring Forest Carbon Stocks and Fluxes ...........................32 4.1 Background ..........................................................................................................32 4.2 Measurement of Forest and Aquatic Carbon Stocks and Fluxes ...................33 4.3 Existing Monitoring Programs and Regional Assessment Capability ...........35 4.4 Gaps in Evaluation of Forest and Aquatic Carbon Stocks and Fluxes ..........36 4.5 The CEMRI Integrated Monitoring Program for Carbon Cycling ....................38 4.6 Preliminary Results .............................................................................................39 5.0 Monitoring Methods for Forests Vulnerable to Non-Native Invasive Pest Species ............................................................................................................41 5.1 Background ..........................................................................................................41 5.2 Non-native Pests of Current Concern ...............................................................42 5.3 Existing Monitoring Programs and Regional Assessment Capability ...........46 5.4 Information Available in the Delaware River Basin ..........................................47 5.5 The CEMRI Monitoring Program for Non-Native Invasive Species .................48 5.6 Preliminary Results .............................................................................................51 6.0 Monitoring Recovery from Calcium Depletion and Nitrogen Saturation ...........52 6.1 Background ..........................................................................................................52 6.2 Relationships Between Soil Calcium Depletion and Tree Growth .................53 6.3 Early Detection of Stress Using Foliar Indicators ............................................55 6.4 Existing Monitoring Programs and Regional Assessment Capability ...........55 6.5 The CEMRI Monitoring and Assessment Approach for Nitrogen Saturation and Calcium Depletion .....................................................................58 6.6 Preliminary Results .............................................................................................61 7.0 Monitoring the Status and Impacts of Forest Fragmentation and Urbanization .............................................................................................................63 7.1 Background ..........................................................................................................63