Harvard Forest Buildings Closed--Outdoor Recreation Trails Remain Open

September 2021 update: Harvard Forest office buildings and the Fisher Museum remain closed to the public until further notice due to Covid-19. But the seasons continue to change and it's beautiful here; please come enjoy our recreational trails! Please maintain proper social distance from those outside your group.

Email with questions or call 978-724-3302. Please allow up to 48 hours for a response.

Ask a Question

News & Highlights
November 19, 2021

Bullard Fellowship Applications Due 12/15

Applications are due December 15 for 2022-2023 Charles Bullard Fellowships in Forest Research - 6 to 12-month fellowships for mid-career professionals who can make an important contribution, either as scholars or administrators, to forestry and forest-related subjects including biology, earth sciences, economics, politics, administration, philosophy, humanities, the arts, or law.

"Bullard Fellows are a vital and dynamic part of the Harvard Forest

November 17, 2021

Apps Open: Wintersession Internships for Harvard Students

4 Harvard students stand on top of a Harvard Forest research tower in winter

Three, paid winter internship opportunities for Harvard students (graduate and undergraduate) will bring a group of interns to the Forest in January 2022 to 1) explore data results and create data visualizations of U.S. forest cover, 2) advance regional land goals led by Indigenous community partners, and 3) contribute to a variety of Harvard Forest science communiation projects. 

Room and board

October 26, 2021

Urban-to-Rural Study Reveals High Methane Emissions in Boston

An eddy-flux tower amid a green forest canopy

A new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that methane emissions in Boston are 6 times higher than previous estimates, and deeply undercounted in state calculations. 

The study, by Harvard Forest research collaborators Lucy Hutyra, Steve Wofsy and colleagues, used long-term methane data from Harvard Forest as a rural benchmark for analyzing Boston methane data.

September 7, 2021

STEM Teaching Tool Highlights Urban Watershed Data

map of the Merrimack River watershed, showing forests in green and developed areas in red

Science teacher Tara Goodhue of Greater Lowell Technical School worked throughout summer 2020 with Josh Plisinski of the Thompson Lab to learn geospatial mapping techniques and analyze ecosystem services data from the public watershed that serves her school. The work was funded by a Research Experience for Teachers grant from the National Science Foundation as part of the Forest's

August 12, 2021

Study: For Trees, Carbs Are Key to Surviving Insect Defoliation

close-up of Lymantria dispar caterpillar

A study published today in Functional Ecology by HF Senior Ecologist Audrey Barker Plotkin and colleagues sheds light on why some oak trees in our region survived a recent severe outbreak of invasive moth, and some did not. The key? Carbohydrates.

The new study reveals the specific threshold of reserves necessary for the trees to survive: 1.5 percent carbohydrates

July 28, 2021

Trees Telling STEM Stories: Free Online Workshop for Teachers

Scientists Tim Rademacher and Kyle Wyche measure respiration on the trunk of an oak tree in a forest in summer

WHAT: No-cost, virtual workshop introducing a Harvard Forest research and social media initiative about trees’ changing environments.

WHO: For Massachusetts middle and high school STEM teachers and informal educators. Led by scientists and educators from Harvard University (Harvard Forest) and Boston University.

WHEN: Thursday, August 26, 10:00am – 4:00pm (register by August 13)

WHERE: Online, no cost

WHY:

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
Deer Browsing
Deer Browsing
Raccoon
Raccoon at Night
Wildlife Trail Cameras at Harvard Forest - February 2016
Wildlife Montage - February 2016
Wildlife Trail Cameras at Harvard Forest - Feb/March 2016
Wildlife Trail Cameras at Harvard Forest - Feb/March 2016
Turkeys with young grazing
Turkey with Young Grazing
Young Moose Browsing
Moose Browsing

Webcams

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

Real Time Data

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

Events at Harvard Forest

See a list of our upcoming seminars & events:

Spring Seminar Series

Future Events

Initiatives & Partner Organizations

Leaf