Geescroft Wilderness

Experiment Code: R/GE/9
Experiment Site: Rothamsted
Objectives: To study the establishment of plants after abandonment of arable cropping and subsequently the accumulation of organic carbon above and below ground.
Description: The Geescroft Wildernesses site at Rothamsted was 'fenced off' in the 1880's and left to revert naturally to woodland. The site had previously been arable for centuries. It is an acidic site (in contrast to the calcareous Broadbalk Wilderness). Although not an experiment in the usual sense, it is of great value, especially for looking at long-term changes in soil and regeneration of woodland vegetation. Geescroft Wilderness is an ECN (Environmental Change Network) site and is surveyed every 3 years.
Date Start: 1883
Date End: Ongoing

Funding

The e-RA database, including the published datasets generated from it, is part of the Rothamsted Long-Term Experiments - National Bioscience Research Infrastructure (RLTE-NBRI) , which also includes the Long-Term Experiments, the Sample Archive and Rothamsted's environmental monitoring activities including the weather stations and its role in the UK Environmental Change Network.
The RLTE-NBRI is supported by the Lawes Agricultural Trust and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (Grants BBS/E/C/00005189 (2012-2017); BBS/E/C/000J0300 (2017-2022); BBS/E/RH/23NB0007 (2023-2028)).

Keywords

ecological succession, geescroft wilderness experiment, long term experiments, rothamsted research, soil organic carbon, woodland

Experimental Design

Description

This acidic site, Geescroft Wilderness, is now a deciduous wood dominated by oak (Quercus robur), with an understory of holly (Ilex aquafolium). Because the soil is so acidic, there are few ground cover species, and there is a permanent litter layer (in contrast to the Broadbalk Wilderness, where each year's litter decomposes).

Design

Period: 1847 - Now

Crops

Crop	Years Grown
Regeneration to Woodland	1886 -

Factors

Factors are the interventions or treatments which vary across the experiment.

Liming Exposure

Description: Small amounts of chalk were applied in the 1840s-1880s, and the soil is now acidic (pH fell from 7.1 in 1883 to 4.4 in 1999).

Application: Whole Plot

Levels

Level Name	Amount	Years	Frequency	Crop	Method	Chemical Form	Notes

Measurements

Variable	Unit	Collection Frequency	Material	Description	Crop
Soil Organic Carbon	t/ha	infrequent	Soil	Sample data for 1883, 1904, 1965, 1999 (comprising 8, 2, 4, 8 separate samples respectively). Other physical samples available in sample archive (1963, 1964, 1969, 1990, 1991, 1992)
Plant Biomass	t/ha	infrequent		Sample data = organic carbon from 1883, 1904, 1965, 1999 for trees/shrubs, litter and roots.

Site: Geescroft Wilderness - Rothamsted

Experiment Site: Rothamsted
Description: The Geescroft Wilderness at Rothamsted was left to revert naturally to woodland in 1886. The site had previously been arable for centuries, most recently with field beans 1847-1878, bare fallow 1879-1883 and clover 1883-1885. It is an area of 1.3 ha.
Management: Small amounts of chalk were applied in the 1840s-1880s, and the soil is now acidic (pH fell from 7.1 in 1883 to 4.4 in 1999).
Visit Permitted?: Yes
Visiting Arrangments: By arrangement with Dr Andy Gregory, LTE Manager
Elevation: 133 Metres
Geolocation: 51.802193, -0.36036

Soil

Type: Chromic Luvisol
Batcombe soil series, silty clay loam surface overlying clay-with-flints, overlying chalk at a depth of several meters.

Soil Properties

Variable	Value	Reference Year	Is Estimated	Is Baseline
Soil pH	4.4 ()	1999	NO	NO
Soil pH	7.1 ()	1183	NO	NO
Clay content	22.5% (Percent)		NO	NO
Clay content	55% (Percent)		NO	NO

Datasets available

Title (hover for a longer description)	Year of Publication	Identifier	Version
Soil data
Geescroft wilderness accumulation of organic carbon	2015	https://doi.org/10.23637/KeyRefOAGEWoc	01

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License

These media (images and videos) are available under a Creative Commons Attribution Licence (4.0) with attribution to Rothamsted Research.

Images

Key References

2016

J. Storkey , A.J. Macdonald , J.R. Bell , I.M. Clark , A.S. Gregory , N.J. Hawkins , P.R. Hirsch , L.C. Todman and Whitmore, A.P.(2016) "The Unique Contribution of Rothamsted to Ecological Research at Large Temporal Scales.", Advances in Ecological Research (eds: A.J. Dumbrell , R.L. Kordas and G. Woodward - Academic Press), Vol 55, Chapter 1, pp. 3-42
DOI: 10.1016/bs.aecr.2016.08.002

2008

Jenkinson, D.S. , Poulton, P.R. and Bryant, C.(2008) "The turnover of organic carbon in subsoils. Part 1. Natural and bomb radiocarbon in soil profiles from the Rothamsted long-term field experiments", European Journal of Soil Science, 59, 391-399
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2389.2008.01025.x

2003

Poulton, P.R. , Pye, E. , Hargreaves, P.R. and Jenkinson, D.S.(2003) "Accumulation of carbon and nitrogen by old arable land reverting to woodland", Global Change Biology, 9, 942-955
DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2486.2003.00633.x

2002

Blake, L. and Goulding, K.W.T.(2002) "Effects of atmospheric deposition, soil pH and acidification on heavy metal contents in soils and vegetation of semi-natural ecosystems at Rothamsted Experimental Station, UK", Plant and Soil, 240, 235-251
DOI: 10.1023/A:1015731530498
Pye, E.(2002) "Investigation of woodland regeneration within two Wilderness areas. PhD thesis", University of Hertfordshire.

2001

Harmer, R. , Peterken, G. , Kerr, G. and Poulton, P.(2001) "Vegetation changes during 100 years of development of two secondary woodlands on abandoned arable land", Biological Conservation, 101, 291-304
DOI: 10.1016/S0006-3207(01)00072-6

1999

Blake, L. , Goulding, K.W.T. , Johnston, A.E. and Mott, C.J.B.(1999) "Changes in soil chemistry accompanying acidification over more than 100 years under woodland and grass at Rothamsted Experimental Station, UK", European Journal of Soil Science, 50, 401-412
DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2389.1999.00253.x

1996

Poulton, P.R.(1996) "Geescroft Wilderness, 1883-1995", NATO Advanced Research Workshop, Evaluation of soil organic matter models using existing long-term datasets, NATO ASI Series I: Global Environmental Change, (Powlson D. S. , Smith P. and Smith J.U. (eds) - Springer-Verlag, Berlin), Vol 38, 385-389
Kerr, G. , Harmer, R. and Moss, S.R.(1996) "Natural colonisation: a study of Broadbalk Wilderness", Aspects of Applied Biology, 25-32

1971

Jenkinson, D.S.(1971) "The accumulation of organic matter in soil left uncultivated", Rothamsted Experimental Station Report for 1970 , Part 2 , 113-137
Get from eRAdoc: ResReport1970p2-113-137

1965

Garner, H.V. , Witts, K.J. , King, D.W. , Jenkinson, D.S. , Yuen, P.H. and Skinner, F.A.(1965) "Broadbalk Wilderness", Rothamsted Experimental Station Report for 1964 , , 218-223
Get from eRAdoc: ResReport1964-219-224
DOI: 10.23637/ERADOC-1-50229

1915

Brenchley, W.E. and Adam, H.(1915) "Recolonisation of cultivated land allowed to revert to natural conditions", Journal of Ecology, 3, 193-210
https://www.jstor.org/stable/2255489

1895

Lawes, J.B.(1895) "Upon some properties of soils, which have grown a cereal crop and a leguminous crop for many years in succession. ", Agricultural Students' Gazette, New Series, 7, 65-72 (Series 1/91)