Harvard Forest Weathers a Tropical Storm

As Tropical Storm Irene moved through Petersham on August 28, our canopy cameras, meteorological station, and hydrological weirs captured the storm’s impact for our long-term records. Wind sensors recorded gusts at 16.4 m/sec (or 37 mph) and stream flow peaked at 598 liters/second. See a summary of the storm data here. The storm also gave us an opportunity to feature 20 years of results from a long-term experiment at Harvard Forest that investigates forest resilience to hurricane-force winds. Two news stories were published in Irene’s wake. Athol Daily News and Greenfield Recorder.