You are here

All News & Highlights

Printer-friendly version
July 1, 2005

Local Flora Inventory

For nearly a century, Harvard Forest has been the focus of a wide range of Flora Inventoryecological investigations, with a strong emphasis on studies of vegetation, disturbance history, and stand dynamics. Little is known of the local flora prior to the establishment of Harvard Forest in 1907. Hugh Raup developed the first checklist

June 1, 2005

New Harvard Forest Publication: Statistics of Rarity

Ecologists deal with rarity in many guises - species can be rare, particular Ecology 2005 Coverinteractions may be uncommon, and catastrophic events that reshape landscapes are, by definition, infrequent. Although ecologists often seek out abundant species or events for their investigations out of convenience, rare species are often of special central concern to

June 1, 2005

Wildlands and Woodlands: A Vision for the Forest of Massachusetts

In a new scientific report entitled "Wildlands and Woodlands: A Vision for the Forests Wildlands and Woodlands Coverof Massachusetts", Dr. David Foster the Director of Harvard Forest and his colleagues from the University of Massachusetts and Brandeis University call for a bold new land protection effort to stave-off accelerating forest fragmentation in Massachusetts.

June 1, 2005

Spring leaf development very late this year (2005)

Forest From Tower

Thanks to one of the coolest May's on record in southern New England the green-up of our deciduous forests has progressed very slowly this spring. In addition, a significant but very patchy frost on the morning of May 13th killed the just emerging leaves of some oaks and red maples setting them even further back.

Based on observations of leaf emergence

June 1, 2005

Summer Students Arrive at Forest

33 summer students have arrived as part of the Harvard Forest summer research 2005 REU Internsprogram in ecology. Students come from all over the United States to participate in on-going research projects including atmospheric pollution, global warming, hurricanes, treefalls, and insect outbreaks. Researchers come from many disciplines and institutions. Specific projects center

May 1, 2005

New Harvard Forest Publication: Newts As Carnivorous Plant Prey

The northern pitcher plant (Sarracenia purpurea) receives some of its nutrients from the decomposition of prey that fall into its Northeastern Naturalist Coverpitcher-shaped leaves. The majority of prey consists of ants, beetles, spiders, and slugs, and in rare cases, frogs and lizards. Here we report on the unusual occurrence of 22 Red-spotted Newt

May 1, 2005

Harvard Forest 2005 - 2006 Bullard Fellows Announced

The Charles Bullard fellowship program is to support advanced research and study by individuals who show promise of making an important contribution, either as scholars or administrators, to forestry and forest-related subjects from biology to earth sciences, economics, politics, administration or law. See the complete listing of Bullard Scholars from 1962 - the present. 

April 1, 2005

New Harvard Forest Publication: Private Forest Owner Attitudes Towards Ecosystem-Based Management

Nonindustrial private forest owners in Vermont, New Hampshire, and western were surveyed to determine their attitudes toward an Journal of Forestry 2005ecosystem-based approach to management. In all cases, respondents showed favorable attitudes toward: unique, small-scale ecological features like rare species and wetlands; management at spatial scales larger than the individual parcel; and ownership

April 1, 2005

Pests, Pathogens, and the Death of Dominant Forest Trees: What are the Effects on Forest Ecosystems?

At the beginning of March, two-dozen scientists from the Andrews Forest, Coweeta, Harvard Forest, Hubbard Brook, and Luquillo Long-Term Ecological Research sites, and the Institute for Ecosystem Studies met at Harvard Forest to explore opportunities for collaborative research. Sponsored by the LTER Network Office, the "Workshop on the Impact of Removal of Foundational Species by Pests and Pathogens on Structure

April 1, 2005

Harvard Forest Environmental Historian wins award

Brian Donahue, Environmental Historian at Harvard Forest and Professor at Brandeis University, was just awarded the George Perkins The Great MeadowMarsh Award from the American Society of Environmental History for the Best Book in Environmental History. Previous winners include Bill Cronon, John Opie, and Art McEvoy. Brian's book is The Great

Pages