COVID-19 Update

In compliance with Harvard University policy to reduce the risk of COVID-19, Harvard Forest office buildings and the Fisher Museum are closed until further notice.

Recreational trails will remain open to the public.

Questions? Email HFoutreach@fas.harvard.edu or call 978-724-3302.

Ask a Question

News & Highlights
January 15, 2021

Applications Open for 2021 Summer Research Program (virtual)

Summer Research Program students stand in the woods looking at a row of orange mushrooms on a log

Applications are open for the 2021 Harvard Forest Summer Research Program, which will be virtual and run from May 24 to August 6.

Undergraduates from all colleges and universities in the U.S. and territories are eligible to apply; applicants must be U.S. citizens or resident aliens. 

Program participants join a community of fellow students, mentors, and researchers, gaining experience in the

December 17, 2020

Documentary Features 30 Years of HF Long-Term Ecological Research

A dozen Harvard Forest scientists and a film crew stand in the snowy woods

A new documentary by Amy Li (Harvard College '20, Harvard Forest wintersession fellow '19) features 30 years of transformative science in the Harvard Forest Long-Term Ecological Research Program, begun in 1988 and sustaining several of the world's longest-running forest climate change experiments.

Interviews by the program's founding and contemporary scientists, plus educators, research fellows, and students - interspersed by

December 17, 2020

Ecological Society of America Features Summer Program Alum Tiffany Carey

Tiffany Carey stands smiling on a city street

A new video by the SEEDS Program of the Ecological Society of America highlights the environmental career trajectory of Tiffany Carey, who participated in the Harvard Forest Summer Research Program in 2012 and is now Habitat and Education Coordinator at the National Wildlife Federation Great Lakes Regional Center in Detroit. "I always try to find careers - whether I'm at the National

December 17, 2020

Old-Growth Study Reconstructs Southern NH Forests

Historical image of old-growth trees at Pisgah Forest in NH

A new study in The Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society employs field data collected by Harvard graduate students nearly 100 years ago, providing a unique opportunity to reconstruct how forests in the region looked before Europeans arrived.

The work characterizes the composition, size distribution, recruitment history, and biomass conditions of old-growth forests in southern New England, centered on the

November 18, 2020

December 15 Webinar to Highlight Benefits of Forest Conservation

View from Lions Head in Connecticut, part of the Appalachian Trail, showing a mosaic of hills, forests, and farms in autumn. Photo by John Burk.

“Saying Yes to Wildlands AND Woodlands” will feature leaders representing wilderness conservation and responsible forestry, discussing how both strategies can work together to address the climate crisis.

The subject of forest conservation will be center stage in a webinar on December 15 from 4-5:30 featuring Bob Perschel, Executive Director of the New England Forestry Foundation (NEFF), and Jon Leibowitz,

October 30, 2020

Study: China’s Most Important Trees Are Hiding in Plain Sight

Long-term forest study plot in China. Photo by Xiujuan Qiao.

In ecosystems around the globe, the danger of being a common or widespread species is the tendency to be overlooked by conservation efforts that prioritize rarity. In forests, the most common species can be essential to ecosystem structure and function, which crumble with the decline of these pivotal trees, known collectively as foundation species.

In an effort to identify forest foundation

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
Raccoon
Raccoon at Night
Wildlife Trail Cameras at Harvard Forest - Feb/March 2016
Wildlife Trail Cameras at Harvard Forest - Feb/March 2016
Wildlife Trail Cameras at Harvard Forest - February 2016
Wildlife Montage - February 2016
Deer Browsing
Deer Browsing

Webcams

Pause
Harvard Farm South
EMS Tower
Neon Top of Tower
Little Prospect Hill Tower
Harvard Forest Common Garden
Hemlock Tower SW
Barn Tower
Below Canopy
Harvard Farm North
Barn Tower 2
Witness Tree
Hemlock Tower NE
NEON Bottom of Tower

Real Time Data

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

Events at Harvard Forest

See a list of our upcoming seminars & events:

Spring Seminar Series

Future Events

Initiatives & Partner Organizations

Leaf