TREE CANOPY RESEARCH AND STUDENT EXPERIENCES USING THE DOUBLED ROPE CLIMBING METHOD

Students from the University of Central Missouri explored the tree canopies of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee and North Carolina, Daniel Boone National Forest in Kentucky, and Big Oak Tree State Park, Ha Ha Tonka State Park, and Pertle Springs in Missouri from the summer of 2000 to 2007. The Doubled Rope Climbing Method (DRCM) was used to climb more than 500 individual trees without injury. This included three vine species and also 49 tree species, usually exceeding 60 cm diameter at breast height, and more than 30 m in total height. Students attended a two-day mandatory tree climbing school held at Pertle Springs. The purpose of this paper is to provide information about how to obtain financial grant support and a detailed description of the DRCM and student research experiences represented by the Adventure Phase, the Laboratory Phase, and the Publication Phase. Advantages and disadvantages of the DRCM and hazards associated with climbing gear, study sites, and climbing trees are discussed in detail. The climbing gear and knots used in the DRCM are described and illustrated with color images along with the climbing procedure used to obtain bark samples, aerial reproductive structures, and cryptogams in vertical transects from near ground level to the treetop. The sampling protocol, student field experiences, discovery of a new myxomycete species (Diachea arboricola), tree canopy publications, media coverage, and outreach and education with seventh grade life science students at Warrensburg Middle School are included as examples of student professional scientific experiences. Multiple projects examined the occurrence and importance of cryptogams such as myxomycetes, macrofungi, mosses, liverworts, lichens, and ferns. Observations of invertebrates including insects, mollusks, nematodes, and tardigrades were also noted. Future directions for research using the DRCM are suggested in order to help the next generation of tree canopy biologists explore, ask questions, and develop hypotheses that will increase our knowledge of the biosphere.

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