Forest Findings

By Kim Nagy, April 23, 2025

Student-faculty team measures the carbon-sequestering powers of IC Natural Lands.

Image collage of IC Natural Lands Imagery (Maple Canopy, Maple leaf in water, leaves against blue sky)

"A project like this speaks to the biggest questions we have right now about life on earth. I'm thrilled to be able to chart changes over time because that's the question we need to answer for our planet and our institution."

Jake Brenner, Manager of IC Natural Lands

Alicia Menduni in IC Natural Lands

When you explore any of the six trails and over seven miles of hiking in Ithaca College Natural Lands (ICNL), you might observe that the trees provide crucial habitat for many species. But trees do much more. They protect against soil erosion, purify the air, and significantly absorb carbon dioxide while releasing oxygen during photosynthesis in a process called carbon sequestration. Carbon sequestration helps mitigate the effects of greenhouse gas emissions through the natural power of trees to store carbon. At IC, think of it as the power equivalent to 18 billion smartphone charges.

On April 23, 2025, during IC’s Annual James J. Whalen Academic Symposium, an interdisciplinary faculty-student collaboration, including Professors Jake Brenner (Department of the Environment) and Adam Lee (Computer Science), along with senior double major in Environmental Science and Community and Public Health, Alicia Menduni ’25, will present research measuring the impact of carbon sequestration on the college and the region. Their findings can also inform future conservation strategies.

Alicia Menduni presenting at the James J. Whalen Academic Symposium

A Brief History of IC’s Forest Carbon Research Program

Starting in 2019, Brenner, Ithaca College Natural Lands reserve manager since 2012, initiated a study to determine the amount of carbon sequestered in the organic material in the trees and soils of IC Natural Lands. The ICNL Forest Carbon Project (ForCaPro) project has gained significant momentum since they tagged the first tree in 2019.

“We went through these milestones in this project that were very exciting. When we actually tagged the first tree, that was great, but then we were years away from having a data set ready for analysis,” noted Brenner. By 2021, they gathered their first complete data set.

In 2022, Adam Lee, Professor of Computer Science, joined Brenner to take the lead on data quality control and analysis. Lee remembers that his department was always looking for ways to collaborate with other departments on data. In fact, Lee, who emphasizes bringing real world data into his classes, now uses this data set in his Computer Science 110 course! Back in 2022, Lee was excited to bring his data science expertise to conservation—and provide guardrails to ensure data accuracy.

Portrait of Jake Brenner with a Tulip Poplar Tree

Jake Brenner in IC Natural Lands

“The biggest part of working on that data set was actually not the data that they had gotten, but rather cleaning up that data and then putting in some guardrails” said Lee about ensuring data entry caught any spelling or species inconsistencies. “2024 was our best year yet.”

“It took us three years to work out the kinks, correct errors, and fill in the gaps,” said Brenner who also runs IC’s Land Stewardship Program, a credit-bearing apprenticeship that gives students valuable skills in environmental science, including land and water resource management, mapping, fieldwork, and project design. “One of the things Ithaca College does best is to give real research opportunities to undergrads.”

“I think carbon sequestration research will become increasingly important as climate change becomes more intense.”

Alicia Menduni '25

Alicia Menduni ‘25, who had measured many tree trunk diameters in IC’s Land Stewardship program for three years, jumped at the opportunity to now play a key role in analyzing the very research she’d been collecting.

“I really wanted to work with this data,” reflected Menduni. “In this particular research, we explore how the trees measured absorb carbon during photosynthesis and then store it in their biomass, primarily as wood.”

“I think carbon sequestration research will become increasingly important as climate change becomes more intense.” Trees, she added, are excellent carbon sinks because they store carbon for their entire lives and continue securing carbon even after they die and decompose.

“It's been really gratifying to see Alicia grow into and into an owner of the process and the data set and the project. She is an equally invested collaborator in the Forest Carbon project,” said Brenner.

Ithaca College’s Natural Lands Forest Carbon Project analyzes deeply significant figures derived from nearly one thousand trees within 41 plots in IC’s Natural Lands, which contribute an important component to IC’s climate commitments.

Rewarding Research

“A project like this speaks to the biggest questions we have right now about life on earth. I'm thrilled to be able to chart changes over time because that's the question we need to answer for our planet and our institution,” said Brenner.

Their research has revealed some of the extraordinary benefits of ICNL’s trees. With an estimated 151,112 MTCO2e (metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent) stored in the ICNL, the carbon storage is equivalent to:

82,577 tons of coal
349,856 barrels of crude oil
17 million gallons of gasoline
375 million car miles driven
18 billion smartphone charges

Portrait of Whalen Poster - Forest Carbon Research Project

A student who tends to take every opportunity, Menduni came to the project prepared but a little daunted. She'd learned about trail maintenance during her internship with New York State Parks in the Fall of 2024, conducting salamander and hemlock surveys. And she knew her trees. One of her previous classes entailed tree identification, which prepared her for the identification process. “We collected leaves from 30 different trees here, which helped us identify them using leaves and bark. For instance, I didn't know we had a pear tree, willow tree, or butternut tree in the Natural Lands.”

Significantly, she’d also taken a mandatory class for all Environmental Science majors called Critical Skills in Environmental Research and Practice, which included some Excel and spreadsheet training. “We wouldn't be where we are in the collaboration right now if Alicia didn’t have that background,” said Brenner.

This huge amalgamation of figures, however, was the largest data set she’d ever worked with. Brenner and Lee would often give Menduni a list of questions from the spreadsheet to crosscheck, such as, “Where is this tree?” or “Is that the right species?”

At this point, Menduni knows all forty species of trees in IC Natural Lands by heart. She loves that she can directly see how the tree trunk diameter, the main way they measured carbon storage, translates into carbon sequestration.

“I hope to continue working on how we can best manage and conserve natural carbon sequestration systems as one aspect of keeping carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere,” said Menduni about her future plans after graduation.

“It's been really gratifying to see Alicia grow into and into an owner of the process and the data set and the project. She is an equally invested collaborator in the Forest Carbon project."

Jake Brenner

Future of the Forest

Not all trees sequester the same amount of carbon. For example, red maples and sugar maples dominate the woods in the Natural Lands, but they don't sequester nearly as much carbon individually as tulip poplars, red oaks, or walnut trees. Another finding from this last data set revealed some reductions. “We were wondering why so many trees died” and saw that Emerald Ash Borer disease had led to a decline in IC’s ash trees, which tend to store more carbon. These findings could be very useful for future conversation strategies. For instance, if a parking lot were to be built in a preserve area, it would be better to choose land that is less valuable in terms of carbon storage.

Looking ahead, the research team aims to explore additional ways to enhance carbon sequestration in ICNL. This includes studying the impact of different tree species, forest management practices, and potential reforestation initiatives. The goal is to maximize the carbon storage capacity of ICNL and contribute to global efforts to combat climate change.

IC a Sustainable Future

Interested in research opportunities at Ithaca College? “Keep your eyes open for those opportunities and take us up on them when they arise,” said Jake Brenner.

Imagine the possibilities. Explore Sustainability at IC

Find out about more research opportunities in Environmental Science at IC