How do species matter? The potential effects of the decline of white ash (Fraxinus americana) on flora and fauna

White ash (Fraxinus americana) will inevitably be almost non-existent in New Hampshire because of the invasive emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis). We are studying the role white ash plays in the ecosystem before it is functionally extinct to understand how the loss of this species will affect the forest. By comparing the soils, understory vegetation, and insects under different tree species at Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, we found that white ash supports a different and more diverse understory community compared to other trees. We surveyed bird communities to assess how they may change with the decline of white ash. We also started the Ash Protection Experiment (APE) to protect 300 white ash trees from the emerald ash borer using insecticide. With these observations and experiments, we aim to study ecological effects of a tree species elimination.

Miranda is a fourth year PhD student in Dartmouth College’s Ecology, Evolution, Environment and Society (EEES) program advised by Matt Ayres (Dartmouth College) and Hannah ter Hofstede (University of Windsor). She graduated from the University of Rochester in 2020 with a B.A. in anthropology and B.S. brain & cognitive sciences. After graduation, she volunteered with the Saltmarsh Sparrow Research Initiative in Warren, RI, where she studied the nesting ecology of the threatened Saltmarsh Sparrow. Currently, her research focuses on understanding the relationship among habitat selection, reproductive success, and singing behavior of migratory forest songbirds. Her research takes place at Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in North Woodstock, NH. Her focal study species is the Ovenbird, a ground-nesting migratory warbler.

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