The Ecology and Management of Atlantic White Cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides) 2012 SYMPOSIUM June 12, 13 and 14, 2012 Hilton Garden Inn on the waterfront in Suffolk, VA

Radial growth of peatland Atlantic white cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides (L.) B.S.P.) in Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge and its association with Lake Drummond water levels

Craig L. Patterson and Robert B. Atkinson, Christopher Newport University, Center for Wetland Conservation

Craig L. Patterson, Christopher Newport University, Center for Wetland Conservation

Abstract: Over 200 years of commercial logging and drainage coupled with recent natural disasters have eliminated mature Atlantic white cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides (L.) B.S.P.) (AWC) stands from Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge (GDSNWR). Regeneration of AWC stands will require hydrologic restoration, and findings from tree-ring studies can contribute to restoration success. Analyses were performed on cross-sections of AWC stems to quantify radial growth and determine associations between ring width and climatic and hydrologic variables from 1919 through 2003. A total of 433 radial-growth series and 29 341 annual rings were measured from 105 AWC stem-cuts and were modeled using a 24-month window of Lake Drummond water levels. Growth was most strongly influenced by water levels in Lake Drummond. This study provided evidence that AWC is responsive to water level changes in GDSNWR.

Tree rings, hydrologic variables, Lake Drummond

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