2017-2016 | TRACE

Secuelas de los Huracanes IrMaría

Septiembre 2017

Hurricane Maria devastation in El Yunque National Forest.

Damages to the Sabana Field Research Station

The TRACE canopy access tower is still standing!!!

The entrance to the TRACE field site is completely blocked by debris.

Forest defoliation and canopy loss.

Broken litterfall basket

SNAP!

Some branches were completely twisted by the wind!

Plot 1 is barely visible.

Plot 4 was severely damaged by an uprooted tree.

Plot 2 is looking quite good! considering...

Plot 5 was heavily impacted by both Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

I think our trail used to be through there...

Power lines need some work.

We got ourselves an awesome clean-up crew to help us access the field site and plots!

PI Tana Wood keeps a positive attitude.

Power lines have been cleared!

Big tree that fell on top of control panel.

Plot 6 after clearing debris.

Plot 4 after clearing all the debris. We have a lot of work to do...

Hurricane Maria devastation in El Yunque National Forest.

Damages to the Sabana Field Research Station

The TRACE canopy access tower is still standing!!!

The entrance to the TRACE field site is completely blocked by debris.

Forest defoliation and canopy loss.

Broken litterfall basket

SNAP!

Some branches were completely twisted by the wind!

Plot 1 is barely visible.

Plot 4 was severely damaged by an uprooted tree.

Plot 2 is looking quite good! considering...

Plot 5 was heavily impacted by both Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

I think our trail used to be through there...

Power lines need some work.

We got ourselves an awesome clean-up crew to help us access the field site and plots!

PI Tana Wood keeps a positive attitude.

Power lines have been cleared!

Big tree that fell on top of control panel.

Plot 6 after clearing debris.

Plot 4 after clearing all the debris. We have a lot of work to do...

Experimento de Calentamiento en la Torre del Dosel

Junio 2016

Michigan Tech team ready to start the TRACE canopy warming experiment.

Amazing view of the El Yunque forest canopy taken from the TRACE tower.

PhD student Kelsey Carter is leading this innovative experiment.

Undergraduate assistant Kaylie Butts.

Undergraduate assistant Elsa Schwartz.

Undergraduate assistant Ben Miller.

Datalogger wiring training for University of Virginia undergraduates Marissa Palmer and Tanner Stiker.

Temporary datalogger setup in the tower.

Starting the canopy warming experiment. Ocotea sintensis leaves are being warmed 3degC above control leaf temperature.

We used Silicon heaters underneath the leaves to warm them.

After one month of warming, LiCor 6400 is used to measure photosynthesis in warmed and control leaves at different canopy heights.

Kaylie downloads canopy warming data from the datalogger.

We're also warming leaves from Guarea guidonia.

Leaves were heated from the understory to the upper canopy.

Ben starts wiring infrared thermometers for using in the tower.

Infrared thermometers were installed at different levels of the tower to monitor differences in leaf surface temperatures.

Elsa uses nail polish to collect stomatal morphology samples.

Using the LiCor 6400 with a conifer chamber to measure leaf respiration.

Taking down an experiment can be harder than setting up!

Michigan Tech team ready to start the TRACE canopy warming experiment.

Amazing view of the El Yunque forest canopy taken from the TRACE tower.

PhD student Kelsey Carter is leading this innovative experiment.

Undergraduate assistant Kaylie Butts.

Undergraduate assistant Elsa Schwartz.

Undergraduate assistant Ben Miller.

Datalogger wiring training for University of Virginia undergraduates Marissa Palmer and Tanner Stiker.

Temporary datalogger setup in the tower.

Starting the canopy warming experiment. Ocotea sintensis leaves are being warmed 3degC above control leaf temperature.

We used Silicon heaters underneath the leaves to warm them.

After one month of warming, LiCor 6400 is used to measure photosynthesis in warmed and control leaves at different canopy heights.

Kaylie downloads canopy warming data from the datalogger.

We're also warming leaves from Guarea guidonia.

Leaves were heated from the understory to the upper canopy.

Ben starts wiring infrared thermometers for using in the tower.

Infrared thermometers were installed at different levels of the tower to monitor differences in leaf surface temperatures.

Elsa uses nail polish to collect stomatal morphology samples.

Using the LiCor 6400 with a conifer chamber to measure leaf respiration.

Taking down an experiment can be harder than setting up!

Reunión de IP y Campaña de Suelo

March 2017

TRACE team excited to start our yearly soil core campaign inside the plots

New volunteers, Alyssa and Ryan, from Randolph College

New volunteer, Casey Hughes

Prepping our work stations

Lots of labeling

Root respiration team

Sorting roots from soil to prepare ingrowth cores

Aura collects the first core

Jamarys installs our ingrowth core

First step is to take microbial samples of roots and soil

PhD student Stephanie Roe from University of Virginia.

Then root sorting begins

Roots are used for measuring specific root respiration

Sorting live and dead roots

Talia

And finally, roots are scanned for morphology

TRACE team excited to start our yearly soil core campaign inside the plots

New volunteers, Alyssa and Ryan, from Randolph College

New volunteer, Casey Hughes

Prepping our work stations

Lots of labeling

Root respiration team

Sorting roots from soil to prepare ingrowth cores

Aura collects the first core

Jamarys installs our ingrowth core

First step is to take microbial samples of roots and soil

PhD student Stephanie Roe from University of Virginia.

Then root sorting begins

Roots are used for measuring specific root respiration

Sorting live and dead roots

Talia

And finally, roots are scanned for morphology

Primer Año de Calentamiento

2017

PIs and project manager super excited to be conducting the first warming experiment in a tropical rainforest.

Inspections of TRACE infrastructure are conducted every week.

We also clean the heaters from litterfall and debris.

PhD student Daniela Yaffar is taking pictures of roots with a minirhizotron camera.

Testing new minirhizotron camera to take pictures of roots

Litter baskets are ready!

Litter baskets were installed throughout the field site to monitor litterfall input.

Intern Tessaliz Quiles is collecting soil pore water samples every two weeks.

Joel Olivencia from IITF is helping us provide maintenance to the LI8100 chambers. Intern Jamarys Torres helps out.

Intern Gisela Gonzalez is helping us with our annual seedling census.

Intern Tessaliz Quiles is helping us with our annual seedling census.

Intern Kurt Miller is helping us with our annual seedling census.

Volunteers from UPR-Humacao help us with data entry.

Intern Monica Cruz was hired to start building our new website. She was key to make this happen! Thanks Monica!

Elsa Schwartz from Michigan Tech is collecting samples of leaf stomata in the plots.

PhD student Kelsey Carter is repairing a fuse from the LI6400.

Mike Schmid from Michigan Tech is taking chlorophyll measurements.

Ben Miller from Michigan Tech is using the LI6400 to measure photosynthesis in our plots.

Elsa also uses the LI6400 to measure photosynthesis in our plots.

Tessaliz is grinding soil and root samples for nutrient analyses.

Annual tree census 2017 team: TRACE interns and students from University of Virginia.

Stephanie Roe, PhD student at University of Virginia, has joined TRACE to conduct a litter decomposition experiment and a soil incubation experiment. Her research assistants are Madeline Marissa Palmer, Madeline Reinsel and Tanner Stiker.

Research assistants start collecting leaves for the leaf decomposition experiment.

Marissa Palmer from UVA is preparing the litter bags.

After much work, the litterbags are ready for the field!

The were dispersed in the plots, and will be collected in different time points.

Tanner Stiker from UVA is taking leaf samples for microbial analyses.

Stephanie saves a coqui that was stuck inside the laboratory!

Nice view of a control plot.

TRACE understory weather station

Bruce Kimball visits TRACE to install pyrradiometers in the heated plots

He gets help from intern Jamarys Torres.

Project manager Aura Alonso taking infrared images of plot 4

Aerial picture of heated plot 4

TRACE team at Amigos de El Yunque community outreach event

Aura and Talia

PIs and project manager super excited to be conducting the first warming experiment in a tropical rainforest.

Inspections of TRACE infrastructure are conducted every week.

We also clean the heaters from litterfall and debris.

PhD student Daniela Yaffar is taking pictures of roots with a minirhizotron camera.

Testing new minirhizotron camera to take pictures of roots

Litter baskets are ready!

Litter baskets were installed throughout the field site to monitor litterfall input.

Intern Tessaliz Quiles is collecting soil pore water samples every two weeks.

Joel Olivencia from IITF is helping us provide maintenance to the LI8100 chambers. Intern Jamarys Torres helps out.

Intern Gisela Gonzalez is helping us with our annual seedling census.

Intern Tessaliz Quiles is helping us with our annual seedling census.

Intern Kurt Miller is helping us with our annual seedling census.

Volunteers from UPR-Humacao help us with data entry.

Intern Monica Cruz was hired to start building our new website. She was key to make this happen! Thanks Monica!

Elsa Schwartz from Michigan Tech is collecting samples of leaf stomata in the plots.

PhD student Kelsey Carter is repairing a fuse from the LI6400.

Mike Schmid from Michigan Tech is taking chlorophyll measurements.

Ben Miller from Michigan Tech is using the LI6400 to measure photosynthesis in our plots.

Elsa also uses the LI6400 to measure photosynthesis in our plots.

Tessaliz is grinding soil and root samples for nutrient analyses.

Annual tree census 2017 team: TRACE interns and students from University of Virginia.

Research assistants start collecting leaves for the leaf decomposition experiment.

Marissa Palmer from UVA is preparing the litter bags.

After much work, the litterbags are ready for the field!

The were dispersed in the plots, and will be collected in different time points.

Tanner Stiker from UVA is taking leaf samples for microbial analyses.

Stephanie saves a coqui that was stuck inside the laboratory!

Nice view of a control plot.

TRACE understory weather station

Bruce Kimball visits TRACE to install pyrradiometers in the heated plots

He gets help from intern Jamarys Torres.

Project manager Aura Alonso taking infrared images of plot 4

Aerial picture of heated plot 4

TRACE team at Amigos de El Yunque community outreach event

Aura and Talia

Última Recolección de Datos antes de Calentar

Verano 2016

Using the LI8100 to take soil respiration measurements inside the TRACE plots

Summer volunteers Bella and Brian are excited about working in the tropics!

Brian is measuring the area of soil inside the LI8100 collar

Bella programming the LI8100

With the help of Joel Olivencia from IITF, Bella and Brian work on repairing some LI8100 chambers

Quadrat that Dr. Deborah Kennard from Colorado Mesa University uses to monitor the fern and herbaceous plant growth inside the TRACE plots

Tomás Furi from the LTER has come to help us with our annual tree census

Bella and Brian are ready to start measuring some trees and learning to identify them

Brian uses a diameter tape to measure the diameter of a tree (DBH)

Bella uses a caliper to measure the smaller trees

Big trees, such as this Calophyllum antillanum (árbol de maría), require some teamwork

Goodbye party for Brian! We were sad to see him go!

Using the LI8100 to take soil respiration measurements inside the TRACE plots

Summer volunteers Bella and Brian are excited about working in the tropics!

Brian is measuring the area of soil inside the LI8100 collar

Bella programming the LI8100

With the help of Joel Olivencia from IITF, Bella and Brian work on repairing some LI8100 chambers

Quadrat that Dr. Deborah Kennard from Colorado Mesa University uses to monitor the fern and herbaceous plant growth inside the TRACE plots

Tomás Furi from the LTER has come to help us with our annual tree census

Bella and Brian are ready to start measuring some trees and learning to identify them

Brian uses a diameter tape to measure the diameter of a tree (DBH)

Bella uses a caliper to measure the smaller trees

Big trees, such as this Calophyllum antillanum (árbol de maría), require some teamwork

Goodbye party for Brian! We were sad to see him go!

Visita Secretario del USDA

Junio 2016

Sabana Field Research Station has never looked Better.

Snacks and some nice posters.

A tent was set up for our TRACE exhibition.

Only a taste of IITF publications.

Omar Gutiérrez from UC Berkeley shows off his drought experiment in the lab.

A LI8100 will be used for automated soil respiration measurements.

Other laboratory exhibitions.

The TRACE team is ready for the Secretary's arrival!

Tana Wood will be taking the Secretary through the exhibition.

Volunteers and students are ready to explain the different aspects of our awesome project.

Safety gear (very important!) and an example of one of our infrared heaters.

Kelsey and Kaylie are showing off their LI6400 system.

New interns Brian and Bella will demonstrate soil and root processing.

Some of the climbing gear used for the canopy access tower.

Aura will show off our new table top IRGA and root scanner.

This IRGA will be used to measure specific respiration of roots and soil at different temperatures.

Roots are scanned for morphology and density analyses.

The Secret Service is here! Cute dog!

Tana Wood talks to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack about TRACE.

The Secretary gives Kelsey some suggestions for applying for research grants!

Sabana Field Research Station has never looked Better.

Snacks and some nice posters.

A tent was set up for our TRACE exhibition.

Only a taste of IITF publications.

Omar Gutiérrez from UC Berkeley shows off his drought experiment in the lab.

A LI8100 will be used for automated soil respiration measurements.

Other laboratory exhibitions.

The TRACE team is ready for the Secretary's arrival!

Tana Wood will be taking the Secretary through the exhibition.

Volunteers and students are ready to explain the different aspects of our awesome project.

Safety gear (very important!) and an example of one of our infrared heaters.

Kelsey and Kaylie are showing off their LI6400 system.

New interns Brian and Bella will demonstrate soil and root processing.

Some of the climbing gear used for the canopy access tower.

Aura will show off our new table top IRGA and root scanner.

This IRGA will be used to measure specific respiration of roots and soil at different temperatures.

Roots are scanned for morphology and density analyses.

The Secret Service is here! Cute dog!

Tana Wood talks to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack about TRACE.

The Secretary gives Kelsey some suggestions for applying for research grants!