The Buell-Small Succession Study


The BSS Study Site
The Buell-Small Succession Study (BSS) comprises ten old fields adjacent to the old growth forest at the Hutcheson Memorial Forest in Somerset County, New Jersey, USA (40º30' N, 74º34'). The Hutcheson Memorial Forest (HMF), owned by Rutgers
University, is composed of an old-growth forest with a Quercus-Carya canopy and a Cornus florida understory (Myster and Pickett, 1994). The soils at HMF belong to the Penn soil series, derived from the Triassic red shale of the Brunswick Formation (Ugolini, 1964).

There are only slight variations in soil texture, drainage, and depth between the ten old fields (Ugolini, 1964). In addition, there are no significant differences in nitrate, ammonium, nitrogen mineralization potential, phosphorus, calcium, potassium, soil structure, soil texture, or organic matter between fields of different ages (Robertson and Vitousek, 1981; Robertson, 1982). Consequently, it is assumed that soil differences are small between the old fields in the BSS study.

The ten old fields of the BSS exhibit four different inital conditions: the year of abandonment, season of abandonment, the last crop, and mode of abandonment as summarized in the table. The old fields also vary in size between 0.35 - 0.87 ha (Myster and Pickett, 1988). At the time of abandonment 48 permanent plots, measuring 2.0 x 0.5 m, were established on a grid in each old field. The size and shape of each field determined the placement of the grid. The permanent plots were sampled every year from 1958 to 1979, after which they were sampled every other year to the present.

Treatments:
Season of Abandonment:
S (spring) F (fall)
Last Crop:
R (row crop) H (hay)
Mode of Abandonment:
B (bare soil) L (intact litter)

Field Year Abandoned Treatment

C3 1958 FRL

D1 1958 FRL

D2 1960 FRL

D3 1960 SRB

E1 1962 FHL

E2 1962 SHB

C6 1964 FHL

C7 1964 SHB

C4 1964 SRB

C5 1964 FRB

The BSS Study Site | Sampling Methods | Data |
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References
Myster, R. W. and S. T. A. Pickett 1988. Individualistic patterns of annuals and biennials in early successional oldfields. Vegetatio 78: 53-60.
Myster, R. W. and S. T. A. Pickett 1994. A comparison of rate of succession over 18 yr. in 10 contrasting old fields. Ecology 75: 387-392.
Robertson, G. P. 1982. Factors regulating nitrification in primary and secondary succession. Ecology 63: 1561-1573.
Robertson, G. P. and P. M. Vitousek 1981. Nitrification potentials in primary and secondary succession. Ecology 62: 376-386.
Ugolini, F. 1964. Soil development on the red beds of New Jersey. William L. Hutcheson Memorial Forest Bulletin 2: 1- 34.

The BSS Study Site | Sampling Methods | Data |
Examples of Analyses | Publications

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