Sunday, July 15, 2012

Day One of Trip

Greetings folks!  Today was the first day of our excursion throughout West Virginia studying the timber and rail industries.  We spent the bulk of our time at Cathedral State Park. 

This is a remarkable sight which is in fact considered virgin timber; it has never had an ax brought against it.  Specifically, this area is predominantly composed of Hemlock.  Hemlock is an Evergreen tree that grows between 18 and 21 meters in height and makes its habitat in soils that are acidic; this is described as having a pH (Power of Hydrogen) below 7; alkaline describes a pH level above 7.  The numerical values can be determined by the equation pH = -log 10base [H+]. Qualitatively, pH canbe desribed as the molar concentration of hydrogen ions present.  The insturment typically used for this test consists of a a wire coated in silver chloride within a diluted hydrocloric acid solution surrounded by a glass membrane.  This membrane seperates the solution from what is being tested and determines the potential devoloped across the glass.  This can be shown to be proportional to the hydrogen ion concentration on the two surfaces.  Soil sample tests were conducted using a Vernier Labquest and were confirmed at a pH of roughly 4.1.

In addition to soil testing with pH confirmation, we worked in teams to determine the board feet of a tree.  Board feet is an industry term which estimates the amount of "usable" wood from a tree.  This proces includes using basic geometry and angle studies to determine the volume of a tree.  Volume is equal to area  times height.  We found the area by measuring the circumferene of the tree and used this to determine the radius.  With the radius known the area at chest level was determined.  A clinometer and the tangent function of the corresponding angle made and a distance of 66 feet from the tree were used to calculate the height.  The tree we measured was estimated at 1441 board feet.

This was a great first day.  Actually seeing a sight that had never been logged was exciting.  Yet, what struck me the most was the acid level of the soil and lack of life therein.  There really was not much living in this area aside from specific trees, mostly Hemlock, and ferns.  Cellular functions can only take within certain pH parameters and my best hypothesis is that a combination of reduced sun, a major canopy exists here, and acidic soil make this ecosystem limited in the number and types  of species it can sustain.

Take care, and I will bring you up to date on day two tomorrow.








2 comments:

  1. Very good blog posting that will be most useful to your students. The photos compliment your text well.

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  2. Thanks for your post and pictures William. Good assessment of our trip to Cathedral Forest.

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