Plant Biodiversity in A New Hampshire Forest

The field of plant biodiversity is a stimulating area of research that has allowed me to conduct field research in such exciting places as Costa Rica, Bolivia, Mexico, Siberia, Crimea, and Abkhazia. However, it is just as exciting to study the biodiversity in one's own backyard-in the forests of northern New Hampshire. The U.S. Forest Service recently proposed that an area of the White Mountain National Forest characterized as prime old-growth forest be set aside as a permanent Research Natural Area (RNA) for research, monitoring, and education, and to maintain natural diversity and ecological processes. Part of the evaluation process necessitated a thorough botanical reconnaissance of the RNA to determine the composition of the flora and vegetation of the proposed site.

I and two undergraduate students, Nur Ritter and Kathleen McCauley, made weekly field trips to the study site. Each section of this magnificent old-growth forest was carefully combed to assure that the checklist of plants included all species, including those that were widely scattered or infrequent. A special effort was made to locate any species listed as federal or state threatened or endangered species. Botanical specimens were collected, and field identifications were confirmed back at the UNH herbarium. The specimens were also mounted and deposited in the herbarium as vouchers of the study.

As a result of our study, we catalogued a flora consisting of 78 species of vascular plants representing 35 families. While none of the species are protected under the Endangered Species Act, one species, an orchid, is listed by the state of New Hampshire as having "special concern" status, and four species were determined to be noteworthy plants for the flora of the state. We were able to discern two distinct forest vegetation types: (1) sugar maple-beech-yellow birch forest and (2) red spruce-hemlock-yellow birch forest. The largest trees were sugar maple, beech, American ash, basswood, white birch, and yellow birch. A vegetation map was prepared to show the distribution of each forest type.

The study provided important baseline information on plant biodiversity, plant communities, and the relative abundance of vascular plants within the RNA. But perhaps just as importantly, the study provided an opportunity for undergraduate students to be involved in biodiversity research and to practice the plant identification skills learned in their systematic botany class. Both Nur and Kathleen have continued their studies at the master's level, working on biodiversity projects under my direction. Kathleen is studying a forested natural area in western Connecticut, and Nur is studying biodiversity of aquatic plants in high-elevation Andean lakes and ponds and in lowland aquatic habitats in the Amazon basin of Bolivia.