The landscape of southern New England is a mosaic of forests and wetlands strongly influenced by human activities such as widespread agricultural use during the previous century, more recent forest management, and encroaching urbanization. While Rhode Island is second in U.S. population density only to New Jersey, approximately 60% of the state is covered by forests. These forests have tremendous value for recreation, supporting diverse wildlife populations, producing a renewable supply of wood products, retaining and neutralizing atmospheric pollutants, and ensuring a consistent supply of clean water.
Departmental research projects include: the impact of fuelwood cutting on forest growth and nutrient cycling; the long-term legacies of agricultural land use on present forest ecosystems; the impact of pests such as gypsy moth, hemlock adelgid, and red pine scale on forests; the relationship between landscape heterogeneity and plant diversity; and the long-term influence of agricultural land use on ecosystem processes such as organic matter accumulation and nitrogen cycling in forests recovering after agricultural abandonment.
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