Gordon Natural Area

What is the connection between the English Romantic poet William Wordsworth and the Gordon Natural Area (GNA) at West Chester University?  The GNA Steward Dr. Nur Ritter knows the answer.  Schedule a tour of the GNA with Dr. Ritter and you and your students will have the opportunity to pursue a variety of topics such as William Wordsworth’s connection to an invasive species in the GNA. 

For several years now, the Gordon Natural Area has served as a place for research, rejuvenation, and as a muse for students in my undergraduate and graduate English Language Arts methods courses and my general education courses (Writing 120, Literature 165, and Writing 200/204 Research Writing). Whether inspiring  students to write poetry  or motivating students to research issues of sustainability and  local ecosystems, without fail our field trips to the GNA give students the experiential opportunities to think and create beyond the confines of the classroom walls, extending and deepening learning outcomes.

On a recent spring tour of the GNA, Dr. Ritter pointed out the cheerful yellow, buttercup type flower the Lesser Celandine to my Literature 165 students. Not only did Dr. Ritter share the history of the invasive flower as it related to the GNA but he read William Wordsworth’s poem “The Lesser Celandine” to my students.  The poem and the Lesser Celandine’s place in the Gordon Natural Area provoked questions regarding culture and context, environmental issues, and the experience provided inspiration for writing topics which were carefully considered in subsequent classroom discussions.

On another field trip to the GNA, one of my Writing 120 students Byron Burger observed a hawk flying overhead. Enthralled by the entire experience, Byron penned the poems included here.  

Consider opening your literal or virtual classroom door to all the Gordon Natural Area has to offer.

Find out more about Dr. Buckelew: here.

Poems by Byron Burger (Spring 2016)

How about a Haiku?

Two Rams saved Gordon

Seventeen threatened species

One-Hundred Acres

Sustain Gordon

S   is for the serenity while taking a stroll down the nature trails.

U  is for understanding the importance of the native species.

S   is for the stream that flows around the Gordon Nature Center.

T   is for taking time away from technology to see the earth around you.

A   is for planting more American Chestnut trees.

I    is for investing some of your time on Arbor day to help the Gordon Nature Center.

N  is for Nur and Kendra. The guides for the Gordon Nature Center.

G  is for the great big tulip tree.

O  is for observing the red tailed hawk.

R  is for running through the nature trails.

D  is for the five-hundred deer that roam through the area.

O  is for the oodles of wildlife and plant species.

N is for the nursery inside the Gordon Nature Center

Walking the Trails

When walking though Gordon there’s a lot to see

Let’s talk about their collection of trees

The trio of Black Gum, Walnut, and Oak

Near the stadium, with athletes sweat soaked

Silent Giants, known for their bark not bite

See them from dawn until the dusk of night

Birds all around me, performing their song

While I explored these trails, all day long

As I was walking, there was a flash of Red

I spotted a hawk, much farther ahead

When watching this raptor, in graceful flight

I saw a true hunter, full of delight

After swooping down, on top of its prey

I saw mother nature at work, nothing more to say

Teaching Activities in the GNA

In my biology elective course, Terrestrial Ecosystem Ecology (BIO 315), students make use of the GNA in several different labs.  Early in the semester, students set up a seven-week leaf decomposition experiment to examine how different abiotic conditions in the GNA affect rates of decomposition.  Students return to the GNA to collect data that allows them to determine how topography affects forest aboveground biomass and carbon storage.  Later in the semester, students measure both soil carbon storage and soil respiration rates in different areas of the GNA.  The class uses these data to assess the influence of different types of plant cover and associated microclimates on both parameters.  Throughout the semester, students gain invaluable hands-on experience with the tools of ecological analysis in the GNA, and they have the opportunity to apply theories and concepts learned in class to datasets they've collected themselves.  The application of knowledge within the context of a forest ecosystem that the students know well is incredibly helpful in bringing abstract concepts discussed in class into the real world.

Additionally, I have visited the GNA with my general education course, Humans and the Environment (SCB 102), to look at how many of the topics we explore in class play out in our own backyard.  We discuss issues including biodiversity, food web dynamics, and non-native plants while looking at examples in the GNA.  On these visits, students are often able to make connections to other forest ecosystems they've spent time in, and they are able to see concrete examples of human influence on natural ecosystems.

Research Activities in the GNA

Over the past several years, I have worked collaboratively with both undergraduate and graduate students to carry out research in the GNA.  Most recently, Biology undergraduate Alaina Bertoline completed a research project examining the influence of a power line right-of-way on forest ecological integrity.  In the summer of 2014, Biology graduate student Dana Charitonchick used the GNA as one of her research sites in a study of soil seedbank dynamics in fragmented forest ecosystems of the Mid-Atlantic region.  Biology graduate student Seth Keller also completed a research project in the GNA.  He focused on quantifying above- and below-ground carbon storage in the forest as a way of assessing environmental services provided by the GNA.  Students have presented their research findings related to the GNA at local, regional, and national conferences, helping to increase awareness of some of the challenges and opportunities associated with managing this forest.

Teaching Activities in the GNA

I use the GNA extensively in my teaching, especially for my field ecology courses (General Ecology and Vertebrate Ecology).  Shown in the photo are students in Vertebrate Ecology measuring and weighing salamanders in the GNA. They will also process soil samples from the locations where salamander were present and absent, in order to determine preferences for substrate moisture. This study has been conducted every year since 1994, making it one of the longest-running studies in the GNA forested areas.

Research Activities in the GNA

Since 2006 my grad students and I have been testing and evaluating field methods for tracking populations of salamanders in the GNA. Our studies have focussed on novel designs for "coverboards," which are flat objects placed on the forest floor that tend to attract salamanders. Our most promising designs utilize a new material, Elephant Bark, which is made from recycled tires and is extremely durable. The photo shows an experimental array of 6 different coverboard designs. All are 16" squares of Elephant Bark, but they vary in thickness and in weight. The microclimate under the coverboards is being monitored by digital sensors wired to a data logger.

Find out more about Dr. Tiebout: here.

The Spotted Lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) is an invasive insect that has recently been introduced into the United States.  This species, which is native to China and Southeast Asia, was first detected in the US in Berks County (Pennsylvania) during Fall 2014.  The Spotted Lanternfly has quickly spread throughout southeastern Pennsylvania and adjacent states: by January of 2018, the species had been found in 13 counties in southeastern PA.

This species utilizes numerous agricultural and native plant species and potentially threatens billions of dollars of agricultural production.  Stone fruits (e.g., plums, cherries, peaches, etc.), apples, grapes and hops are particularly vulnerable.  The USDA has been very proactive in dealing with this threat, having allocated 17.5 million dollars in funding to fight against the Spotted Lanternfly.  The State has also been aggressive in addressing this threat, with the Pennsylvania General Assembly allocating an additional 3 million dollars towards control efforts.

The Gordon Natural Area could potentially be heavily impacted by the Spotted Lanternfly.  The species is a very adept 'hitch-hiker' and the close proximity of Route 202 to the GNA provides an easy pathway for that species to become established in this area.  Three species of native grapes are known for the GNA, and an infestation of Spotted Lanternfly would undoubtedly threaten these species. Additionally, Spotted Lanternfly is known to utilize pines, so the native White Pines (Pinus strobus) at the GNA are also vulnerable.  The lanternfly is obligately associated with the invasive tree Ailanthus altissimus (Tree of Heaven).  There are two fairly large 'stands' of this tree at the Gordon, and numerous additional individuals of Tree of Heaven are scattered throughout the GNA.

To determine the status of the Spotted Lanternfly and Tree of Heaven at the Gordon, undergraduate Christopher (Kit) Catranis initiated a surveillance and prevention project in the late Spring of 2018.   Initially, the work focused on mapping out (exhaustively) accurate locations of Tree of Heaven throughout the GNA.  The first Spotted Lanternflies were noted in the Gordon in the Summer of 2018, and the map has been continually updated by Kit and by the GNA staff as additional lanternflies were encountered.  Kit has also made this map available for any relevant research efforts in the GNA.

In the Fall of 2018, Kit organized a group 'extermination' effort, in which volunteers visited the greater portion of the known individuals of Tree of Heaven and killed any Spotted Lanternflies that were observed and which were reachable from the ground.  Kit also has been surveying for lanternfly egg masses.  To date, no egg masses have been found.

Black Walnut (Juglans nigra; Juglandaceae) is a riparian species native to Eastern North America, with a population spanning as far south as Texas and as far north as southern Ontario.  The species is early-successional, shade-intolerant, and prefers a well-drained deep soil.  Black Walnut is susceptible to a variety of pests and pathogens which is the basis of this study at the Gordon Natural Area (GNA).  For an undergraduate independent research study, I looked at the density, size and health status of black walnuts at the GNA. While the status of Black Walnut at the GNA is healthy and stable, the many diseases that affect this species leave the population susceptible to decline.

Due to a scarcity of riparian habitat, Black Walnut is not particularly abundant in the GNA. Nevertheless, the trees that are still present should be preserved and managed to the best of our ability. For this study I, studied the density, size and health status of Black Walnut in three forest habitats (riparian, floodplain and lowland) in proximity to Plum Run, the stream running through the GNA.  Riparian habitats were those closest to the stream.  Floodplain habitats were adjacent to riparian habitats, but occupied a slightly higher elevation. Lowland habitats were higher in elevation and farthest from the stream in our study area.   I was assisted in this work by Dr. Greg Turner and Dr. Nur Ritter.

 Measurements taken included:

1)  Density of Black Walnut trees was estimated on a per hectare basis in order to relativize the plot size. 

2)  Tree health was characterized using US forest service management protocols, in which tree health was assigned scores ranging from 1-5 based on percent of alive branches above the bole, with a 5 being 100-80% of canopy alive, a 4 as 60-80% alive and so on.

3) Tree size was recorded as diameter at breast height (1.3 meters) using a DBH tape.

The goal of this study was to determine if there are any differences of Black Walnut density, size and health status between the three habitats. This can be useful to ascertain if one habitat has healthier trees than the others, which can then be used forest management practices to analyze susceptibility to disease or if one habitat needs to be more closely monitored. Another beneficial reason for the study as I have said before is to provide a touchstone study on the status of Black Walnut in the GNA as well as a rough approximation for the status of Black Walnut in similar forests throughout the region.

The multitude of pests and pathogens I referenced earlier include, but are not limited, to bootstrap fungus and honey fungus (Armillaria mellea - see image), tent caterpillars (Malacosoma americanum and Hyphantria cunea), and the most threatening: the mutualistic symbiotic relationship between the Walnut Twig Beetle (Pityophthorus juglandis) and Thousand Cankers Disease (Geosmithia morbida).  Some of these threats are present in the GNA, such as tent caterpillars and bootstrap fungus (in small populations). Although Thousand Cankers Disease occurs in Pennsylvania and is creeping closer to effect forests throughout the region similar to the GNA, it has not yet been noted at the Gordon.  The introduction of this disease into the GNA could have severe effects on Black Walnut and possibly at an ecosystem level.

As I have indicated, the status of Black Walnut at the GNA, and possibly in similar eastern deciduous forests, appears to be stable but could be considered threatened based on the pests and pathogens mentioned above.  Aside from threats from pests and pathogens, Black Walnut population is healthy at the GNA.  When we relativized density on a per hectare basis, we calculated that the lowland areas had the highest density at over 150 trees/ha. This was surprising because being a riparian species we assumed Black Walnut would have the highest density in riparian or floodplain habitats.  We realize that this could be due to a lack of physical distinction between the habitat characteristics. As for the size of Black Walnut between the three habitats, we determined through statistical analysis that there was no significant difference in tree size. There was no significant difference in size however we did find that floodplain had the largest mean size of ~27 cm, followed by riparian having the second largest at ~24 cm, and lowland with the smallest mean of ~21 cm.  As for tree health in the GNA, we found that the overall population is very healthy. Between 80-90% of the trees were given a level 4 or 5 rating, which signifys that at least 60% of the tree's canopy was alive.  In our study, there were very few trees present that scored below a 3, and only a few trees that we could identify as dead Black Walnut. 

A lack of saplings seen in the study sites may indicate a low recruitment rate, which is theorized to be due to overgrazing by the overpopulated white-tailed deer in the area. This has not been determined one way or another due to the lack of evidence of deer grazing on Black Walnut, possibly because of juglone : an allelopathic toxin present in Black Walnut tissue. Overall, what we gathered from this study is that we have a healthy, stable Black Walnut population in the GNA. This is a good indication for present and future health of Black Walnut populations in similar eastern deciduous forests, as well as a frame of reference when the threatening pests and pathogens species move closer to this land.

Based on areal photos, the Gordon Natural Area (GNA) has been continually forested since at least 1937. There is evidence that the GNA was used as a woodlot during colonial times, but it appears that it was never clear-cut nor used agriculturally.

We were interested in learning the maximum age of the older GNA trees, so we cored and counted the rings of some of the larger diameter trees (70 + cm dbh) using an increment borer. This is a great technique because it allows us to determine tree age without causing significant damage.  The species chosen for coring were, American Beech (Fagus grandifolia), Northern Red Oak (Quercus rubra), White Oak (Quercus alba), Tulip Poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera), Black Tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica), and Hickory (Carya sp.).Of the nine trees sampled to date, ages ranged from 80-200 years old. 

Knowing the range of the trees age will allow those studying the site to more confidently compare the GNA to other Eastern deciduous forests of known stand age.

And, we've seen some turtles!!!

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