The document summarizes a study on the effects of nutrients on sugar maple and American beech seed production. Seed traps were placed below sugar maple and beech trees in five old forest stands. The traps were emptied in November and the seeds sorted and weighed. The results showed that phosphorus decreased average sugar maple seed mass, while nitrogen increased average American beech seed mass and seed count. Future work is planned to continue sorting and analyzing the seed and litter data collected.

1. The After Mast:
effects of nutrients on
sugar maple and beech
seed production
Adam Wild
Committee Members:
Ruth Yanai
Nat Cleavitt
Tim Fahey
Matt Vadeboncoeur

2. Why study seeds?
• Babies! - regeneration of
species
• Larger seeds would allow
better seedling survival
• Important food source for
wildlife

3. Why Collect Seeds in 2017?
• 2011 was the most recent
sugar maple mast year
Cleavitt, NL. & TJ. Fahey. 2017. Seed Production
of Sugar Maple and American Beech in Northern
Hardwood Forest, New Hampshire, USA
2017 was observed to be a mast year for
both sugar maple and American beech
• 2015 was the most recent
American beech mast year

4. Methods
”A Better Seed & Litter Trap”
(Hughes, Fahey, & Brown 1987)
• Seed traps placed in five old stands
108-135 years old
(3 in Bartlett, 1 in Hubbard Brook,
& 1 in Jeffers Brook)
• 8 traps in each treatment
• 4 below sugar maples
• 4 below beech trees
• Traps emptied in November
• Seeds and leaf litter sorted by
species and weighed

5. Sugar Maple Average Seed Mass
Phosphorus
decreased the
average sugar
maple seed
mass
C7 C8 C9

6. American Beech Average Seed Mass
Nitrogen
increased the
average American
Beech seed mass
C7 C8 C9

7. Sugar Maple Seed Count
No significant
treatment
response on
sugar maple seed
count
C7 C8 C9

8. American Beech Seed Count
C7 C8 C9
Nitrogen
increased the
number of
American beech
seeds

9. Future Work
• Still sorting data from
Jeffers Brook and
Hubbard Brook
• Seed viability testing
• Germination testing
• Chemistry analysis
• Carbohydrate analysis

10. Acknowledgement
• Nat Cleavitt
• Ruth Yanai
• Tim Fahey
• Matt Vadeboncoeur
• Maddy Morley
• Claudia Victoroff
• MELNHE Crew
Students at SUNY Cobleskill
• Max Hill
• Naomi Shibuya
• Nancy Hendricks
• Mary Morawski
• Collin Clark
• John Parker
• Jimmy Kloos
• Julian Canavan
• Briana Vasquez