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Understanding Ecosystems for a Sustainable Future

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Quantitative Ecology
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Principal Investigator
Sean McMahon
Sean McMahon
mcmahons@si.edu
443-482-2262
PDF icon Curriculum Vitae

Forest Dynamics: from Tissues to Biomes

  • ForestGEO tree map

    This project maps the spatial distribution of more than 33,000 live and dead woody stems with diameters of at least 1.0 cm in the SERC Forest Dynamics Plot. 

    Spatial Dimensions of Forest Dynamics

  • A view of the cellular structure of tulip poplar wood

    Tree growth can be difficult to measure, but it is imperative to understanding forest stability and function. We measure trees in a variety of ways to better understand forest function and stability.

    Tree Growth

  • Dead trees on the ForestGEO plot

    We are working to model rare mortality events to better understand this aspect of forest dynamics

    Tree Mortality

  • Newly opened leaves of American hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana)

    We are studying the timing of growth to understand the importance of seasonal patterns and how they are adjusting to a changing climate

    Tree Phenology

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647 Contees Wharf Road
Edgewater, MD 21037-0028
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