In 1997, as part of a study of the relationships between snow depth, soil freezing and nutrient cycling (http://www.ecostudies.org/people_sci_groffman_snow_summary.html), we established eight 10 x 10-m plots located within four stands; two dominated (80%) by sugar maple and two dominated by yellow birch, with one snow reduction (freeze) and one reference plot in each stand. In 2001, we established eight new 10-m x 10-m plots (4 treatment, 4 reference) in four new sites; two high elevation, north facing and two low elevation, south facing maple-beech-birch stands. To establish plots for the “freeze” study, we cleared minor amounts of understory vegetation from all (both freeze and reference) plots (to facilitate shoveling). We then installed soil solution samplers (zero tension lysimeters), thermistors for soil temperature monitoring, water content (time domain) reflectometers (for measuring soil moisture), soil atmosphere sampling probes, minirhizotron access tubes, and trace gas flux measurement chambers (described below). All plots were equipped with dataloggers to allow for continuous monitoring of soil moisture and temperature. Treatments (keep plots snow free by shoveling through the end of January) were applied in the winters of 1997/98, 1998/99, 2002/2003 and 2003/2004. Long-term monitoring of soil nitrate (NO3-) and ammonium (NH4+) concentrations, microbial biomass carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) content, microbial respiration, potential nitrification and N mineralization rates, pH, and denitrification potential has been ongoing at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest since 1994.
These data were gathered as part of the Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study (HBES). The HBES is a collaborative effort at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, which is operated and maintained by the USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station.