|
Joanne Rebbeck Adjunct Assistant Professor
Ph.D., NC State, 1987
Phone: 740.368.0054
|
|
Research Program Summary
Oaks often fail to regenerate on high quality sites due to poor competition with other species especially in low light environments. When present, oak seedlings often do not survive to later gain dominance in stands. Problems with oak regeneration are complicated by fire suppression, interfering plants, deer browsing, acorn predation, infrequent acorn crops, various defoliating insects, diseases, and exotic and native invasive plant species.
My primary research focuses on the factors that limit oak regeneration in mixed oak forests. Specifically, I am interested in elucidating how oak seedlings and saplings respond to changes in light, soil moisture and site quality features. In addition, I investigate how forest management practices such as prescribed fire and thinning affect tree seedling/sapling growth and physiology. Through collaborations, my goal is to leverage this gained knowledge to improve prescriptions to enhance oak regeneration and forest sustainability.
Other research interests of mine include the impacts of forest management practices on invasive plant species such as tree-of-heaven; and the impact of introduced invasive organisms such as emerald ash borer on ecological processes within forests.
Selected References
-
Rebbeck J., Scherzer A.J., and Loats K.V. 2004. Foliar physiology of yellow-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera L.) exposed to O3 and elevated CO2 over five seasons. Trees, Structure and Function 18:253-263.
-
Rebbeck J., Long R., and Yaussy D. 2004. Survival of hardwood seedlings and saplings following overstory thinning and prescribed fires in mixed-oaks of southern Ohio. In: Spetich, M.A., ed. Proceedings: Upland Oak Ecology Symposium: History, Current Conditions and Sustainability; 2002 Oct 7-10; Fayetteville, AR. Gen. Tech. Report SRS-73. Asheville, NC: USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station: 275-284.
-
Iverson L.R., Yaussy D.A., Rebbeck J., Hutchinson T.F., Long RP, and Prasad A. 2004. A comparison of thermocouples and temperature paints to monitor spatial and temporal characteristics of landscape-scale prescribed fires. International Journal of Wildland Fire 13:311-322.
-
Iverson, L.R.; Prasad, A.M.; Hutchinson, T.F.; Rebbeck, J.; Yaussy, D.A. 2004. Fire and thinning in an Ohio oak forest: grid-based analyses of fire behavior, environmental conditions, and tree regeneration across a topographic moisture gradient. In: Spetich, M.A., ed. Proceedings, Upland oak ecology symposium: history, current conditions, and sustainability; 2002 October 7-10; Fayetteville, AR. Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-73. Ashville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station: 190-197.
-
Scherzer A.J., Long R.P., Rebbeck J. 2003. Foliar nutrient concentrations of oak, hickory, and red maple. In: Sutherland, Elaine K.; Hutchinson, Todd F., eds. Characteristics of mixed-oak forest ecosystems in southern Ohio prior to the reintroduction of fire. Gen. Tech. Rep. NE-299. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Research Station: 113-121.
-
Rebbeck J., and Scherzer A.J. 2002. Growth response of yellow-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera L.) exposed to five years of O3 alone or combined with elevated CO2. Plant, Cell and Environment. 25: 1527-1537.
-
Isebrands, J.G., Dickson, R.F., Rebbeck, J., and D.F. Karnosky. 2000. Interacting effects of multiple stresses on growth and physiological processes in northern forest trees. In: Mickler, R.A., Birdsey, R.A., Hom, J., eds., Responses of Northern U.S. Forests to Environmental Change. Ecological Studies 139. New York, NY: Springer-Verlag: 149-180.
Current Research Projects
-
Effects of fire and overstory thinning on the growth, health, and survival of oaks and hickory seedlings and saplings of oak forests in the Ohio Hills, a component of the national Fire and Fire Surrogates Study (FFS).
-
Effects of low-intensity fires and other silvicultural practices on the growth, physiology, health, soil and foliar chemistry, and regeneration of oaks and associated hardwoods on the Allegheny Plateau in Pennsylvania; with Kurt Gottschalk, USDA Forest Service (Morgantown, WV).
-
Investigating the effectiveness of shelterwood harvests, herbicides, and fire on the survival and growth of oak seedlings in southern Ohio; with Todd Hutchinson and Daniel Yaussy, USDA Forest Service (Delaware, OH).
-
Investigate how changes in soil nutrient availability affect the regeneration of four oak species (black, chestnut, northern red, and white) in mixed-oak stands under different light levels across six ecoregions in Pennsylvania; with Patrick Brose, USDA Forest Service (Warren, PA).
-
Monitoring the effects of Emerald Ash Borer on forest community composition and nutrient dynamics in northern Ohio; with Robert Long, USDA Forest Service (Delaware, OH).
Faculty Research Focus Area
Eastern Deciduous Forest Ecology
Copyright © 2002 Ohio University