They wear hard hats, hearing protection, orange vests, and steel-toed boots. They wield chain saws, band saws, welding torches, and brooms; they pilot tractors, skidders, a 78’ aerial lift, and a huge dump truck. They are the Harvard Forest Woods Crew and their domain is the 4,000 acres of woods and 15+ buildings that make up the Harvard Forest, including a public museum, multiple scientific labs, a state-of-the-art biomass heating facility, commercial kitchen, and 32 miles of trails.
Working closely with Harvard Forest scientists and students, the Woods Crew is comprised of five incredibly capable and dedicated individuals, including Lucas Griffith, Josh Johnson, Oscar Lacwasan, Nicholas Maynard, and Roland Meunier. Operations of Harvard Forest’s world-class research facilities would not be possible without them; their receipt of the 2025 Dean’s Distinction award is just a miniscule way to honor their humble contributions to our work.
“No, it can’t be done” are not ones they have ever spoken. Over the past year, the Woods Crew has built an eddy flux tower in the middle of a beaver swamp and created a 15-acre clearing in the middle of the woods for a study of the impacts of forest fragmentation. When tragedy struck last summer, it was the Woods Crew who was first on the scene.
The technical wizards and steady hands that support and sustain the Forest’s research and education mission, the Woods Crew clearly exemplifies the Dean’s Distinction’s criteria for “outstanding citizenship, collaboration, and contribution in support of excellence in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences community.”
We are eternally grateful for the Woods Crew’s steadfast patience with the wild imaginings of our research team.
