Putting Down Roots in an Urban Forest
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Waypoint 3 of 10 on Going Coastal’s NY-NJ Harbor Estuary Earthcache Discovery Trail in Liberty State Park, is an urban forest http://flic.kr/p/a77vF9 to the right of the path. Before human habitation, woodlands were some of the most extensive natural habitats on the uplands of the New York-New Jersey Harbor Estuary. Today, the growth of a forest in an urban environment is uniquely rooted in the geology of its soil.
The NY-NJ Harbor Estuary Earthcache Discovery Trail is meant to help visitors develop a better understanding of the Estuary, make connections between earth and environmental science, and foster stewardship.
This cache is an urban forest http://flic.kr/p/a77vF9 to the right of the path. Before human habitation, woodlands were some of the most extensive natural habitats on the uplands of the New York-New Jersey Harbor Estuary. Today, the growth of a forest in an urban environment is uniquely rooted in the geology of its soil.
"What if there was a single environmental asset that, if protected and nurtured, could help us solve humanity's most pressing problems, from food security to climate change? Such an asset exists—it’s the soil!"
Soil isn’t just dirt. It is made of sand, silt, clay, and decomposing organic matter. In the Urban Forest, the soil immediately adjacent to the trail on the right; is composed mainly of sand and the soil type is found to be a sandy loam. To determine this soil type a small sample was taken from the surface to a depth of about 3.5 inches. It was then moistened and kneaded in the palm to break any lumps and to bring it to its full plasticity. A dry sample was rubbed between the thumb and index finger to check the texture. To check its cohesiveness the moist sample was pressed between both palms and moved from hand to hand to see how well it held together. Finally, to check how well the sample formed a ribbon, it was worked between the thumb and index finger to see how well it formed a ribbon. To check the sample's color the Munsell Color Chart was used, which found the color to be a dark yellowish brown. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munsell_color_system
Further up the trail and about ten feet down the gentle slope of the trail to the right, the soil is dark and the soil type is a silty loam. This soil type was found using the same methods, which determined the sandy loam. The Munsell Color Chart determined the soil color as black. The change in soil type in such a small area is most likely a result of the area's history. In 1851 the Wharf Act allowed shoreline property owners to build docks and other structures with consent from the County Board of Freeholders. Railroad companies took advantage of this new law and began buying lots with the intent of filling them to create new land. Though there were quite a few competing railroad companies in the area, the company responsible for filling the cove and creating the bulk of what is now Liberty State Park was the Central Rail Road of New Jersey. They placed "over 20 million cubic yards into the cove from approximately 1880 to 1916 in a north-to-south direction" according to the Army Corps of Engineers New York District's report of 2005.
Though the province of the soil is unclear the mechanism for turning rocks into soil remains the same. Weathering is the process that turns rocks at or near Earth's surface into soil. However, there are different types of weathering. There is physical/mechanical weathering which breaks down rocks into smaller and smaller pieces without changing them chemically and there is chemical weathering. Chemical weathering breaks down the rock by simple solution and changes the weathered material chemically.
The loose-binding sandy soil's main constituent is the mineral quartz, which is the most resistant mineral to weathering. Its sandy texture also makes its capacity to hold and retain water very low. The silty soil with its black appearance contains mostly organic matter. Its capacity to hold and retain water is greater than that of the sandy soil due to its smaller partial size allowing for more surface area for water to bind to. Both soils are protected against water and wind erosion by the dense vegetation of the Urban Forest.
The sandy loam contains notable elements such as barium (Ba), manganese (Mn), titanium (Ti), vanadium (V), cesium (Cs), tellurium (Te), and chromium (Cr) which were measured in parts per million (ppm) using a portable X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) analyzer. The silty loam contains, except Ba, Cs, and Te, all the elements as the sandy loam and others such as strontium (Sr), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), copper (Cu), antimony (Sb), cadmium (Cd), and silver (Ag). Though all of these elements can be found naturally in minerals their high ppm readings point back to the park's past when the area was a dumpsite and a flurry of railroad activity.
It takes more than 500 years to make one inch of soil and it is alive with heaps of organisms. Dig down deep into any soil, and you’ll see that it is made of layers or horizons. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_horizon Put the horizons together, and they form a soil profile. Like a biography, each profile tells a unique story about the life of a soil. As soil ages, it gradually starts to look different from its parent material. That’s because the soil is dynamic. Its components—minerals, water, air, organic matter, and organisms—constantly change.
The trees and shrubs of the urban forest hold the soil in place so that it doesn’t wash away in the rain or blow away from the wind. Trees clean the air, cool the land, and provide food and shelter to many living things, including humans. Urban soils are found in watersheds that provide drinking water, food, waste utilization, and natural resources to communities. Urban soils also are located within cities in park areas, recreation areas, community gardens, green belts, lawns, septic absorption fields, sediment basins, and other uses.
Soil health, however, faces increasing human-linked threats from contamination, urban development, and erosion. Protecting and promoting soil health will conserve and improve water quality in the Harbor Estuary
Soil Facts from the Soil Science Society of America https://www.soils.org/
Soil is living.
There are more than 70,000 types of soil in the United States.
One tablespoon of soil has more organisms in it than people on Earth.
It takes more than 500 years to form one inch of topsoil.
Nearly all antibiotics used to fight our infections are obtained from soil organisms.
In one gram of soil, there are over 5,000 different types of bacteria.
Landfills are one way humans modify soils, by changing the soil-forming factors of climate, exposure, and soil organisms. Landfilling created the ground under this forest. Most trees and plants were introduced as seeds in the fill materials – garbage and ship’s ballast (dirt used for weight to stabilize sailing vessels). This landfill contained the seeds of European plants. The bulk cargo and freight trains also transported seeds from across the continent. For this reason, the woodlands today contain very few native plant species. When a species is introduced it usually supports less native wildlife and can even reduce biodiversity.
The present-day urban woodland is dominated by invasive species. An invasive species is a type of organism not native to the region and whose introduction can cause environmental harm. However, these plants might be the key to reducing these elements' ppm levels in the soil. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), plants can be and have been used to remove contaminates and heavy metals from soil in a process called phytoremediation. Phytoremediation works like a vacuum cleaner by allowing the plants to suck up the contaminants and heavy metals through their roots and storing them in their steams, shoots, and leaves.
There are plenty of plants in the Urban Forest that are probably conducting phytoremediation right now. There is a mix of native and non-native hardwood trees and maritime shrubs. Common trees include the eastern cottonwood and Russian olive. Shrubs including northern bayberry, black chokeberry, winged sumac, and stag-horn sumac dominate the ground flora. Berry-producing shrubs and trees are a big attraction for many different bird species.
The urban forest is a woodland habitat where specific plants and animals live in similar circumstances and depend on each other, forming a community. A habitat is like a natural neighborhood within an ecosystem where a group of organisms, called a population, has everything needed to grow and survive. An ecosystem is a community of organisms and nonliving things that interact in the same environment. Even though they may be right next to each other, the species that live in the forest ecosystem are usually very different from those that inhabit the meadow.
This forest is always changing. Trees and shrubs change with the seasons. There are two types of trees, coniferous and deciduous. Coniferous trees are evergreen keeping their leaves all year, such as pine and spruce trees. The hardwoods that shed their broad leaves each autumn are called deciduous. The leaves are factories for converting sunlight and water into food and for taking carbon dioxide out of the air. The green pigment in the trees' leaves (and in all green plants) that captures the sun’s energy is chlorophyll. Less water and less sunlight in the autumn signal the tree to stop producing chlorophyll. The green pigment fades, revealing yellow and orange colors. Some tree leaves even make red and purple pigments to display various colors. The stem eventually closes off, depriving the leaf of water, and causing the leaf to drop to the ground. http://treespade.info/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/glossary.png
Trees know which way is up. They grow towards the light and bend their branches to give the leaves the most sun. Photosynthesis happens when the tree uses energy from the sun, water from the soil, and carbon dioxide from the air to make simple sugars (carbohydrates). These carbohydrates are either used by the tree for energy or stored in the tissues. When an animal eats the plant the nutrients and carbons are released through digestion. When the animal breathes out it releases the carbon dioxide that is used by the plants continuing the carbon cycle. The process continues until it is time for the decomposers to go to work and return the dead organism to the soil. The process also produces carbon dioxide, which is again absorbed by the trees and other plants. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosynthesis
The trees and shrubs help maintain the topology of the landscape by preventing erosion. The vegetation also filters pollutants from rainwater helping to maintain clean water in the Harbor Estuary.
Logging Activities:
1. Observe the sandy soil around you, how is it able to stay in place without being eroded by the environment? State three ways to erode the soil.
2. Expose a small area of soil and pour some water in the area. Examine what happens. Does the water seep into the soil quickly or slowly? Based on your answer and the area's past, do you think waste can still be present in the soil?
3. (Optional) Name a way trees benefit you. (POST TO LOG)
To log a find on this earthcache, email the cache owner (DO NOT POST IN YOUR LOG), unless instructed otherwise. Use your GPS device to locate the next cache - GC2T1H6. http://coord.info/GC2T1H6
Remember, to upload a photo and let us know in your log ways we can improve the trail.
To reserve a field trip for your class, please contact the educators at the Nature Interpretive Center at (201) 915-3409. Geomate Jr. GPS units will be provided for your group for your high-tech exploration of the geology and ecology of Liberty State Park. Additional resources are available online at www.goingcoastal.org http://www.goingcoastal.org/Programs/Programs.html
Data Sources:
• NYNJ Botany - http://nynjctbotany.org/njnbtofc/liberty.html
• Soil Science Society of America - soils.org/about-soils/lessons/resources
• Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree
• www.nan.usace.army.mil/project/newjers/factsh/pdf/.../vol1mainreport.pdf
• http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/jun00/soil0600.htm
• For Teachers http://www.realtrees4kids.org/
Liberty State Park
200 Morris Pesin Drive, Jersey City, NJ 07305
Phone: (201) 915-3440
http://www.njparksandforests.com/
OWNER: NJ Department of Environmental Protection
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