• Ross, Donald
  University of Vermont
  
• Gorres, Josef
  University of Vermont
  
• Danks, Cecilia
  University of Vermont
  
• Wilmot, Sandy
  Vermont Dpet. of Forests, Parks & Recreation
  

Northern Forests have the potential to offset a measurable fraction of anthropogenic carbon by sequestration. A large portion of total carbon storage is belowground and prior land use has a long-lasting effect on soil carbons storage. Losses of carbon, especially those associated with tilled agriculture, have persisting negative effects on soil carbon stores. Due to this influence, much of the northern forest with a history of past agricultural use is experiencing a net gain in soil carbon. However this function is threatened by exotic earthworm invaders which have caused considerable ecosystem-wide changes to soil and vegetation structure in northern hardwood forests. Most findings document short term carbon losses after an invasion event, primarily through the indirect impact earthworms have on the decomposition rates of these soils. Other research suggests that earthworm-related stable aggregates may mitigate these losses through the long term physical protection of carbon, specifically within microaggregate (<250 µm) structures. The objectives of this study were to (1) survey a variety of forested regions in the state of Vermont to determine the extent of current  earthworm invasion, (2) quantify the amount of physically protected structures within 8 hardwood  forest stands and analyze the extent that earthworm presence may influence these values, (3)  conduct a controlled investigation on the effect of one earthworm species on an earthworm-free  undisturbed forest soil, (4) determine the land use history of 18 monitored forest stands, and (5) prepare outreach materials on the earthworm situation.