Coastal Plateau Bogs occur in a narrow strip of downeast coastal Maine, and nowhere else in the U.S. These bogs support a unique assemblage of rare or disjunct northern plant species. Dr. Barton and his students' recently documented 20th century invasion of these bogs by jack pine, a common boreal tree at its southeastern range limit. The next step is to analyze fossil pollen and charcoal from bog peat cores, which will reveal the history of interactions among fire, jack pine, and the unique northern flora over the past several thousand years.

For more information, contact Dr. Drew Barton