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December 2013

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December 11, 2013

New Study Reveals Promise and Peril of Land-Use Decisions

CT River Valley

A groundbreaking study released today by the Harvard Forest and the Smithsonian Institution reveals that, if left unchecked, recent trends in the loss of forests to development will undermine significant land conservation gains in Massachusetts, jeopardize water quality, and limit the natural landscape's ability to protect against climate change. 

The good news is that the research shows alternatives exist for

December 9, 2013

Undergraduate Summer Research Program

Harvard Forest Summer Research Program group hike

Note: applications closed Feb. 7, 2014.  Applications are now being accepted for the 2014 Harvard Forest Summer Research Program, an opportunity for college and university students across the U.S. to participate in 11 weeks (May 26-August 8, 2014) of paid, independent research with mentors from Harvard and other leading institutions. 2014 research projects focus on the ecological dimensions

December 9, 2013

Forest Soil Respiration: A 22-Year Analysis

summer students soil respiration

Through respiration and photosynthesis, terrestrial soils and plants control 1/6 of all carbon present in the atmosphere. Results from more than 100,000 individual measurements of forest soil respiration, conducted at the Harvard Forest by scientists from 8 institutions over 22 years, casts new light on how carbon cycles through these complex plant and soil systems. The research team