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Harvard Forest Data Archive

HF375

Long-Term Field Research Sites at Harvard Forest since 1937

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Data

Overview

  • Lead: Audrey Barker Plotkin
  • Investigators:
  • Contact: Information Manager
  • Start date: 1937
  • End date: 2023
  • Status: ongoing
  • Location: Harvard Forest
  • Latitude: +42.47 to +42.53 degrees
  • Longitude: -72.18 to -72.17 degrees
  • Elevation: 220 to 410 meter
  • Datum: WGS84
  • Taxa:
  • Release date: 2023
  • Language: English
  • EML file: knb-lter-hfr.375.3
  • DOI: digital object identifier
  • EDI: data package
  • DataONE: data package
  • Related links:
  • Study type: long-term measurement
  • Research topic: large experiments and permanent plot studies
  • LTER core area: primary production, population studies, organic matter movement, mineral cycling, disturbance patterns
  • Keywords: maps, permanent plots, spatial vector
  • Abstract:

    The Harvard Forest is an iconic field station, hosting hundreds of field-based studies since it was founded in 1907. Site-based, long-term research increased sharply starting in 1988, when Harvard Forest became a Long-Term Ecological Research Site. This dataset documents the locations of most long-term research studies initiated since 1988; a few studies that began earlier and are still active are also included. Short-term studies, or studies that focus on sampling individual organisms, are not included.

  • Methods:

    Projected Coordinate System: NAD_1983_StatePlane_Massachusetts_Mainland_FIPS_2001

    Projection: Lambert_Conformal_Conic

    Study locations were compiled over time by the Field Site Manager. Data sources include GPS coordinates provided by investigators of specific studies, GPS coordinates collected by the Field Site Manager, and digitization of paper maps.

    Most study sites are polygons scaled to their actual size and shape and included in the polygon shapefile. A point shapefile includes sites that are point locations (e.g., a tower) along with one plot-based study (‘Bigfoot’) that ran from 1999-2003.

    Separate tables describing the field sites contained in the two shapefiles are also provided in csv format.

  • Organization: Harvard Forest. 324 North Main Street, Petersham, MA 01366, USA. Phone (978) 724-3302. Fax (978) 724-3595.

  • Project: The Harvard Forest Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) program examines ecological dynamics in the New England region resulting from natural disturbances, environmental change, and human impacts. (ROR).

  • Funding: National Science Foundation LTER grants: DEB-8811764, DEB-9411975, DEB-0080592, DEB-0620443, DEB-1237491, DEB-1832210.

  • Use: This dataset is released to the public under Creative Commons CC0 1.0 (No Rights Reserved). Please keep the dataset creators informed of any plans to use the dataset. Consultation with the original investigators is strongly encouraged. Publications and data products that make use of the dataset should include proper acknowledgement.

  • License: Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal (CC0-1.0)

  • Citation: Barker Plotkin A. 2023. Long-Term Field Research Sites at Harvard Forest since 1937. Harvard Forest Data Archive: HF375 (v.3). Environmental Data Initiative: https://doi.org/10.6073/pasta/836870e77aeffcf7e4959db5490bc138.

Detailed Metadata

hf375-01: field site points

  1. TYPE: study site for studies with multiple points
  2. PLOT: study point name
  3. Latitude: latitude in decimal degrees (WGS 1984) (unit: degree / missing value: NA)
  4. Longitude: longitude in decimal degrees (WGS 1984) (unit: degree / missing value: NA)
  5. Conant: soil core plot; for ContostaKeiserFinzi plots only
  6. Autochambe: respiration chambers; for ContostaKeiserFinzi plots only
  7. Minirhizot: minirhizotron site for root growth; for ContostaKeiserFinzi plots only
  8. Soilpit: large soil pit; for ContostaKeiserFinzi plots only
  9. ArchiveNum: Harvard Forest data archive numbers, if any (some studies have multiple archive files and sometimes only the major ones are listed if there are many)
  10. PI: principal investigator (if more than one name, then the study has successive PIs or co-PIs)
  11. StartDate: year study began
  12. EndDate: year study ended; NA means the study is ongoing
  13. Active: whether or not the study site is active
    • yes: study is active
    • no: study is not active

hf375-02: field site plots

  1. NAME: study point name
  2. HIGHRES: note about how precise the location is
  3. CATEGORY: study site type for studies with multiple plots
  4. StartDate: year study ended
  5. EndDate: year study ended; NA means the study is ongoing
  6. Active: whether or not the study site is active
    • yes: study is active
    • no: study is not active
  7. ArchiveNum: Harvard Forest data archive numbers, if any (some studies have multiple archive files and sometimes only the major ones are listed if there are many)
  8. AreaGISm2: size of plot (unit: meterSquared / missing value: NA)
  9. PI: principal investigator (if more than one name, then the study has successive PIs or co-PIs)
  10. Latitude: latitude in decimal degrees (WGS 1984) (unit: degree / missing value: NA)
  11. Longitude: longitude in decimal degrees (WGS 1984) (unit: degree / missing value: NA)

hf375-03: GIS shapefiles, points

  • Compression: zip
  • Format: Esri shapefile
  • Type: vector GIS

hf375-04: GIS shapefiles, polygons

  • Compression: zip
  • Format: Esri shapefile
  • Type: vector GIS