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Long Term Ecological Research
The Harvard Forest Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) program is part of a national network of long-term ecological research sites. Within this framework we examine ecological dynamics in the New England region resulting from natural disturbances, environmental change, and human impacts. Emphasis is on processes including:
- Pattern and process in dynamic forest ecosystems
- Climatic change and variability
- Invasive forest insects
- the modern land-use regime
- interacting global change drivers
![[Field Trip during Annual Symposium]](/sites/default/files/CoIsInSnowMarch2017-CMHphoto-sm.jpg)
An interdisciplinary group of PI scientists, post-doctoral fellows, and graduate students from many parts of Harvard and other institutions use four complementary approaches to long-term study:
- long-term measurements of current structure and function
- large, long-term experiments
- historical studies of past conditions and dynamics
- prospective modeling
Long-term studies span a broad range of spatial and temporal scales and seek to:
- develop societally relevant scientific data and information
- train a diverse next generation of researchers, beginning with K-12 and undergraduate students
- develop databases with broad relevance to fundamental ecological issues
- broaden public impacts by engaging the arts and humanities, conservation and policy
Leadership of Harvard Forest's LTER program:
- Jonathan Thompson, Lead PI
- Carina Berlingeri, Graduate Student Site Representative (carinaberlingeri@fas.harvard.edu)
- Audrey Barker Plotkin, Co-PI
- Serita Frey, Co-PI
- N. Michele (Missy) Holbrook, Co-PI
- Lucy Hutyra, Co-PI
- Emery Boose, Information Manager
Learn more by exploring abstracts from our annual LTER symposium, exploring our online video series, and watching a short documentary by Amy Li (Harvard '20) featuring the origins and trajectories of 30 years of LTER research here at Harvard Forest.
