Author: Clarisse Hart

3rd Census of HF Global Earth Observatory Complete

Posted on by Clarisse Hart

August 2025 marked the culmination of the third census of the Harvard Forest “megaplot,” part of an international effort to track forest change at large scales over time. Over the course of two consecutive summers, 14 research assistants, led by HF Senior Ecologist Dave Orwig, contributed to the the re-census effort, working daily to measure over 70,000 woody stems in the 35-hectare (85-acre) area. 

The census is taken every 5 years, and all data are made public. Since 2020, 5,000 new stems have grown to at least 1 centimeter in diameter. Those sapling newcomers include over 1,000 hemlock trees and over 800 mountain laurel and black birch stems. 

technician paints a yellow line on a tree trunk, showing that it has been measured

This census also documented over 11,800 dead stems–with almost 5,000 of them being eastern hemlock that succumbed to the invasive insect, the hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA).  Altogether, more than 8000 hemlock have died in the plot since initial measurements in 2014.

Norway spruce and red pine plantations that were established by Harvard Forest students in the early 1900s have been steadily dying as well, leaving very few of either species remaining in the study area. 

Harvard University Community Bus Trip on Nov. 1

Posted on by Clarisse Hart

Harvard students, faculty, fellows, and staff are welcome to sign up for a free Community Bus Trip to Harvard Forest on Saturday, November 1.

Register here! (**October update: Please note: this trip is now full and we are accepting wait-list registrations.**)

The 4 hours spent on site will be guided by educators and scientists at the Forest, including:

  • an overview of Harvard Forest’s interdisciplinary research and education programs
  • a brief, interactive tour of the Fisher Museum
  • a ~2-mile guided field tour on uneven dirt roads with low to moderate incline:
    • explore several of the Forest’s signature climate research experiments
    • optional: weather-permitting, climb a 92′ research tower
    • learn local plant and wildlife ID
    • discuss the Indigenous and colonial history of the region
    • discuss modern efforts in climate policy, land management, environmental education, and Indigenous community collaboration

Bus trips will depart Harvard Square at 10:00am and return to campus by 6:00pm. Attendees must bring their own lunch and snacks; Harvard Forest is a rural area and there is no way to purchase food or drinks here.

Registration is first-come, first-served, except that new visitors will be prioritized over return visitors.

Harvard Forest Welcomes New Director

Posted on by Clarisse Hart

The Harvard Forest community and Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences are delighted to welcome Dr. Jonathan Thompson as the Forest’s eighth Director.

Thompson is a landscape ecologist whose lab studies the impacts of land use on forest processes and services. His lab conducts basic research to understand the impacts of forest fragmentation on forest carbon cycling and the ways that forest ecosystems respond to natural and human disturbance. He also conducts applied research to understand how alternative policy and management choices can help society achieve goals for mitigating climate change and conserve biodiversity.  He was the lead author of the Land Sector and Forest Carbon studies for the Massachusetts Decarbonization roadmap and recently partnered with Mass Audubon on an analysis showing how the state can meet its alternative energy goals without clearing forests for utility scale solar.

Thompson first came to Harvard Forest in 2008 as a post-doctoral fellow working with then-Director David Foster. Following a five-year position at the Smithsonian, he returned to Harvard Forest full-time as a Senior Ecologist.  From 2019 to 2025 he served as lead principal investigator for Harvard Forest’s NSF-funded LTER program.  In 2020 he was promoted to HF Research Director.

Thompson’s goals as Director stem from deep knowledge gained through many years of connection with the Forest. “The Harvard Forest is a special place,” Thompson says, “where researchers and students are working together to make discoveries about the natural word. We are Harvard University’s outdoor classroom and laboratory. My goals are to increase the use of the Forest for experiential learning and for faculty research.”   

Harvard Student Opportunity: Fall 2025 Part-Time Research Internships

Posted on by Clarisse Hart

Currently enrolled Harvard University undergraduate and graduate students are encouraged to apply for our open research internships for the Fall 2025 semester.

1. Harvard Forest Field Science Internship (Barker Plotkin Lab)

This paid, fall semester internship will support one full day (8 hours) per week of field data collection at Harvard Forest with the Barker Plotkin Lab and up to 7 hours per week of flexible, remote work on data entry and analysis.

The Barker Plotkin Lab at Harvard Forest studies how forest development trajectories are shaped by the legacies of past disturbances and altered by novel and compounding disturbance. The Barker Plotkin Lab intern will have the opportunity to develop skills in forest ecology measurements, data management and data analysis in the context of the multi-decade Hemlock Removal Experiment. This 15 hours/week position is open to currently enrolled Harvard students, and pays $20/hour for undergraduates or $30/hour for graduate students.

Candidates for this internship must be able to commit to spending one full weekday off-campus at the Harvard Forest (likely a Friday with class schedules, but this is flexible; work time will not include holidays or extraordinary circumstances), with carpooling and train options for travel from the Cambridge campus to the Forest. Field data collection at the Harvard Forest requires comfort working full days outdoors in changeable autumn weather conditions (light rain, chilly temperatures that can be as low as 32°F/0°C) through the fall semester. Candidates should also be comfortable carrying a 15-lb backpack up to 1.5 miles over uneven terrain. Along with the field data collection, Dr. Barker Plotkin and the intern will co-develop a research question that will be investigated by the intern during their remote work.

TO APPLY

Interested candidates should submit a COMBINED PDF of a resume and cover letter via Crimson Careers, or directly to Ben Goulet-Scott at bgoulet@g.harvard.edu, by August 29, 2025.

2. Harvard Forest Spatial Data Internship (Thompson Lab)

The Thompson Lab at the Harvard Forest is seeking a motivated and skilled Harvard undergraduate or graduate student for a paid research internship focused on spatial data analysis. The project explores the role of forests as natural climate solutions.

Position Details:

  • Compensation: This 15 hours/week position pays $20/hour for undergraduates or $30/hour for graduate students.
  • Time Commitment: Up to 15 hours per week
  • Duration: Fall 2025 semester
  • Location: Hybrid – remote with periodic in-person meetings at Harvard Forest in Petersham, MA (approximately 70 miles from Cambridge)

Qualifications:

  • Proficiency in R statistical software is required
  • Experience with spatial data analysis and GIS is strongly preferred
  • Strong communication skills and ability to work independently

Responsibilities:

  • Support spatial data cleaning, visualization, and statistical analysis
  • Contribute to research on forest carbon dynamics and land-based climate mitigation
  • Participate in regular Zoom check-ins and collaborate with team members

Interns are required to spend at least one day per month in person at Harvard Forest. Carpooling and train options are available for travel from Cambridge.

TO APPLY

Interested candidates should submit a COMBINED PDF of a resume and cover letter via Crimson Careers, or directly to Ben Goulet-Scott at bgoulet@g.harvard.edu, by August 29, 2025.

Educator Spotlight: Danielle Mazur & Karen Murphy

Posted on by Clarisse Hart

Danielle Mazur and Karen Murphy, two of our amazing Schoolyard Ecology Educators, completed a Research Experience for Teachers, funded by the National Science Foundation, in summer 2024.

They work at The Bement School and The Summit Academy at Amherst High School respectively.

Karen has been collecting data for the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid study for 11 years and Danielle helped revive a Buds, Leaves, and Global Warming study at Academy Hill in Springfield. This past summer they participated in a Research Experience for Teachers program sponsored by the National Science Foundation. As part of that program, they conducted field work embedded in the Tree Ring Lab at Harvard Forest working with Dr. Neil Pederson. They will be presenting the curriculum they developed “Storm Stories: Teaching Environmental Disturbance through Tree Rings” during our November Educator Zoom call (keep reading for registration details on that). They uncovered some fascinating information about the 1953 tornado that started in Petersham.

Are you an educator working with Harvard Forest who would like to be featured in a future spotlight? Don’t be shy! Just fill out this google form!