Schmeeckle Microclimate Plot Notes
back

This securely fenced 1.6 acre microenvironmental study plot was established in 1978 with a grant from the University of Wisconsin System.  There are two towers for deployment of climate instrumentation, one of 10 m in the "open"" and one of 16 m that ascends into but does not transcend a forest canopy of mixed conifer-hardwoods.  Until 2002 neither instruments nor personnel were available to make systematic records, but at the end of the summer of, an array of environmental sensors were deployed.

Schmeeckle Reserve is natural area slightly greater than 100 ha situated just north of the campus of the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point.  Its substrate ranges from well-drained shallow soils over bedrock to the north to wetlands in the south over increasingly deep strata of outwash sands.  Its upland vegetation is second-growth, dating back primarily to logging in the early part of the 20th century, with much subsequently  historically farmed, though the soils are paradoxically droughty and subject to flooding.  The soils tend to be sandy, bit no part of the reserve sits far above the water table.  During the last century its hydrology has been influenced by the widest variety of road construction and urban development.  As one would expect in Wisconsin, ecological succession is likely to proceed rapidly towards forest cover.  As one would expect in this part of Wisconsin, the forest is likely to be a mix of hardwoods and conifers.

The intent behind the establishment of the plot was to provide a textbook setting for studying the strong microenvironmental differences that may be expected over the short distance between open and forested sites.  A variety of subtle elements compromise that ideal. One can rationalize that the plot does well in illustrating "real world" conditions as opposed to textbook climatic variation.  A secondary objective was to document the relatively great variation in temperature and small variation in moisture characteristic of our geographical area.

Compromises:

• Traffic    To minimize the ecological and aesthetic impact of a tall chain link fence, the plot is located at one corner of the reserve adjacent to commerce. Central Wisconsin's largest convention center is across a business loop to the west and the headquarters of an insurance company, the largest building in Central Wisconsin, is across  the street to the north.  During the hours of commerce, the plot is never quiet, and the air is more or less tinged by the aroma of exhaust.  Closed canopy forest buffers the plot to the north, east, and south.  The west side, though, is separated from highway and parking lots only by a 30 m grass strip and about 10 m of thicket.
• Slope    The plot slopes gently east from the southwestern opening where the "open" tower is located to the southeastern woods that contain the canopy tower. On a clear night, cold air drainage tends to cancel out the expected temperature difference between the two sites.
• Invasion    Wisconsin has a forest climate, but lots of deer.  Excluding the deer with the security fence apparently eliminated a major factor in keeping the opening open.  Ever since, invasion by sumac, aspen, blackberry, and recently buckthorn have tended to fill it in.  Periodically, woody plants have been mechanically removed, but natural processes are relentless and the opening varies between truly open and shrubby.
• Edge    A 10 m wide strip of thicket to the west hides the plot quite well but also constrains the extent of the opening.  Since the opening is on the west side of the canopy tower, extra light penetrates into the woods late in the day, and the instruments on the canopy tower are likely to be much more affected by west winds than those from another quarter.

Towers:

"open"	"open" top	canopy	canopy top