Identifying Opportunities and Pathways to Increase Carbon Sequestration through Reforestation on the Vassar Ecological Preserve

The goal of this research was to devise methodology and recommendations for forest restoration that concurrently increases potential carbon sequestration. We surveyed permanent forest plots on the Vassar College Ecological Preserve in the summer of 2021 and used diameter at breast height (DBH) of all trees sampled to model carbon sequestration. This data was geospatially represented to identify low carbon sequestering ecological communities on the Preserve. The patterns we observed indicate that low sequestering ecological communities were predominantly in areas dominated by invasive vegetation such as Malus sp. (Apples), Lonicera maackii/ morrowii (Amur and Morrow’s Honeysuckle), and Celastrus orbiculatus (Oriental bittersweet), and coincide with areas abandoned after 1950. We recommend these areas as targets for restoration and planting of tree species that would maximize carbon sequestration, such as Quercus sp. (Oaks) and Juglans nigra (Black Walnut), two high-sequestering native tree species. In addition to these parameters, we included resilience to climate change and invasive pests in prioritizing species selection, resulting in a decision framework for forest restoration efforts in the Northeast to concurrently maximize carbon sequestration.