Harvard Forest & buildings are closed until Jan 2. Trails are open!

Welcome to Harvard Forest. This site is packed with info about Harvard Forest's research, education, events, data, & more. We've made some handy guides to explore the website from the perspectives of educators, students, field researchers, and land stewards/conservationists. Don't see your view? Let us know at hfOutreach@fas.harvard.edu.

Explore my view

News & Highlights
December 18, 2024

Jan 25: Join us for all things tree rings!

Image shows a black and white picture of a cross-section of a large hemlock analyzed by Bob Marshall on the Adams Fay Lot (1924). Photographer unknown.

Event: Tree Rings at Harvard Forest

Saturday, January 25th
11 AM – 12 PM 
Meet at the Fisher Museum (directions)
324 N Main St, Petersham, MA 01366 

Image shows a graphic with text, including information noted on this webpage, plus a description of activities: "meet the tree ring lab; tree coring demo; tour of the lab; learn</body></html>

December 16, 2024

Diversity vs. Heterogeneity: New Insights from Animal Gut Microbiome Scaling

Image shows three scales in terms of grain and extent, from microbe's eye. By Zhanshan (Sam) Ma and Aaron Ellison.

Diversity and heterogeneity are two related but distinct ideas that describe biological communities. As part of his recent heterogeneity research through the Bullard Fellowship at Harvard Forest, Dr. Zhanshan (Sam) Ma collaborated with Aaron Ellison, Harvard Forest Associate, to examine the differences between these two phenomena by studying animal gut microbiomes (AGMs). Recently

December 10, 2024

Applications now open: Harvard Forest Summer Research Program in Ecology

Image shows 2024 SRPE students with proctor, Teressa Alexander, and Program Coordinator, Ben Goulet-Scott.

Applications now open!

The Harvard Forest Summer Research Program in Ecology is an immersive research experience connecting undergraduate students to mentors and researchers in the pursuit of scientific inquiry. Each year, 15-25 undergraduates from across the US live and work at the 4,000-acre Harvard Forest for 11 weeks. Students work with a research mentor in interdisciplinary team-based projects focused on how ecosystems change over

December 3, 2024

Reflecting on a Vibrant Fall Season of Harvard University Visitors

Image shows Harvard University students atop a Harvard Forest research tower. By Clarisse Hart.

Each fall, Harvard Forest comes alive as dozens of student groups visit to experience our immersive research facilities against the backdrop of glowing autumn foliage. With approximately 1,000 student visitors annually, the forest buzzes with activity, hosting everything from academic courses and extracurricular organizations to house retreats and orientation programs. This seasonal influx invigorates the Harvard Forest community and inspires

December 3, 2024

Benton Taylor (OEB) to Explore How Warming, CO2, and Drought Shape Forest Carbon Storage

Image shows a rotting tree stump on the forest floor. By David Foster.

Benton Taylor, Assistant Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University and Faculty Fellow at the Arnold Arboretum, has launched an ambitious research project at Harvard Forest to examine how temperate forests respond to climate change. Supported by his National Science Foundation Career Grant, Taylor’s study, the Forest Responses to Warming Atmospheric CO2 and Drought (FORWARD) experiment, will investigate

November 26, 2024

Approaching Ecosystems as Family Networks: Studying the Decline of Red-Tailed Hawks

Image shows Keshia De Freece Lawrence, left, leaning against a tree. Neil Pederson is leaning against a different tree to the right.

Keshia De Freece Lawrence, Harvard Forest’s Indigenous Education Specialist, is conducting research to investigate the decline of red-tailed hawks. Her work is inspired by years of observing an alarming number of dead hawks along roadsides. De Freece Lawrence, a member of the Ramapough Lenape tribe, combines her academic background with her Indigenous heritage to approach the issue holistically, viewing the

Explore Our Work

IN THE WOODS

Focus on Phenology
https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/other-tags/phenology

LONG-TERM STUDIES

85 Acres, 116,000 Trees
https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/other-tags/mega-plot

STUDENT PROGRAMS

Winter Opportunities for Harvard Students
https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/undergraduate-students

CONSERVATION SCIENCE

Envisioning the Future Landscape
https://harvardforest-prod.ats.cloud.huit.harvard.edu/policy-land-use

JOIN OUR TEAM!

Jobs & Fellowships Open Now
https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/employment

Wildlife Cam

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Wildlife Trail Cameras at Harvard Forest - February 2016
Wildlife Montage - February 2016
Young Moose Browsing
Moose Browsing
Turkeys with young grazing
Turkey with Young Grazing
Raccoon
Raccoon at Night
Deer Browsing
Deer Browsing
Wildlife Trail Cameras at Harvard Forest - Feb/March 2016
Wildlife Trail Cameras at Harvard Forest - Feb/March 2016

Webcams

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EMS Tower 2
EMS Tower 2
Witness Tree
Witness Tree
Harvard Farm North 2
Harvard Farm North 2
EMS Tower
EMS Tower
Harvard Farm North
Harvard Farm North
Below Canopy
Below Canopy
Barn Tower
Barn Tower
NEON Bottom of Tower
NEON Bottom of Tower
Hemlock Tower NE
Hemlock Tower NE
Neon Top of Tower
Neon Top of Tower
Hemlock Tower SW
Hemlock Tower SW
Barn Tower 2
Barn Tower 2

Real Time Data

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1. Temperature & Humidity
1. Temperature & Humidity
3. Wind Speed
3. Wind Speed
7. Water Temperature
7. Water Temperature
4. Precipitation
4. Precipitation
2. Radiation
2. Radiation
6. Wetland Water Level
6. Wetland Water Level
8. Snowpack
8. Snowpack
5. Stream Discharge
5. Stream Discharge

Events at Harvard Forest

See a list of our upcoming seminars & events:

Spring Seminar Series

Future Events

Initiatives & Partner Organizations

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