9405356 SCHAETZL Studies by geographers, ecologists, and other scientists of the complex dynamics of human-environmental interaction have tended to focus on the initial disturbance of natural systems, but increasing attention now is being given to understanding how the processes through which human activities and natural processes relate during subsequent periods. The regeneration of forest areas that have been cleared is one topic for which these complex interactions are especially apparent. This doctoral dissertation research project will compare patterns of forest regeneration in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where dense forests were cleared by logging and fires in the late 19th Century. Some of these areas have experienced active regeneration, while others remain "stump prairies" that essentially are devoid of trees. The project will focus both on the factors that have influenced this differential regeneration and on the impacts of vegetative patterns on current soil- development processes. Following identification of patterns of forest composition before clearance through examination of General Land Office survey records, contemporary stands of homogeneous composition will be mapped using aerial photography. Field observations will be made in a sample of sites of forest composition, soil texture, soil fertility, and soil horizon development. These data will be analyzed along with microclimatic data and information from historical sources to identify the determine how various natural and human factors influenced regeneration processes in different sites. Analyses of relationships between vegetative patterns and soil-development processes will be undertaken through observations of the movement of selected nutrients through the soil in different locations. This project will provide valuable information about the importance of specific natural and human factors in the ongoing dynamics of change in forested regions, and it will address import ant questions regarding processes that alter the composition and quality of soils. As a doctoral dissertation improvement award, this award also will provide support to enable a promising student to establish a strong independent research career.
