Soil attributes as viable agents in red spruce mortality along the southern Appalachian highlands with applications as field and laboratory exercises for community college science courses

The southern Appalachian highlands displaying peaks above 1500m frequently support a northern boreal forest. These highland forests sustain both red spruce and Fraser fir trees, which are typically aboriginal to the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada. Within the past century, these forests have declined at an unusual rate. Past studies have focused on the impacts of acid deposition and similar atmospheric pollutants.; However, the scientific community found difficulty in establishing a cause-and-effect relationship between the decline and these atmospheric pollutants. This dissertation focuses on a heavily neglected and often overlooked factor, which creates restrictions in growth patterns and overall health of these boreal trees. That overlooked factor deals primarily with soil nutrients within a selected spruce-fir stand of the southern Appalachians. The research quantitatively analyzes soils for specific chemical and physical properties, with comparisons made to soils from the New England region where the spruces and firs grow indigenously.; A fundamental part of understanding ecosystems is the environmental interrelationships within those ecosystems. This document organizes a series of laboratory exercises, which target community college science courses so student exploration of these interrelationships becomes an integral part of the laboratory procedures. By completing these various exercises, students become more aware of the connective character of nature as well as develop an appreciation of geography, the original environmental science.; Although atmospheric pollutants should continue to be scrutinized, findings of this research document show that the natural characteristics of soils are clearly a limiting factor in the overall health and vitality of the southern boreal forests. Therefore, future research, regardless of the focus, should include soil characteristics as a viable factor in the health of these delicate forest-types.