{"id":{"repo_id":"uiuc","oai_identifier":"oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/129333"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/uiuc/oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/129333","repository":{"repo_id":"uiuc","name":"University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign","base_url":"https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh"},"display":{"title":"Temporal changes in forest structure, composition, and carbon storage at Trelease Woods","abstract":"Submission original under an indefinite embargo labeled 'Open Access'. The submission was exported from vireo on 2025-10-19 without embargo terms","abstract_html":"Submission original under an indefinite embargo labeled 'Open Access'. The submission was exported from vireo on 2025-10-19 without embargo terms","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Alvarez, Jennifer"],"institution":"University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign","degree_name":"M.S.","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Natural Resources & Environmental Sciences","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Fraterrigo, Jennifer M.","Dalling, James W.","Yannarell, Anthony"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-05-08","date_published":"2025-05-08","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:25:05Z","subjects":["Old-growth","Forest Dynamics","Species Composition","Carbon Storage","Longitudinal Study","Carbon Budget","Deadwood","Coarse Woody Debris","Soil Carbon","Aboveground Biomass","Biodiversity"],"languages":["en","eng"],"rights":["Copyright 2025 Jennifer Alvarez"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129333","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Fraterrigo, Jennifer M.","Dalling, James W.","Yannarell, Anthony"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Alvarez, Jennifer"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2025-05-08","2025-05"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["text"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Natural Resources & Environmental Sciences"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["M.S."]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Old-growth","Forest Dynamics","Species Composition","Carbon Storage","Longitudinal Study","Carbon Budget","Deadwood","Coarse Woody Debris","Soil Carbon","Aboveground Biomass","Biodiversity"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["en","eng"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright 2025 Jennifer Alvarez"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129333"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Submission original under an indefinite embargo labeled 'Open Access'. The submission was exported from vireo on 2025-10-19 without embargo terms","The student, Jennifer Alvarez, accepted the attached license on 2025-05-06 at 13:13.","The student, Jennifer Alvarez, submitted this Thesis for approval on 2025-05-06 at 13:40.","This Thesis was approved for publication on 2025-05-08 at 17:57.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #22233 on 2025-10-19 at 18:13:12","Old-growth forests in the eastern United States are experiencing widespread structural and compositional shifts driven by the combined effects of biotic invasions, herbivory, and mesophication – characterized by the rise in shade-tolerant species due to fire suppression. Understanding how these drivers influence forest resilience is crucial for predicting long-term ecosystem dynamics. In this thesis, I analyzed historical datasets spanning up to 96 years to examine changes in species composition, structure, and carbon (C) storage in Trelease Woods, a temperate old-growth forest remnant in central Illinois. My findings revealed significant declines in species richness and diversity, particularly in the sapling layer, with increasing dominance of sugar maple (Acer saccharum) and Ohio buckeye (Aesculus glabra) across all size classes. These trends suggest increasing species homogenization driven by pest and pathogen outbreaks, rising deer populations, and fire suppression. Despite substantial losses in ash (Fraxinus spp.) and elm (Ulmus spp.) populations due to the introduction of the emerald ash borer and Dutch elm disease, aboveground biomass and basal area have remained stable over the past 80 years, indicating compensatory dynamics through the increased growth of non-host species. Additionally, small declines in soil C and a modest deadwood pool suggest that increased mortality has not yet substantially altered C storage. These findings reveal the resilience of old-growth forests in maintaining structural and functional stability following biotic disturbances while highlighting how these same processes weaken the species diversity and lead to the homogenization of the landscape. This study emphasizes the value of long-term ecological monitoring for informing forest management strategies in an era of rapid environmental change."]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Temporal changes in forest structure, composition, and carbon storage at Trelease Woods"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Fraterrigo, Jennifer M.","Dalling, James W.","Yannarell, Anthony"],"dc:creator":["Alvarez, Jennifer"],"dc:date":["2025-05-08","2025-05"],"dc:description":["Submission original under an indefinite embargo labeled 'Open Access'. The submission was exported from vireo on 2025-10-19 without embargo terms","The student, Jennifer Alvarez, accepted the attached license on 2025-05-06 at 13:13.","The student, Jennifer Alvarez, submitted this Thesis for approval on 2025-05-06 at 13:40.","This Thesis was approved for publication on 2025-05-08 at 17:57.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #22233 on 2025-10-19 at 18:13:12","Old-growth forests in the eastern United States are experiencing widespread structural and compositional shifts driven by the combined effects of biotic invasions, herbivory, and mesophication – characterized by the rise in shade-tolerant species due to fire suppression. Understanding how these drivers influence forest resilience is crucial for predicting long-term ecosystem dynamics. In this thesis, I analyzed historical datasets spanning up to 96 years to examine changes in species composition, structure, and carbon (C) storage in Trelease Woods, a temperate old-growth forest remnant in central Illinois. My findings revealed significant declines in species richness and diversity, particularly in the sapling layer, with increasing dominance of sugar maple (Acer saccharum) and Ohio buckeye (Aesculus glabra) across all size classes. These trends suggest increasing species homogenization driven by pest and pathogen outbreaks, rising deer populations, and fire suppression. Despite substantial losses in ash (Fraxinus spp.) and elm (Ulmus spp.) populations due to the introduction of the emerald ash borer and Dutch elm disease, aboveground biomass and basal area have remained stable over the past 80 years, indicating compensatory dynamics through the increased growth of non-host species. Additionally, small declines in soil C and a modest deadwood pool suggest that increased mortality has not yet substantially altered C storage. These findings reveal the resilience of old-growth forests in maintaining structural and functional stability following biotic disturbances while highlighting how these same processes weaken the species diversity and lead to the homogenization of the landscape. This study emphasizes the value of long-term ecological monitoring for informing forest management strategies in an era of rapid environmental change."],"dc:format":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier":["https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129333"],"dc:language":["en","eng"],"dc:rights":["Copyright 2025 Jennifer Alvarez"],"dc:subject":["Old-growth","Forest Dynamics","Species Composition","Carbon Storage","Longitudinal Study","Carbon Budget","Deadwood","Coarse Woody Debris","Soil Carbon","Aboveground Biomass","Biodiversity"],"dc:title":["Temporal changes in forest structure, composition, and carbon storage at Trelease Woods"],"dc:type":["text"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Natural Resources & Environmental Sciences"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["M.S."],"thesis:institution_name":["University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:25:05Z"}