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
January 29, 2025

Winter Interns Advance Harvard Forest Research and Education Initiatives

Image shows 2025 Wintersession students, from left to right: Hailey Akey, Spurty Kamath, Eve Farrell, Sophia Rey, Lana Romanova, and Aditya Bhayana.

In January, Harvard Forest hosted six Harvard University students for Wintersession Internships across a variety of disciplines.

Collectively discussing their work to the Harvard Forest community at a Lab Group on January 22, the interns presented on the research projects listed below.

Research on Environmental Education: Schoolyard Ecology and STEM Identity
Aditya Bhayana; Harvard Kennedy School

“Draw a picture

December 18, 2024

Jan 25: Join us for all things tree rings!

Image shows a black and white picture of a cross-section of a large hemlock analyzed by Bob Marshall on the Adams Fay Lot (1924). Photographer unknown.

Event: Tree Rings at Harvard Forest

Saturday, January 25th
11 AM – 12 PM 
Meet at the Fisher Museum (directions)
324 N Main St, Petersham, MA 01366 

Image shows a graphic with text, including information noted on this webpage, plus a description of activities: "meet the tree ring lab; tree coring demo; tour of the lab; learn</body></html>

December 16, 2024

Diversity vs. Heterogeneity: New Insights from Animal Gut Microbiome Scaling

Image shows three scales in terms of grain and extent, from microbe's eye. By Zhanshan (Sam) Ma and Aaron Ellison.

Diversity and heterogeneity are two related but distinct ideas that describe biological communities. As part of his recent heterogeneity research through the Bullard Fellowship at Harvard Forest, Dr. Zhanshan (Sam) Ma collaborated with Aaron Ellison, Harvard Forest Associate, to examine the differences between these two phenomena by studying animal gut microbiomes (AGMs). Recently

December 10, 2024

Applications now open: Harvard Forest Summer Research Program in Ecology

Image shows 2024 SRPE students with proctor, Teressa Alexander, and Program Coordinator, Ben Goulet-Scott.

Applications now open!

The Harvard Forest Summer Research Program in Ecology is an immersive research experience connecting undergraduate students to mentors and researchers in the pursuit of scientific inquiry. Each year, 15-25 undergraduates from across the US live and work at the 4,000-acre Harvard Forest for 11 weeks. Students work with a research mentor in interdisciplinary team-based projects focused on how ecosystems change over

December 3, 2024

Reflecting on a Vibrant Fall Season of Harvard University Visitors

Image shows Harvard University students atop a Harvard Forest research tower. By Clarisse Hart.

Each fall, Harvard Forest comes alive as dozens of student groups visit to experience our immersive research facilities against the backdrop of glowing autumn foliage. With approximately 1,000 student visitors annually, the forest buzzes with activity, hosting everything from academic courses and extracurricular organizations to house retreats and orientation programs. This seasonal influx invigorates the Harvard Forest community and inspires

December 3, 2024

Benton Taylor (OEB) to Explore How Warming, CO2, and Drought Shape Forest Carbon Storage

Image shows a rotting tree stump on the forest floor. By David Foster.

Benton Taylor, Assistant Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University and Faculty Fellow at the Arnold Arboretum, has launched an ambitious research project at Harvard Forest to examine how temperate forests respond to climate change. Supported by his National Science Foundation Career Grant, Taylor’s study, the Forest Responses to Warming Atmospheric CO2 and Drought (FORWARD) experiment, will investigate

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

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Young Moose Browsing
Moose Browsing
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
Deer Browsing
Deer Browsing
Raccoon
Raccoon at Night
Wildlife Trail Cameras at Harvard Forest - February 2016
Wildlife Montage - February 2016

Webcams

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

Real Time Data

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

Events at Harvard Forest

See a list of our upcoming seminars & events:

Spring Seminar Series

Future Events

Initiatives & Partner Organizations

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