You are here

All News & Highlights

Printer-friendly version
December 8, 2016

AP News: Forests at Risk from Insects Spread by Trade & Climate

Woolly adelgid on a branch.

An Associated Press feature this week about the risks and impacts of invasive tree pests highlights a recent study by the Science Policy Exchange and features HF Forest Ecologist Dave Orwig, who has studied hemlock woolly adelgid and other invasive insects in New England for decades. 

The story has been picked up by at least 200

December 5, 2016

Applications Open: Summer Research Program for Undergraduates

2016 summer research program for undergraduates

Update: Applications are closed (as of Feb. 3).

Applications are now open for the 2017 Harvard Forest Summer Research Program, an opportunity for college and university students across the U.S. to participate in 11 weeks (May 22-August 4, 2017) of paid, independent research with mentors from Harvard and other leading institutions.

2017 research projects cover many academic disciplines, including ecology, biogeochemistry,

October 26, 2016

New Study: Climate Warming Destabilizes Forest Ant Communities

Aphaenogaster rudis ants with bloodroot seed

A study published today in Science Advances, co-authored by HF Senior Ecologist Aaron Ellison with scientists from six other institutions, shows that climate warming disrupts forest ant communities responsible for important soil turnover and seed dispersal processes.

In a five-year experiment conducted at both the Harvard Forest and Duke Forest in North Carolina, high-walled chambers in the forest were consistently

October 26, 2016

Fisher Museum to Close for Renovations; Archive Seeks Pre-1970s Photos

Fisher Museum

The Harvard Forest Fisher Museum, free and open to the public since 1941, will close for renovations on October 31, 2016, and reopen in April 2017.

The Museum's 23 diorama models will be protected and remain unchanged during the renovation, which will primarily focus on the Museum's entryways, flooring, lighting, and auditorium space. Harvard Forest's interpretive trails will remain

October 11, 2016

Senior Ecologist Calls on Scientists in Op-Ed: If Not Us, Who?

A toad sitting on a branch.

In a new WorldView column in the journal Nature, HF Senior Ecologist Aaron Ellison outlines steps for scientists to go beyond collecting data and to take a more active role in preserving biodiversity.

The call is one echoed and answered by many researchers at the Forest; projects like the Science Policy Exchange and Wildlands &

October 5, 2016

HF Forest Policy Analyst Honored with Int'l Award

David Kittredge kneeling in front of a tree.

The International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) Small Scale Forestry group recently honored HF Forest Policy Analyst David Kittredge with the 2016 Brandl Award in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the field of small-scale forestry research.

Kittredge has served as a forester on the faculty in the Department of Environmental Conservation

September 29, 2016

New Grant to Study How Climate & Forest Pests Drive Landowner Decisions

Lakes surrounded by trees during the fall.

A team of researchers from the Harvard Forest, Family Forest Research Center, and Duke University have been awarded an $880,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to study how climate change and forest pests influence the ways landowners make decisions about their woods.

Collaborators David Kittredge, Marla Lindsay, Mark Borsuk, Brett Butler, and Emily Silver-Huff plan to

August 25, 2016

Museum Event to Feature Hurricane of 1938

Thirty-Eight book cover

On Tuesday, September 20 at 7:00pm, the Fisher Museum will host a presentation by Steve Long, former Harvard Forest Bullard Fellow, as he releases the culmination of his work at the Forest: the new book Thirty-Eight: The Hurricane that Transformed New England (Yale University Press).

In Thirty-Eight, Long chronicles how the Hurricane of '38 transformed New England,

July 20, 2016

Harvard Forest Biennial Report Released

2015-2016 biennial report cover

A new report highlighting the last 2 years of research and education at the Harvard Forest, plus a timeline of the Forest's Long-Term Ecological Research program, is now available online and in hard copy by request.

Topics include the new Harvard Farm, research out of the new Tree Ring Laboratory, an update on hemlock woolly adelgid research, progress toward

July 7, 2016

Interactive Map Highlights History and Ecology of Martha's Vineyard

Map of Martha's Vineyard

New, deeply researched maps of Martha's Vineyard encourage exploration of the Island by first invoking the Island's past--how people, nature, and farm animals shaped it centuries ago.

The maps are a precursor to the forthcoming book, A Meeting of Land and Sea: Nature and the Future of Martha's Vineyard, written by Harvard Forest Director David Foster following 20

Pages