CAES- Plant Science Day 2015 www.ct.gov/caes Assessing Internal Decay in Trees Nondestructively with Tomography Robert E. Marra, Ph.D. Department of Plant Pathology & Ecology The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station
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CAES- Plant Science Day 2015 www.ct.gov/caes
Assessing Internal Decay in Trees Nondestructively with Tomography
Robert E. Marra, Ph.D.Department of Plant Pathology & Ecology
The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station
CAES- Plant Science Day 2015 www.ct.gov/caes
Spring 2008
CAES- Plant Science Day 2015 www.ct.gov/caes
Fairly stable at 260-280 ppm for ~10,000 years.
Began to increase at the dawn of the industrial revolution (~1750).
Currently at >400 ppm; ~30% higher than at any time in the
last 650,000 years.
Atmospheric Carbon
CAES- Plant Science Day 2015 www.ct.gov/caes
Carbon cycling in forests
Nearly 90% of all biomass carbon on the planet is sequestered in forests.
One acre of northeastern forest sequesters 60-100 metric tons of above-ground carbon.
CAES- Plant Science Day 2015 www.ct.gov/caes
CO2photosynthesis
CAES- Plant Science Day 2015 www.ct.gov/caes
Carbon cycling in trees
Photosynthesis: CO2 from atmosphere wood
Internal decay bacteria and fungi: present inside trees for decades, slowly
degrading wood.
As decay organisms metabolize wood, CO2released back into the atmosphere.
CAES- Plant Science Day 2015 www.ct.gov/caes
CO2
decay
Carbon cycling in trees
CAES- Plant Science Day 2015 www.ct.gov/caes
CAES- Plant Science Day 2015 www.ct.gov/caes
Internal decay in living trees
Nearly ubiquitous;
Releases (returns) CO2 to atmosphere;
Acts as a countervailing force to photosynthesis;
Reduces net rate of carbon sequestration in forests.
CAES- Plant Science Day 2015 www.ct.gov/caes
Internal decay in living trees
Plays an important role in the forest carbon cycle;
Unaccounted for in forest carbon-cycle models…
CAES- Plant Science Day 2015 www.ct.gov/caes
Forest C/N cycling and storage
CAES- Plant Science Day 2015 www.ct.gov/caes
Unaccounted for in forest carbon-cycle models…
No quantitative data!
Internal decay in living trees
CAES- Plant Science Day 2015 www.ct.gov/caes
Forest Carbon-cycle Model:Modified to account for internal decay
CAES- Plant Science Day 2015 www.ct.gov/caes
Internal decay in forests
No quantitative data!
Unknowns: Rate of C loss (decay) in trees; Extent and magnitude of internal
decay in forests.
CAES- Plant Science Day 2015 www.ct.gov/caes
Collaborators:Dr. Nicholas Brazee, University of Massachusetts, AmherstDr. Shawn Fraver, University of Maine
Phase II (pending funding):Use methodology to measure extent, magnitude and rate of internal decay in northern hardwood forests
Role of internal decay in carbon dynamics of forest ecosystems
Phase I (funded and near completion):Develop and validate experimental approach
CAES- Plant Science Day 2015 www.ct.gov/caes
Collaborators:Dr. Nicholas Brazee, University of Massachusetts, AmherstDr. Shawn Fraver, University of Maine
Phase II (pending funding):Use methodology to measure extent, magnitude and rate of internal decay in northern hardwood forests
Role of internal decay in carbon dynamics of forest ecosystems
Phase I (funded and near completion):Develop and validate experimental approach
CAES- Plant Science Day 2015 www.ct.gov/caes
• Visual Assessments• Wooden mallet• Tomography
Methods for Nondestructively Assessing Internal Decay
CAES- Plant Science Day 2015 www.ct.gov/caes
Assessing Internal Decay with Tomography
Sonic Tomography (SoT)– Velocity of sound is directly proportional to wood
density;
• Fastest through non-decayed (dense) wood;
• Slower through decaying (less dense) wood;
• Slowest through cavities.
CAES- Plant Science Day 2015 www.ct.gov/caes
Electrical Resistance Tomography (ERT)– Electrical current varies with anything that alters
the electrical field; e.g. water, ions.
– Wet wood (e.g., wood undergoing decay) carries current faster than dry (non-decayed) wood.
Assessing Internal Decay with Tomography
CAES- Plant Science Day 2015 www.ct.gov/caes
Sonic Tomography
Fast = dense= no decay
Slow = less dense = decaying
or decayed (cavity)
CAES- Plant Science Day 2015 www.ct.gov/caes
Electrical Resistance Tomography
Low = high water content= incipient decay
High = low water content= sound wood
OR cavity
CAES- Plant Science Day 2015 www.ct.gov/caes
Sonic Tomography
Impact, t=0
Damaged wood(decay, cavity..)
Risk Assessment M
ethodsWhere do sound waves travel SLOW (decay) relative to where they travel FASTEST (no decay)?
CAES- Plant Science Day 2015 www.ct.gov/caes
d = ?
Velocity = distancetime
CAES- Plant Science Day 2015 www.ct.gov/caes
CAES- Plant Science Day 2015 www.ct.gov/caes
CAES- Plant Science Day 2015 www.ct.gov/caes
CAES- Plant Science Day 2015 www.ct.gov/caes
CAES- Plant Science Day 2015 www.ct.gov/caes
CAES- Plant Science Day 2015 www.ct.gov/caes
CAES- Plant Science Day 2015 www.ct.gov/caes
Great Mountain Forest, Norfolk, CT; Summer 2014 Three principle northern hardwood species:
– Sugar maple, yellow birch, American beech 18 trees of each species (3 healthy)
– 3 tomographic cross-sections per tree– Fell trees; cut “cookies” at each cross-section
• Validate/calibrate tomography• Estimate C loss due to decay• Estimate age of tree; lifetime rate of decay
Phase I:Develop and validate experimental approach
CAES- Plant Science Day 2015 www.ct.gov/caes
Great Mountain Forest, Norfolk, CT; Summer 2014 Three principle northern hardwood species:
– Sugar maple, yellow birch, American beech 18 trees of each species (3 healthy)
– 3 tomographic cross-sections per tree– Fell trees; cut “cookies” at each cross-section
• Validate/calibrate tomography• Estimate C loss due to decay• Estimate age of tree; lifetime rate of decay
Phase I:Develop and validate experimental approach
CAES- Plant Science Day 2015 www.ct.gov/caes
CAES- Plant Science Day 2015 www.ct.gov/caes
CAES- Plant Science Day 2015 www.ct.gov/caes
CAES- Plant Science Day 2015 www.ct.gov/caes
CAES- Plant Science Day 2015 www.ct.gov/caes
CAES- Plant Science Day 2015 www.ct.gov/caes
CAES- Plant Science Day 2015 www.ct.gov/caes
Phase I:Develop and validate experimental approach Great Mountain Forest, Norfolk, CT; Summer 2014 Three principle northern hardwood species:
– Sugar maple, yellow birch, American beech 18 trees of each species (3 healthy)
– 2-4 cross-sections per tree– Fell trees; cut “cookies” at each cross-section
• Validate/calibrate tomography• Estimate C loss due to decay• Estimate age of tree; lifetime rate of decay
CAES- Plant Science Day 2015 www.ct.gov/caes
90 cm
140 cm
190 cm
CAES- Plant Science Day 2015 www.ct.gov/caes
CAES- Plant Science Day 2015 www.ct.gov/caes
CAES- Plant Science Day 2015 www.ct.gov/caes
American Beech Yellow Birch Sugar MapleSugar Maple
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Three parameters:– Volume of decay:
• Tomography– C loss relative to non-decayed wood:
• Gas Chromatography– Age of tree:
• Dendrochronology Lifetime Rate of Decay:
– Total amount of C lost in lower bole (2 m) over the life of the tree.
Internal Decay Metrics
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Calibrating tomography and carbon concentration
Measure C content as a function of volume using Gas Chromatographic Elemental Analysis (GCEA)
brown
green
magenta
C contentDensity
max
min
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CAES- Plant Science Day 2015 www.ct.gov/caes
CAES- Plant Science Day 2015 www.ct.gov/caes
Calibrating tomography with carbon concentration
American Beech
Sugar Maple
YellowBirch
Carbon (g) by Volume (cm3)
30%21%
13%
>500 wood samples(brown, green, magenta)
Non‐brown: green + magenta
Non‐brown = cavity100% C lost to decay
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0
50
100
150
200
250
0 50 100 150 200 250
Tree ages: 65‐192 years old
Circumference not predictive of age
Dendrochronology
circumference
age
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Calculating Carbon Lost to Decay
= Vtotal x 0.353 g/cm3
Cbr = Vbr x 0.353 g/cm3
Cnbr = Vnbr x 0.247 g/cm3
Ccav = Vcav x 0 g/cm3
C lost to decay = Ctotal – (Cbr + Cnbr + Ccav)
beech
Ctotal [C content assuming no decay]
CAES- Plant Science Day 2015 www.ct.gov/caes
90 cm
140 cm
190 cm
CAES- Plant Science Day 2015 www.ct.gov/caes
90 cm
140 cm
190 cm
American Beech, AB24Age: 148 years old
Potential C = 53,073 gC lost to decay = 11,496 g
(21.6%)
Lifetime Rate of C Loss:78 g per year
CAES- Plant Science Day 2015 www.ct.gov/caes
Phase II:Use methodology to nondestructively measure extent, magnitude and rate of internal decay in northern hardwoods
Role of internal decay in carbon dynamics of forest ecosystems
Phase I:Develop and validate experimental approach
CAES- Plant Science Day 2015 www.ct.gov/caes
National Science Foundation Co-PI’s
– Dr. Nicholas Brazee; Dr. Shawn Fraver Field and Lab Assistants
– Kelly Allen; Michael Ammirata; Adam Argraves Great Mountain Forest
– Jean and Jody Bronson; Wes Gomez; Brian Saccardi
Acknowledgments
CAES- Plant Science Day 2015 www.ct.gov/caes
Robert E. Marra, Ph.D.Department of Plant Pathology & Ecology
123 Huntington StreetP. O. Box 1106
New Haven, CT 06504
Phone: 203.974.8508Email: [email protected] Website: www.ct.gov/caes
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