{"id":{"repo_id":"vt","oai_identifier":"oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/31875"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/vt/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/31875","repository":{"repo_id":"vt","name":"Virginia Tech","base_url":"https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Influence of elevation on tree species distribution and growth in the southern Appalachian Mountains","abstract":"The southern Appalachian Mountains have long been an area of interest for the analysis of forest species growth and composition. Past forest vegetation studies focus on species composition and structure for relatively local scale research areas. Species distribution within this geographic area was compiled from studies published from 1956 to 2006. The distribution of hardwood species within the southern Appalachians decreased as the elevation of the sites increased, but this relationship could not be solely attributed to elevation gradient. In order to better understand the relationship between elevation on the radial growth of tree species within the region, an elevation microsite was selected to explore the relationship between elevation and the radial growth of upland oak. Eight study sites across an elevation gradient were selected, and 20 oak tree cores were collected, cross-dated, measured, and a master chronology was created for each site. The correlation between ring width index and Palmer drought severity index (PDSI), precipitation and temperature was calculated with each site's master chronology. There was a significant positive correlation between PDSI and ring width index during the growing season for a majority of the year, and a significant positive correlation between precipitation and ring width index during the growing season. Even though the master chronologies originated from eight separate sites, there were common dendroclimatic responses across seven of the sites. Canonical correspondence analysis of site characteristics and ring width index indicate that the master chronologies can be grouped into three separate chronologies based upon similar environmental and site characteristic responses.","abstract_html":"The southern Appalachian Mountains have long been an area of interest for the analysis of forest species growth and composition. Past forest vegetation studies focus on species composition and structure for relatively local scale research areas. Species distribution within this geographic area was compiled from studies published from 1956 to 2006. The distribution of hardwood species within the southern Appalachians decreased as the elevation of the sites increased, but this relationship could not be solely attributed to elevation gradient. In order to better understand the relationship between elevation on the radial growth of tree species within the region, an elevation microsite was selected to explore the relationship between elevation and the radial growth of upland oak. Eight study sites across an elevation gradient were selected, and 20 oak tree cores were collected, cross-dated, measured, and a master chronology was created for each site. The correlation between ring width index and Palmer drought severity index (PDSI), precipitation and temperature was calculated with each site's master chronology. There was a significant positive correlation between PDSI and ring width index during the growing season for a majority of the year, and a significant positive correlation between precipitation and ring width index during the growing season. Even though the master chronologies originated from eight separate sites, there were common dendroclimatic responses across seven of the sites. Canonical correspondence analysis of site characteristics and ring width index indicate that the master chronologies can be grouped into three separate chronologies based upon similar environmental and site characteristic responses.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Steele, Jason K."],"institution":"Virginia Tech","degree_name":"Master of Science","degree_level":"masters","degree_discipline":"Forestry","degree_department":"Forestry","school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":["Copenheaver, Carolyn A."],"committee_members":["Prisley, Stephen P.","Radtke, Philip J."],"year":2007,"date_issued":"2007-04-04","date_published":"2007-04-04","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:19:53Z","subjects":["tree rings","topographic position","Quercus","dendrochronology"],"languages":[],"rights":["In Copyright"],"rights_urls":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.other","label":"Dc Identifier Other","values":["etd-04242007-112138"],"render_values":[{"text":"etd-04242007-112138","href":null,"code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/10919/31875","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.committeechair","label":"Committee Chair","values":["Copenheaver, Carolyn A."]},{"key":"dc:contributor.committeemember","label":"Committee Member","values":["Prisley, Stephen P.","Radtke, Philip J."]},{"key":"dc:contributor.department","label":"Department","values":["Forestry"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Steele, Jason K."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2014-03-14T20:34:10Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2014-03-14T20:34:10Z","2007-04-26"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2007-04-04"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Virginia Tech"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Forestry"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["masters"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["tree rings","topographic position","Quercus","dendrochronology"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["In Copyright"]},{"key":"dc:rights.uri","label":"Rights URI","values":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.other","label":"Dc Identifier Other","values":["etd-04242007-112138"]},{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/10919/31875"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The southern Appalachian Mountains have long been an area of interest for the analysis of forest species growth and composition. Past forest vegetation studies focus on species composition and structure for relatively local scale research areas. Species distribution within this geographic area was compiled from studies published from 1956 to 2006. The distribution of hardwood species within the southern Appalachians decreased as the elevation of the sites increased, but this relationship could not be solely attributed to elevation gradient. In order to better understand the relationship between elevation on the radial growth of tree species within the region, an elevation microsite was selected to explore the relationship between elevation and the radial growth of upland oak. Eight study sites across an elevation gradient were selected, and 20 oak tree cores were collected, cross-dated, measured, and a master chronology was created for each site. The correlation between ring width index and Palmer drought severity index (PDSI), precipitation and temperature was calculated with each site's master chronology. There was a significant positive correlation between PDSI and ring width index during the growing season for a majority of the year, and a significant positive correlation between precipitation and ring width index during the growing season. Even though the master chronologies originated from eight separate sites, there were common dendroclimatic responses across seven of the sites. Canonical correspondence analysis of site characteristics and ring width index indicate that the master chronologies can be grouped into three separate chronologies based upon similar environmental and site characteristic responses."]},{"key":"dc:description.degree","label":"Dc Description Degree","values":["Master of Science"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Influence of elevation on tree species distribution and growth in the southern Appalachian Mountains"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.committeechair":["Copenheaver, Carolyn A."],"dc:contributor.committeemember":["Prisley, Stephen P.","Radtke, Philip J."],"dc:contributor.department":["Forestry"],"dc:creator":["Steele, Jason K."],"dc:date.accessioned":["2014-03-14T20:34:10Z"],"dc:date.available":["2014-03-14T20:34:10Z","2007-04-26"],"dc:date.issued":["2007-04-04"],"dc:description.abstract":["The southern Appalachian Mountains have long been an area of interest for the analysis of forest species growth and composition. Past forest vegetation studies focus on species composition and structure for relatively local scale research areas. Species distribution within this geographic area was compiled from studies published from 1956 to 2006. The distribution of hardwood species within the southern Appalachians decreased as the elevation of the sites increased, but this relationship could not be solely attributed to elevation gradient. In order to better understand the relationship between elevation on the radial growth of tree species within the region, an elevation microsite was selected to explore the relationship between elevation and the radial growth of upland oak. Eight study sites across an elevation gradient were selected, and 20 oak tree cores were collected, cross-dated, measured, and a master chronology was created for each site. The correlation between ring width index and Palmer drought severity index (PDSI), precipitation and temperature was calculated with each site's master chronology. There was a significant positive correlation between PDSI and ring width index during the growing season for a majority of the year, and a significant positive correlation between precipitation and ring width index during the growing season. Even though the master chronologies originated from eight separate sites, there were common dendroclimatic responses across seven of the sites. Canonical correspondence analysis of site characteristics and ring width index indicate that the master chronologies can be grouped into three separate chronologies based upon similar environmental and site characteristic responses."],"dc:description.degree":["Master of Science"],"dc:identifier.other":["etd-04242007-112138"],"dc:identifier.uri":["http://hdl.handle.net/10919/31875"],"dc:publisher":["Virginia Tech"],"dc:rights":["In Copyright"],"dc:rights.uri":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"dc:subject":["tree rings","topographic position","Quercus","dendrochronology"],"dc:title":["Influence of elevation on tree species distribution and growth in the southern Appalachian Mountains"],"dc:type":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Forestry"],"thesis:degree_level":["masters"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science"],"thesis:institution_name":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:19:53Z"}