Browse by Subject

Contact Information

Northern Research Station
11 Campus Blvd., Suite 200
Newtown Square, PA 19073
(610) 557-4017
(610) 557-4132 TTY/TDD

You are here: NRS Home / Scientists & Staff / Mary Beth Adams

Scientists & Staff

Mary Beth Adams

Title: Project Leader / Supervisory Soil Scientist
Unit: Ecological and Economic Sustainability of the Appalachian Forest in an Era of Globalization
Previous Unit: Sustainable Forest Ecosystems in the Central Appalachians
Address: Northern Research Station
P.O. Box 404
Parsons, WV 26287
Phone: 304-478-2000, ext. 130
E-mail: Contact Mary Beth Adams

Jump to Publications

Education

Ph.D. Soil Science and Forestry, North Carolina State University
M.S. Forestry, Purdue University
B.S. Forestry Purdue University

Civic & Professional Affiliations

Soil Science Society of America, Society of American Foresters, Ecological Society of America, Association for Women in Science, West Virginia Association of Professional Soil Scientists

Current Research

Much of my current research deals with nutrient cycling in forest ecosystems as affected by different management and disturbance regimes. I work collaboratively with other scientists in NRS-4353, other RWUs, and scientists at universities and other agencies.
I am part of the Fernow Watershed Acidification Study, which is using ammonium sulfate fertilizer to look at acidification of an entire forested watershed; we recently published a book summarizing and synthesizing the first 15 years of the acidification study.
I am also looking at nutrient loss from prescribed fire and evaluating the role of soil nutrients in sustaining the long-term productivity and diversity of Appalachian hardwood forests. This latter study is affiliated with the national Long Term Soil Productivity Study.
I am a strong supporter of Experimental Forests and Ranges, and spent a significant amount of time in managing the Fernow Experimental Forest, as well as representing the NRS on the Experimental Forests and Ranges chartered working group.

Why is This Important

Long-term research is a hallmark of Forest Service research. It is important for us to understand that the trends we are observing are due to various management treatments or other causal factors, and not just due to annual variability in rainfall and temperature. My research will help us better manage our forests sustainably for many years

Future Research

We are interested in developing management recommendations for ecosystem restoration and/or rehabilitation. The high elevation red spruce ecosystem in the Appalachians is one of the most endangered ecosystems in the U.S.; we are proposing to do work on creating stand structure, and other activities that are amenable to red spruce restoration, and to evaluate the effects of those activities on other resources. The effects of air pollutants on forest resources is a continuing research area, and we continue to evaluate alternatives/opportunities for restoration in addition to just evaluating effects.
Finally, I am also interested in evaluating the effects of energy development on natural resources, and I am continuing with remeasurements of my LTSP plots and gleaning information from those data.

Featured Publications

Kochenderfer, James N.; Adams, Mary Beth; Miller, Gary W.; Wood, Frederica. 2006. Growth and development of planted northern red oak on bulldozed skidroads after clearcutting in Appalachian hardwoods. Res. Pap. NE-730. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Research Station. 16 p.
Adams, Mary Beth; Burger, James; Zelazny, Lucian; Baumgras, John. 2004. Description of the Fork Mountain long-term soil productivity study: site characterization. Gen. Tech. Rep. NE-323. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Research Station. 40 p.
Adams, M.B.; Edwards, P.J.; Kochenderfer, J.N.; Wood, F. 2004. Fifty years of watershed research on the Fernow Experimental Forest, WV: effects of forest management and air pollution on hardwood forests. In: Renard, Kenneth G.; McElroy, Stephen A.; Gburek, William J.; Canfield, H. Evan; Scott, Russell L., eds. First interagency conference on research in the watersheds; 2003 October 27-30; Benson, AZ. Tucson, AZ: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Southwest Watershed Research Center: 391-396.
Adams, Mary Beth; Loughry, Linda; Plaugher, Linda, comps. 2008. Experimental Forests and Ranges of the USDA Forest Service. Gen. Tech. Rep. NE-321 Revised. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Research Station. 178 p. [CD ROM]

Additional Online Publications

Adams, Mary Beth. 2008. Long-term leaf fall mass from three watersheds on the Fernow Experimental Forest, West Virginia
Eisenbies, Mark H.; Adams, M.B.; Aust, W. Michael; Burger, James A. 2007. Bibliography of forest water yields, flooding issues, and the hydrologic modeling of extreme flood events
Kochenderfer, James N.; Adams, Mary Beth; Miller, Gary W.; Helvey, David J. 2007. Factors affecting large peakflows on Appalachian watersheds: lessons from the Fernow Experimental Forest
Eisenbies, M.A.; Aust, W.M.; Burger, J.A.; Adams, M.B. 2007. Forest operations, extreme flooding events, and considerations for hydrologic modeling in the Appalachians--A review
Adams, Mary Beth; Kochenderfer, James N.; Edwards, Pamela J. 2007. The Fernow Watershed Acidification Study: ecosystem acidification, nitrogen saturation and base cation leaching
Schuler, Thomas M.; Ford, W. Mark; Adams, Mary Beth; Kochenderfer, James N.; Edwards, Pamela J. 2006. Large area comparisons of forest management practices in West Virginia (1951-present)
Lugo, Ariel E.; Swanson, Frederick J.; González, Olga Ramos; Adams, Mary Beth; Palik, Brian; Thill, Ronald E.; Brockway, Dale G.; Kern, Christel; Woodsmith, Richard; Musselman, Robert. 2006. Long Term Research at the USDA Forest Service's Experimental Forests and Ranges
Pardo, L.H.; Templer, P.H.; Goodale, C.L.; Duke, S.; Groffman, P.M.; Adams, M.B.; Boeckx, P.; Boggs, J.; Campbell, J.; Colman, B.; Compton, J.; Emmett, B.; Gundersen, P.; Kjonaas, J.; Lovett, G.; Mack, M.; Magill, A.; Mbila, M.; Mitchell, M.J.; McGee, G.; McNulty, S.; Nadelhoffer, K.; Ollinger, S.; Ross, D.; Rueth, H.; Rustad, L.; Schaberg, P.; Schiff, S.; Schleppi, P.; Spoelstra, J.; Wessel, W. 2006. Regional assessment of N saturation using foliar and root δ¹⁵N
DeWalle, David R.; Kochenderfer, James N.; Adams, Mary Beth; Miller, Gary W. 2006. Vegetation and acidification, Chapter 5
May, Jeffrey D.; Burdette, Sarah Beth; Gilliam, Frank S.; Adams, Mary Beth. 2005. Interspecific divergence in foliar nutrient dynamics and stem growth in a temperate forest in response to chronic nitrogen inputs
Schuler, Thomas M.; Adams, Mary Beth; Ford, W. Mark; Kochenderfer, James N.; Edwards, Pamela J. 2005. Large Area Comparisons of Forest Management Practices (1951 - Present)
Campbell, John L.; Hornbeck, James W.; Mitchell, Myron J.; Adams, Mary Beth; Castro, Mark S.; Driscoll, Charles T.; Kahl, Jeffrey S.; Kochenderfer, James N.; Likens, Gene E.; Lynch, James A.; Murdoch, Peter S.; Nelson, Sarah J.; Shanley, James B. 2004. Input-output budgets of inorganic nitrogen for 24 forest watersheds in the northeastern United States: a review
DeWalle, David R.; Tepp, Jeffrey S.; Swistock, Bryan R.; Edwards, Pamela J.; Sharpe, William E.; Adams, Mary Beth; Kochenderfer, James N. 2003. Dendrochemical response to soil fertilization
Adams, Mary Beth. 2003. Ecological issues related to N deposition to natural ecosystems: research needs
Adams, M. B.; Schuler, T. M.; Ford, W. M.; Kochenderfer, J. N. 2003. Large woody debris in a second-growth central Appalachian hardwood stand: volume, composition, and dynamics
Edwards, Pamela J.; Kochenderfer, James N.; Coble, Dean W.; Adams, Mary Beth. 2002. Soil leachate responses during 10 years of induced whole-watershed acidification
Madarish, Darlene M.; Rodrigue, Jane L.; Adams, Mary Beth. 2002. Vascular flora and macroscopic fauna on the Fernow Experimental Forest
Adams, M.B.; Owens, D.R. 2001. Specific gravity of coarse woody debris for some central Appalachian hardwood forest species
Fernandez, Ivan J.; Adams, Mary Beth. 2000. Nitrogen saturation in experimental forested watersheds
Hornbeck, J. W.; Adams, M. B.; Corbett, E. S.; Verry, E. S.; Lynch, J. A. 1995. A summary of water yield experiments on hardwood forested watersheds in northeastern United States
Adams, M. B.; Kochenderfer, J. N.; Angradi, T. R.; Edwards, P. J. 1995. Nutrient budgets of two watersheds on the Fernow Experimental Forest
Gilliam, Frank S.; Adams, Mary Beth. 1995. Plant and soil nutrients in young versus mature central Appalachian hardwood stands
Adams, Harold S.; Stephenson, Steven L.; Lawrence, David M.; Adams, Mary Beth; Eisenback, John D. 1995. Red spruce/hardwood ecotones in the central Appalachians
Adams, Mary Beth; Kochenderfer, James N.; Wood, Frederica; Angradi, Ted R.; Edwards, Pamela. 1994. Forty years of hydrometeorological data from the Fernow Experiment Forest, West Virginia
Stephenson, Steven L.; Kumar, Ashok; Bhatt, Rajendra; Dubey, Tara; Landolt, John C.; Adams, Mary Beth. 1994. Preliminary checklist of fungi of the Fernow Experiment Forest
Godwin, Marc Layne; Wood, Frederica; Adams, Mary Beth; Eye, Maxine C.; [Compilers]. 1993. Annotated bibliography of research related to the Fernow Experimental Forest
Adams, Mary Beth; Nichols, Dale S.; Federer, Anthony C.; Jensen, Keith F.; Parrott, Harry. 1991. Screening procedure to evaluate effects of air pollution on Eastern Region wildernesses cited as Class I air quality areas.

Last Modified: 11/19/2008