Ecosystem-scale approaches to management in the eastern United States depend on the attitudes and behaviors of thousands of non-industrial private families and individuals whose ownership dominates landscapes. In Massachusetts, for example, it is estimated that the average ownership is 23 acres. Most ecosystem processes greatly exceed this very small average management unit. While there has been prior work on individual

We used a segmentation analysis which indicates a significant heterogeneity of private woodland owner attitudes in Massachusetts. We estimate roughly 67% of private woodland owners place highest priority on contemplative enjoyment and privacy provided by their properties. These "Henry David Thoreau" type owners are not necessarily opposed to management or utilization of wood from their land, but these activities are

Harvard Forest Schoolyard Science Project in Boston Globe

The Harvard Forest Schoolyard LTER program continues to grow and has recently made the news. One of the four research projects currently supported through our program (Buds, Leaves, and Global Warming) was featured in an article in The Boston Globe.

The HF Schoolyard web page was also recently updated. Project descriptions, research protocols, suggested

Forest Ecologist David Orwig documented approximately 100 acres of old-growth forest on the western slopes of Wachusett Mountain State Reservation in Princeton and Westminster, Massachusetts. This report contains information on tree ages and forest composition, as well as recommendations for protecting both the newly discovered forests and nearby existing old-growth forests on the Reservation.

Orwig, D. 2004.