Day 1: Cathedral State Park

Old Growth Forest

Upon our arrival to Cathedral State Park, it's noticeable that this is a unique place. Noticing the ecosystem one can see the unique understory plants like moss, ferns, and fungus. The canopoy was dominated with hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) trees, with dispersed hardwood trees (e.g. red maple, white oak, american beech) The ecosystem is known as a old growth forest while most other areas across WV are known as new growth forests, due to foresting in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

• How does a old and new growth forest differ in abiotic and biotic factors?
• How does succession differ between a new and old growth forest?

The first field study was to collect soil data and analyze the pH of the soil composition. The first step is to use distilled water and collect a soil sample. Due to the large amount of leaf litter or humus, we had clear four inches before collecting a four inch deep soil sample. The soil sample was transferred to the distilled water, using Vernier Lab Quest software the pH ranged from 3.5 to 4.8 for four samples. According to the data, the soil has an acidity of tomato and orange juice. One reason for this acidity are due to the hemlock needles and the bark.

The second field study was to determine board foot of one of the trees at Cathedral State Park. In a previous post, procedures for determining board foot have been explained. Click here for the data that was inputted to Google spreadsheet to determine beard foot. The tree that we observed was a eastern hemlock with a height of around 50' and circumference of 129". This one tree if taken to market would have made a total $4,610.

Marker (Treatment)

 I was impressed with unique land scape of the old growth forest. The ground was supple under my foot steps as I wondered through the forest. This is due to the amount of leaf litter and humus that has collected over many generations. One question that I wonder, does decomposition take place at a slower rate due to the low acidity of the soil. One of the most unique aspects of the ecosystem is the moss and ferns. These organisms require a constant source of water due to the plant structure and  fertilization process.

On a side not I was able to find what used to be the tallest eastern hemlock in the sate of WV, but due to a lighting strike the tree has fell down. All that is left is a stump of tree that lasted for some 500 years or longer. It's amazing to me to have a tree to live that long.

Check out the Forest & Rail Pics on the page that I created for the trip.

Once was the tallest hemlock

West Virginia Mountain Momma

Tomorrow, starts a journey across Wild and Wonderful West Virgina, to observe the history of rail and lumber across the state. Preview this blog for updates as I take a journey with other Cabell County teachers to observe the majestic beauty of WV ecosystems. As I take this journey I will be taking pictures and collecting data for board foot, water quality, soil quality, and tree identification. So that you can follow along i have created a page that contains pictures, water quality data, board feet of tree data, and map of my travels.


View Forest & Rail Trip in a larger map

 The first stop for tomorrows trip is Cathedral State Park, where we will view some of the last remaining virgin timber in West Virginia and probably the United States. The majority of the trees located in this forest are called eastern hemlocks (Tsuga canadenesis), but there are some hardwoods (e.g. black cherry, yellow birch, red oak, sugar maple, and so on). The tallest hemlock (123 ft) in WV is behind the park's superintendent house, this tree was discovered in 1787, but it has been living long before Columbus discovered America. If it was not for the insight from Brandon Hass in 1922, the site in which Cathedral Sate Park eventually acquired would have lost the virgin trees. The WVU extension office offers insight to the history of the land and park. Click here to visit the document.