Since late January 2012 until yesterday, Wednesday, April 23, 2012, my students and I have been visiting the
Forest Rehabilitation Study Site located in the Mojave River's riparian forest adjacent to our school campus on a semi-weekly basis. During each visit we have reset the protective cages around plants that have been blown over during storms, looked for evidence of seed germination under the jute netting, looked for evidence of new growth from planted stock, looked for evidence herbivorous activity (fecal dropping, exploratory holes, torn up planting, cropped plants etc). We have also collected data files stored on the
Micro HOBO station located near the site. Below I have included a low-res graph of the kind of data that is being collected.
During our last two visit (4/2/2012 & 4/23/2012) we made the following observations:
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- There is infrequent evidence in the seeded plots of seed and root
gathering and exploration. Rabbit dropping have also been seen here and
there in the study site.
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- Evidence of carnivores crossing the study site included many foot print trails and the occasional scat pile as in the above picture.
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- Here is an example of a jute row cover that was re-spread on 4/2/2012 after a wind and rain storm. Notice the color difference (bleached gray compared to darker brown
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- Some sections of the jute that was laid over the seeded area had been rolled up by the wind where the stakes used to hold it in place had broken, were pulled out or just failed because the jute weave being held in place unraveled.
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- At this time the green growth amongst the dry straw colored grass blades is the only way we can easily determine if the one gallon plant stock that was installed between 11/ 7/2011 and 11/11/2011 has survived the winter or not. Most of the grasses are still either dormant or have died as they have not demonstrated green regrowth yet (4/23/2012) and only one type of grass has demonstrated regrowth. As of the 4/23/2012, germination and break through growth of any of the seeded species have not been observed yet under the "jutted" rows.
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- In the foreground of this picture wild rye grass that inhabited the study site before it was cleared and sprayed in the summer and fall of 2011 can be seen "breaking through" in a seeded plot. This regrowth is not to be confused with successful germination of the target species that was planted in this area.
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- In this picture we have captured an the lower portion of a Wolf Berry (species?) planting that is "re-leafing" towards the bottom while the top is still un-foliated. These specimens were planted in a "foliated" state between 11/7/2012 and 11/11/2011.
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- In this picture contains an entire specimen of a Salt Brush (species ?) planting that has either "re-leafed" or never lost its foliage after planting. These specimens were planted in a "foliated" state between 11/7/2012 and 11/11/2011.
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- Looking west, across the center of the study site, where soil moisture, soil temperature, air temperature and humidity data is collected for this study site.
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- Looking across the study site from the southeast corner looking northwest.
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- The multi-axis graph above plots all of the data collected (air temperature [solid black line], soil temperature [---- black], relative humidity [solid blue line], and soil water content [green line]) at the study site between 1.20/2012 and 4/9/2012. For an Excel spreadsheet that contains the same data email your request to mhuffine@lcer.org.
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