Researchers studying ‘ghost forests’ in Somerset County
SOMERSET CO., Md. – Rising sea levels are causing ecosystems in Somerset County to shift, resulting in marshes moving inland and trees dying off.
They are creating “ghost forests,” which are becoming more prevalent within the coastal community.
“We know there is salinization happening and we are really susceptible to that here because we are really low elevation,” said Stephanie Stotts, Professor of Forest Ecology at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.
What exactly is killing the trees in theses ghost forests is what Stotts is studying.
“That is a process we are still looking at, whether it is an osmotic imbalance, so there is salt in the water and in the ground, then the trees can no longer use there osmotic gradient to pull the water into the tree, essentially making it like the tree is growing in a desert even though it is totally surrounded by water,” said Stotts. “However, in some cases the tree may actually take salt up into the tree itself and then that salt is toxic and could kill the tree.”
One concern, dead forests are being replaced with invasive phragmites instead of native salt marsh plants.
“What’s happening is that as sea level rises, but also as we get shifts like droughts and coastal storms, salt water moves in-land and it kills trees and other upland vegetation, it salinizes farm land, but it also facilitates the marshlands to move in-land,” said Holly Michael, Director of the Delaware Environmental Institute and Professor at the University of Delaware.
Michael points out they’re studying water levels, nutrient exports and dying trees all together, so they can understand what causes these changes and how they might happen in the future.
“My hope is that the work that we’re doing will translate into improvements to the resiliency of coastal communities and coastal agriculture, and ultimately improve the ability of our coastal ecosystems to be resilient,” she said.
The University of Maryland Eastern Shore and University of Delaware are helping with the research, along with other schools.
