Summary

Princess Margaret Range

Contents
Summary

Introduction
Geology
Preservation and Age
Characterisitics of Eocene Forests
Floristic Composition

Nearest Living Relatives

Research Objectives

Literature Cited

Remarkable preservation of the 45 million-year-old forests on eastern Axel Heiberg Island allows the use of standard field measurements to determine forest composition, architecture, dynamics, and productivity. The taxonomy and systematics of the middle Eocene flora have been studied for over a decade, but a clear understanding of the basic ecology of these forest awaits further detailed analyses. Stumps, boles, litter, roots, seeds and soils preserved as intact, in situ, mummified remains afford a unique opportunity to reconstruct many aspects of this ancient ecosystem from field measurements. We have undertaken studies to determine the basal area, density, fire history, histories of stand development, stand biomass, wood production and wood anatomy. Major objectives are: 1) reconstruction of the forests and determination of their ecological attributes; 2) determining the wood production rates of the forests; and 3) determining the physical and chemical nature of the Eocene environment at this locale from isotopic and anatomical-morphological studies.

Contents		Summary
Introduction Geology Preservation and Age Characterisitics of Eocene Forests Floristic Composition Nearest Living Relatives Research Objectives Literature Cited		Remarkable preservation of the 45 million-year-old forests on eastern Axel Heiberg Island allows the use of standard field measurements to determine forest composition, architecture, dynamics, and productivity. The taxonomy and systematics of the middle Eocene flora have been studied for over a decade, but a clear understanding of the basic ecology of these forest awaits further detailed analyses. Stumps, boles, litter, roots, seeds and soils preserved as intact, in situ, mummified remains afford a unique opportunity to reconstruct many aspects of this ancient ecosystem from field measurements. We have undertaken studies to determine the basal area, density, fire history, histories of stand development, stand biomass, wood production and wood anatomy. Major objectives are: 1) reconstruction of the forests and determination of their ecological attributes; 2) determining the wood production rates of the forests; and 3) determining the physical and chemical nature of the Eocene environment at this locale from isotopic and anatomical-morphological studies.