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Storms are among the greatest natural disturbances in temperate forests, and increased nitrogen (N) availability is thought to increase storm damage. However, the extent to which N availability increases damage from snowfall is less clear. To test how N availability might affect the susceptibility of trees to snow damage in a temperate forest, we took advantage of an opportunistic storm and surveyed damage in fertilized and unfertilized stands, and across a native N availability gradient. In response to a severe, early season snow storm—a consequence of Superstorm Sandy—the percentages of both basal area and stems damaged were lower in a fertilized watershed than in an unfertilized watershed. Across the native N availability gradient, the percentage of basal area damaged by snow decreased with higher soil N. The effects of N availability on damage were also affected by tree species. Our results suggest that N availability decreases damage from snow storms, contrary to our hypotheses drawn from broader studies. Understanding the relation between storm damage and N availability is important, considering the global increase in N deposition, and since severe storms are likely to become more prevalent with climate change.

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Assessing the cumulative impact of disturbance on canopy structure and chemistry in Appalachian forests Lindsay N. Deel Eastern forests experience a range of disturbance events over time, from stand-replacing disturbances, such as clear cuts, to ephemeral disturbances, such as insect outbreaks. By understanding the cumulative impact of disturbances on canopy structure and chemistry, we can gain insight into management strategies, assess a variety of ecosystem services, and even contribute to a larger body of knowledge on global climate change. I transformed a series of Landsat images spanning approximately 25 years into cumulative disturbance maps covering Green Ridge State Forest and Savage River State Forest in western Maryland. Intensive field surveys collected during the summer of 2009 provided measurements of canopy N and estimates of canopy cover, understory cover, and leaf cover. I used AVIRIS imagery flown concurrently with field data collection to map canopy nitrogen across both forests. Through this project, I tested the impact of cumulative disturbance on forest canopy cover and canopy nitrogen. I found that increased values of cumulative disturbance had a measurable negative impact on forest canopy structure and canopy nitrogen. Moreover, by testing varying methods of summing cumulative disturbance, I found that past disturbances diminish over time in importance, yet still influence the current canopy structure and canopy N of a forest. Thus, my study suggests that Landsat time series data can be synthesized into cumulative metrics incorporating multiple disturbance types, which help explain important disturbance-mediated changes in ecosystem functions. iii This thesis is dedicated my wonderful family, and in particular, Walter Studenroth (Opa), who was always proud of me. I love you. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Special thanks to the many people who have helped me get through this thesis: my