Sierra Nevada summer census

Ecology professor Ruth Ann Kern will lead students on an expedition to the Sierra Nevada to participate in a summer research internship

By Monica Nungrary
The Collegian

Summer vacations for many students might involve backpacking through Europe, partying in Mexico or taking it easy on our California beaches, but some students will participate in a summer research internship.

Biology students will take their annual trip to the Sierra Nevada with ecology professor Ruth Ann Kern. “It’s the best place in the world to do field work, I look forward to this trip all semester,” Kern said.

Students will be researching trees by doing specific treatments, such as measuring how much seed is produced. To a trained professional this reveals the density of a particular tree. While the venture begins in early May, full time, students are expected to continue the research through early September.

“We will be looking at what is happening now, and what might happen in the future to the plants,” Kern said. The research team will be studying seedling dynamics, how many of them are produced and what proportions survive. “It’s like a census for humans but we’re doing it for trees,” Kern said.

Students participating in the ecology research project will stay on location in Sierra Nevada for an unspecified duration.

“It depends on what their job is, the students have to wear backpacks because there is some hiking. Those whose jobs require them to stay longer will sleep in tents,” Kern said.

Kern first started the ecology research project six years ago at the Sequoia National Park, but as she began to venture into another environment she found Sierra National Forest was more suitable.

“There are big multi-research programs going on right now,” Kern said.

Kern and her team will be doing different kinds of manipulations in two different areas, such as logging and burning. During burning manipulation, researchers prevent fire from attacking the plants, but as Kern found, the forest environment relies on fire to aid in the germination of seeds. “It changes the habitat and it makes the forest unhealthy, when we were successful at suppressing the fire,” Kern said.

The research program is trying to find out how current practices of thinning and burning affect the eco-systems health. “It’s a great project but it is frustrating at how slow the process is, ecological experiments take a long time,” Kern said.

Kern said she finds it enormously rewarding to work with different students. “They all have a better chance of finding a job if they take part in the research project,” Kern said.

Kern interviewed students who were interested in taking part in the experiment and has been getting ready for the trip all year, including making sure there are enough students to cover the field work and getting all projects organized. It’s definitely the best part of my year, and it’s very rewarding to work with all the students and see how they grow through the course of a field season,” Kern said.

Kern is still considering hiring more researchers for the project; she can be contacted through the biology department for further information at 559-278-2001.

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