| The tip of the tallest known foliage on earth, 112.34m
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| Investigators |
| Dr. Steve Sillett, Department of Biological Sciences, Humboldt State University
Dr. George Koch, Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University
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What is the Issue? |
| REDWOOD FOREST HEALTH |
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The majestic redwood forests are amongst the tallest standing forests on Earth. Understanding the ecology of these ancient forests is paramount to the success of protecting the remaining stands of northern Californian redwoods. This long-term collaborative study will examine the importance of water relations of redwood forests in relation to their health. Other expert scientists will gather essential information on populations of marbled murrelets and arboreal salamanders. The study of water relations will enable researchers to understand why the treetops of many redwoods along the forest edge are dying. The wildlife research will contribute significantly to the long-term habitat maintenance of marbled murrelets and further elucidate the role of arboreal salamanders in redwood forests.
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What is our goal? |
| UNDERSTANDING REDWOOD FOREST DIEBACK, WILDLIFE HABITAT CONSERVATION.
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| Three hundred feet above the ground: the redwood forest treetops. |
Where we currently stand. |
| Research is currently ongoing in all areas. Researchers have been gathering gas exchange and stable isotope data in tall tree crowns that will serve as a basis for a research proposal to investigate causes for top dieback in old-growth redwood forests along clearcut edges. Study of the wandering salamander (Aneides vagrans), which lives in ancient redwood tree crowns, is being undertaken by tagging, recapturing and tracking individuals in order to better understand the natural history and population dynamics of the species. Researchers have been finding salamanders amidst humus beneath epiphytes in ancient trees. This research is ongoing through 2001.
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You can help this project - find out how. |
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