Date of Completion
2025
Document Type
Honors College Thesis
Department
Plant Biology
Thesis Type
Honors College, College of Arts and Science Honors
First Advisor
Stephen Keller
Second Advisor
Nicholas Aflitto
Third Advisor
Terrence Delaney
Keywords
invasive species, forest pathogen, Neonectria, beech scale, beech leaf disease
Abstract
Beech bark disease (BBD) has been present in Vermont for the past 60 years leading to significant changes in forest composition and damaging the characteristically smooth bark of American beech (Fagus grandifolia) in our forests. My project measured disease severity and other metrics of beech trees on the historic Siccama research plots along the Burrows trail. Comparing my data to survey data over the last 60 years provides insights into how this forest has changed over time. Additionally, I use spatial data analysis to investigate patterns of disease severity to learn more about how BBD remains in an aftermath forest. To investigate possible environmental factors contributing to BBD severity a neighborhood-based forest structure parameter (mingling) and elevation are investigated for correlations with disease severity. This study provides for the first time a characterization of beech bark disease on Camels Hump Mountain and considers if the forest on a steep elevation gradient has changed in the same ways as other research forests.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Blochberger, John M., "Characterization of Beech Bark Disease on Camels Hump Mountain, Vermont" (2025). UVM Patrick Leahy Honors College Senior Theses. 705.
https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/hcoltheses/705
