The history of a forest might be measured by the trunks and branches looming overhead.
The history of a forest might be measured by the trunks and branches looming overhead. But for some MSU researchers, a forest’s future lies in what’s growing under their feet.
Every summer for nearly three decades, a team led by EEB core faculty member Richard Kobe has made their way to Manistee National Forest in northwestern Lower Michigan to look for new trees that have sprouted.
At less than a year old, the youngest seedlings growing in the understory aren’t much taller than their toes.
Read More at: Michigan State University
After monitoring newly sprouted trees like this ironwood seedling growing in Michigan’s Manistee National Forest for 25 years, researchers noticed that certain species that showed up as seedlings at some sites were rarely present as full-grown trees. They have been trying to figure out what keeps some young trees from flourishing and living out their lifespan. (Photo Credit: Bailey McNichol, Michigan State University)
