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WBUR Radio recently visited Petersham and interviewed two Harvard Forest scientists to discus the infestation of hemlock trees by the insect called hemlock woolly adelgid.

The Harvard University Alumni Quarterly Colloquy highlights Harvard Forest as a living laboratory. Read the article. 

Soil seed banks are especially important for forest regeneration in stands with few understory species and individuals. The understory of hemlock (Tsuga canadensis)-dominated stands in New England primarily consists of hemlock seedlings and saplings, but all size classes of hemlock are attacked by the hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae). Prior to the initiation of the Hemlock Removal Experiment at the

The environmental drivers behind abundant ragweed pollen in sediments of four southern New England lakes 10,000-8000 years ago were investigated. They found strong evidence that high levels of ragweed pollen were associated with warmer, drier conditions. This conclusion is corroborated by independent lake level and climate reconstructions. Together, these results have implications for future ragweed distribution and abundance, and suggest

The building was designed and built entirely by the Harvard Forest woods crew using Harvard Forest wood products wherever possible. It is also, at the initiative of the crew, a "green building." This includes the composting toilet, a dual fuel wood/oil burner, and reusing materials from previous renovations. They also took the lead in submitting a grant to the state