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December 11, 2015

Applications Open: Summer Research Program for Undergraduates

Undergraduate students working in the field

UPDATE: Applications closed Feb 5, 2016.

Applications are now open for the 2016 Harvard Forest Summer Research Program, an opportunity for college and university students across the U.S. to participate in 11 weeks (May 23-August

December 11, 2015

Seeing the Landscape in Landscape Art

Painting by George Inness, "The Lackawanna Valley"

A new paper by ecologist and Harvard Forest collaborator Ed Faison (of Highstead) explores how the ecology and land-use changes of the 19th-century American landscape are revealed in paintings from that period.

Using examples from Hudson River School artists, Faison discusses subtle evidence of forest clearing and composition, shifts in wildlife populations, and the remanants of old

December 11, 2015

New Cameras Give Glimpse of Harvard Farm

The view from one of the research cameras showing an open pasture.

Two research webcams (north, south) now aid the study of seasonal change on the Harvard Farm, Harvard Forest's newest research site and a valuable haven for biodiversity in a region dominated by maturing forests. The cameras and electrical work were supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation's Long-Term Ecological Research program.

The Petersham Country Club, as the land was

December 11, 2015

The Great Flight North

black-throated green warbler by Brooks Mathewson

Migratory songbirds, commonly seen in Harvard Forest woodlands in spring and summer, spend their winters thousands of miles south in Central and South America searching for food.

A recent article in Massachusetts Wildlife by Brooks Mathewson, a graduate of HF's Master’s in Forest Science program, chronicles the journey of one male Black-throated Green Warbler as he travels from his

November 19, 2015

Harvard Forest and Partners Launch Science Policy Exchange Consortium

A reception called "Science for a Sustainable world" featuring speakers.

Harvard Forest joined with partners from five major research institutions on November 12 to host "Science for a Sustainable World," an event to launch the Science Policy Exchange (SPE). SPE was founded with leadership from HF Director of Science and Policy Integration, Kathy Fallon Lambert, to increase the impact of science on environmental decisions.

The reception, held at

November 6, 2015

Student Presents Research at National Conference

Rodriguez and Thompson

Mayra Rodríguez-González, a 2015 HF Summer Research Program student, recently presented her summer research results at the Council on Undergraduate Research's annual Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Symposium.

The symposium, held at the headquarters of the National Science Foundation (NSF) in Arlington, Virginia, featured presentations by students from REU programs in all disciplines and offered opportunities for students to meet with

October 28, 2015

Winter Break Week at Harvard Forest

Harvard Forest Winter Break 2015

Update: Applications for the 2016 program closed on Dec. 11, 2015.

Applications are now being accepted for the 2016 Harvard Forest Winter Break Week 

October 23, 2015

Study: Seedlings and Climate Averages

Tree seedling

Environmental projections using averaged climate data may be underestimating the potential for new trees to get established, says a new study in the journal Ecography, led by HF post-doctoral fellow Pep Serra-Diaz. 

Tree seedlings pave the way

October 21, 2015

Study: Adirondack Sugar Maples in Decline

Trees showing fall foliage and a blue sky in the background.

Sugar maples across the Adirondack Mountains are in significant and surprising decline, according to a study published today in the journal Ecosphere.

Harvard Forest research assistant Dan Bishop analyzed the growth rings of hundreds of sugar maples during his time as a graduate student at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. His work built on an earlier study

October 9, 2015

New Study: Herbarium Records Deepen Climate Research

Herbarium specimens

A new study published today in the American Journal of Botany highlights the remarkable value of archived plant specimens in our understanding of seasonal and climate change.

The research team, which included HF Senior Ecologist Aaron Ellison, evaluated 20 plant species in Massachusetts, meticulously estimating first-flowering dates in herbarium specimens dating back to 1852. They found that their herbarium-based

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