TITLE: Assessing indicator sensitivity for monitoring the effects of woody encroachment and restoration on forest health in oak savannas and woodlands in Central Iowa

PROJECT OBJECTIVES: This study will evaluate the use of detection monitoring (DM) indicator measurements to quantify and monitor changes in ecosystem health in encroached (control) and experimentally restored (thinned and burned) oak savannas in central Iowa. Specific objectives include: (1) Continue concurrent measurements of FHM indicators and more detailed, process-level ecosystem indicators of forest health (e.g., soil quality, species composition, stand structure, plant water uptake) to assess ecosystem functioning in response to woody encroachment and savanna restoration treatments (thinning and burning). (2) Initiate monitoring of additional process-level ecological indicators (soil respiration, soil carbon fractions, above- and below-ground productivity) to specifically detect effects of water and nutrient inputs from agricultural fields on carbon cycling and sequestration, productivity and forest health. (3) Compare assessments of ecosystem function obtained from DM indicator measurements to those derived from more detailed ecosystem measurements to determine their sensitivity to specific management practices, climatic variability and landscape processes. JUSTIFICATION: The health of oak savannas and woodlands of the central plains states is of regional concern due to low rates of oak regeneration and increasing domination of the understory by shade tolerant species, both of which alter th