Cycling of carbon and water in forests: Effects of climate, sea level and management

Rapidly rising human population in the Southeast US will require greater provisioning of ecosystem services such as fiber, energy, clean air and water, and biodiversity, all on an increasingly urbanized land base. Further, the changing climate, rapidly rising sea, and human alteration of water and element cycles will affect growing conditions that directly impact forest ecosystem function. Therefore, it is critical that we develop a better understanding of the controls on carbon and water cycling in managed and unmanaged forests across the region in order to develop adaptive management strategies that allow potential mitigation of climate change and uninterrupted provisioning of needed ecosystem services. The proposed project will used eddy covariance methodology combined with ground-based studies of carbon and water cycling in loblolly pine and natural hardwood forested wetlands to determine their vulnerability along the lower coastal plain of North Carolina. Ecosystem, watershed, and landscape models will be parameterized to extrapolate results across the broader region. In addition, we will quantify rates of productivity and water use of regionally appropriate bioenergy production systems to determine the potential for development of a domestic renewable energy industry. Systems studied will include a novel loblolly pine-switchgrass intercropping system and short-rotation coppice culture of several hardwood species. The proposed work will provide the data needed to develop management plans to protect our natural resources under changing environmental conditions, sustainable energy and fiber production, and learning opportunities for students, postdoctoral associates, the public and policy makers.