Harvard Forest Long Term Ecological Research Program
The Harvard Forest Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) program is one of a national network of long-term ecological research sites. The Harvard Forest LTER program examines ecological dynamics in the New England region resulting from natural disturbances, environmental change, and human impacts. Emphasis is on processes including:
- wind and fire
- past climate change
- land-use and land cover dynamics
- atmospheric pollution, especially nitrogen deposition and ozone
- projected increases in global temperature
- land management, land policy and conservation
An interdisciplinary group of scientists from many parts of Harvard and other institutions use three complementary approaches to long-term study:
- historical studies of past conditions and dynamics
- intensive measurements of current structure and function
- measurements of integrated ecosystem response to experimental manipulations under relatively controlled conditions
Studies span a broad range of spatial and temporal scales and seek to:
- develop information
- train new researchers
- educate the public
- develop databases with broad relevance to fundamental ecological issues
- provide strong application to societally relevant environmental concerns
LTER Proposals and Reviews
- LTER I
- LTER II
- LTER III
- 2003 Mid-term Site Review
- LTER IV - PDF Format