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
June 25, 2024

Announcing Free Monthly Events at Harvard Forest!

Image shows Pamela Snow, in teal/white shirt, giving a tour to students at Harvard Forest.

We are excited to announce that we will be hosting free monthly events at Harvard Forest! Every second Saturday, meet at the Fisher Museum (324 N. Main St, Petersham) to explore the beauty and wonder of our local landscape. Each event is

June 18, 2024

Inaugural Schoolyard Ecology Data Jam Showcases K-12 Projects

Image shows students reviewing a poster at Harvard Forest's 2024 Data Jam. Photo by student Ava Rubin.

On Thursday, June 6th, four classes that participate in our Schoolyard Ecology program gathered to share their learning from the year in an interactive and creative way at our first ever "data jam!" Including vibrant displays that showcased their work with long-term data collected by students, fifth graders taught high school participants about the phenology of their trees

June 6, 2024

**NOTE NEW DATE**: Join us on June 15 for BUG OUT: An Insect Adventure!

Image shows an event flyer with insect art and event details which are outlined below.

**NOTE: Due to weather, this event has been moved to Saturday, June 15**

SATURDAY, June 15th 6:30-9:30
Meet the Fisher Museum
324 N Main St, Petersham, MA 01366

Come join us at the Harvard Forest for an insect* adventure! This event is FREE and all are welcome. There will be activities for all ages including a bug

June 5, 2024

Summer Research Program in Ecology Welcomes 20 Students in its 31st Year

Interns participating in the 2024 Summer Research Program in Ecology stand outside on Harvard Forest's campus.

Harvard Forest has commenced its 31st annual Summer Research Program in Ecology (SRPE), welcoming 20 students from 13 colleges nationwide. Research inquiries are guided by 25 researchers from institutions such as Harvard Forest, UMass Amherst, and the City University of New York - Hunter.

 Four primary research projects include numerous sub-projects that interns collaboratively advance with mentors. They include:

  • Hemlock, Oak,
May 16, 2024

Bullard Spotlight: Meghan Blumstein on Forest Genomics and Climate Change

Image shows Blumstein collecting a tree core from an oak.

A Charles Bullard Fellow in Forest Research for the 2023-2024 academic year, Meghan Blumstein’s interdisciplinary work at Harvard Forest aims to understand how temperate and boreal forests will respond to predicted global changes. During her Fellowship, Blumstein, an Assistant Professor of Environmental Sciences and Architecture at the University of Virginia, has been investigating the adaptive capacity of northern red oak, integrating

May 15, 2024

New Forest and Biodiversity Experiment at Harvard Farm

Image shows Juan Ramírez-Lerma and José Antonio Guzmán Quesada drilling holes in the soil.

Led by Jeannine Cavender-Bares – a new faculty member at the department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and incoming director of the Harvard University Herbaria – the new “Forest and Biodiversity at the Harvard Forest” ("FAB") experiment will examine how forest diversity and introduced pests and pathogens affect forest function.

The research will incorporate phylogenetic diversity, or the evolutionary

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

Pause
Turkeys with young grazing
Turkey with Young Grazing
Young Moose Browsing
Moose Browsing
Wildlife Trail Cameras at Harvard Forest - February 2016
Wildlife Montage - February 2016
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

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

Real Time Data

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

Events at Harvard Forest

See a list of our upcoming seminars & events:

Spring Seminar Series

Future Events

Initiatives & Partner Organizations

Leaf