The Harvard Forest Field Wireless Network (HFFW) became operational this spring with funding from the National Science Foundation and Harvard University. The HFFW provides high-speed Internet access to field sites across the 400-ha Prospect Hill Tract, enabling researchers and students to monitor and control their equipment over the network and to collect and process data in real time.

One such project is a regional phenology study by Prof. Andrew Richardson (Harvard Dept. of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology) that utilizes four tower-based cameras to record changes in the forest canopy and subcanopy over time. The HFFW is jointly administered by the Forest and Harvard Network Operations.