Long-term soil-ecosystem experiments (LTSEs) demonstrate how and why humanity is changing Earth's soil and ecosystems on time scales of decades.
The Calhoun LTSE in the Southern Carolina Piedmont, USA, was initiated in 1957 on old cotton fields by US Forest Service scientists, Drs. LJ Metz and CG Wells. The 16 Metz-Wells plots have been resampled with nearly all samples archived on eight occasions (1962, 1968, 1972, 1977, 1982, 1990, 1997, & 2005).
The Calhoun study demonstrates like few others how forest growth over 50 years has altered major ecological processes and properties. The study also demonstrates how contemporary ecosystem dynamics are strongly controlled by historic land use (the legacies of cotton cultivation between 1800 and 1955) and multi-millennial evolution of the natural ecosystem.
In May 2007, half of the 16 permanent plots were clear-cut and are being regenerated with pine, all to better examine human impacts on decadal changes in soils and ecosystems. The Calhoun Experimental Forest has become a globally-significant experiment not only of management effects, but of natural recovery processes as well.
Calhoun researchers invite collaborations with other scientists, land managers and users, teachers, writers, and students.
Dan Richter, Mac Callaham
Duke University & USDA Forest Service
http://calhoun.env.duke.edu
PI: Daniel Richter
Continent: North America
Soil Order: Ultisol
