Catskill Mountain Ecosystems

This project is primarily focused on understanding the ecology and nutrient cycling of Catskill forests and the responses of the forests to stresses such as air pollution and introduced pests.

Related Projects
sampling in the Catskills

Nitrate Loss from Catskill Watersheds

Due to their proximity to the New York-New Jersey metropolitan region, the Catskills receive high rates of atmospheric nitrogen deposition. Our research is focused on identifying the major controls on nitrate export from these forested watersheds. The Catskill watersheds provide 90% of the drinking water for New York City residents, making the results of our research relevant to land managers as well as ecologists.

Patterns of Atmospheric Deposition

Air pollutants are deposited not only in rain and snow, but also as gases, particles, and fog droplets. Measuring the deposition of all of these forms is difficult, especially in mountainous terrain, where deposition rates are strongly influenced by elevation and characteristics of the forest canopy. Knowing the rates and patterns of deposition is critical to evaluating ecosystem response to the pollutants

Effects of Beech Bark Disease on Catskill forests

This project is focused on the consequences of the invasion of the beech bark disease (BBD) in northern hardwood forests, which dominate the uplands of the northeastern U.S. and southeastern Canada.

Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies | Millbrook, New York 12545 | Tel (845) 677-5343

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