Summary of FERN Research
Our long-term aim is to develop a model to predict the effects of stand-level characteristics on vegetation dynamics at forest edges. We are pursuing different objectives: 1) We will investigate the initial stages of development of fire edges by monitoring vegetation changes including tree regeneration at the newly created fire edges in Nova Scotia. 2) We will compare edge development at regenerating and maintained edges using an experimental approach as part of a project on regenerating pasture in fragmented Atlantic Forest within the Center for Research on Biodiversity Dynamics and Climate Change in Brazil. 3) We will identify stand factors (e.g., canopy cover, height, species composition) that regulate edge influence on canopy structure using LiDAR to sample vegetation structure at different types of edges in forests within Nova Scotia. 4) We will identify regional factors that influence vegetation at edges by building a global database of forest edge data to compare between regions and among edge types. Estimating and predicting the width and dynamics of forest edges are important for understanding effects of management activities for conservation and for predicting impacts of climate change.