Title: Comparative Allometry in a Forest Stand high in Anthropogenic Metal Contamination

Summary: Liberty State Park is a recreational area near New York City that was converted from a vacant train yard. The site was created over a wetland ecosystem using contaminated fill from Brooklyn construction sites. Areas in the park above a threshold contamination level will not support the endemic wetland ecosystem and instead result in brownfield forested areas populated by Betula populifolia. This study examines the allometric differences among these pioneer trees. Stand density along the metal gradient was calculated and efforts are underway to correlate these two factors. Trees of different sizes and ages were removed from areas of varying metal load and thoroughly examined for differences in growth patterns. These studies are pieces of a larger puzzle that examines brownfield reclamation and its effects on trees.

Andrew Straub, MS, Rutgers University, Dept. Ecology Evolution & Natural Resources, New Brunswick, NJ, United States

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