...and More About the Field Work

There is always much more going on besides the climbing during the three weeks in the field.  If you are not up in a tree obtaining specimens and environmental data, then you are working as a "ground crew" person.  The ground crew stays near the tree to help insure the safety of the climber, gather the specimens sent down from the tree, and to send up any needed items.  The ground crew also records information about the tree in the field book that contains information on each tree climbed, including GPS readings that will allow the tree to be revisited easily.  Also, a voucher specimen, a branch with leaves, is collected from each tree. 
Tommy in tree with Dr. Keller and Dr. Wilson as groundcrew...Stan filming (top left). Ashley fills a "lull" in groundcrew duties (top right).  Tommy prepares to advance higher in the tree which he will do by throwing either the climbing rope or a throw line above a higher branch (left).  A throw line is weighted with a throw bag (above). Tommy examines some myxomycetes he has collected (below).
Amber and Ashley pose for a shot while bagging a voucher specimen and recording tree data in the field book.

Since the team is also looking for insects, Dr. Wilson spends some of his time at each site "sweeping" the groundcover and understory for insects.  He also sometimes carries a HUGE vacumn to collect with.  Most of the insects gathered, though, are collected in hanging canopy traps.  These are left in place for a few days to catch the diurnal and nocturnal insects that move through the tree canopy.
 
 
 

It takes more than one person to prepare and raise an insect canopy trap.  First a throw line must be shot up over a branch with the Big Shot, then the trap is prepared. Here you see Amber and Tommy holding the net while Dr. Steve Wilson pours alcohol into the upper bottle that will trap the insects that climb "up" after flying into the net.

 Once the net is partially raised, alcohol can be added to the lower bottle that will trap the insects that climb "down" upon flying into the net.  Once the trap is raised, it is secured with a second line and left for two or more days.
 

CLICK HERE to see a list of the locations within the GSMNP that the team visited to collect data.
 
 

CLICK HERE to get a glimpse of what life was like at the Cosby field station house.