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December 1, 2009

New Freshman Seminar at Harvard Forest

David Foster, along with Kristina Stinson, Dave Orwig and other research staff at the Harvard Forest will conduct a new undergraduate course in Spring 2010 - Freshman Seminar 21w : Research at the Harvard Forest: Global Change Ecology-Forests, Ecosystem Function, the Future.

This course explores state-of-the-art research, tools and measurements used to investigate and predict climate change through ongoing studies at

December 1, 2009

David Foster on Independent Advisory Panel for Massachusetts Biomass Sustainability Study

The Department of Energy Resources (DOER) selected the Manomet Center for Conservation Services of Plymouth to lead a comprehensive study related to biomass sustainability and carbon policy. The Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Secretary Ian Bowles commissioned the six-month study to bring the best science to bear as DOER prepares new regulations to establish sustainability criteria biomass facilities under the

November 1, 2009

Harvard Forest at 2009 All Scientists Meeting

Harvard Forest was well represented at the 2009 All Scientists Meeting, held at the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park, Colorado from September 13 to the 17th. Highlights of HF participation included:

Working Group Presentations:

November 1, 2009

Asian Long Horned Beetle in the News

A recent article in Smithsonian Magazine featured the Asian Longhorned Beetle with references to Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, Harvard Forest and Harvard Forest Director, David Foster. Read the article. 

November 1, 2009

The Heat is On

Shannon with ant chambers

The Warm Ants staff is pleased to announce that the heat has been turned on in the open-top chambers! The aim of the project is to examine the impacts of climate change on ant community composition and ant-mediated ecosystem processes. This project is replicated at Duke Forest, allowing a comparison of climate change impacts on ant ecology at broad geographic

November 1, 2009

New NSF Funding to Study the Catastrophic Mortality of Oak Forests on Martha’s Vineyard

Dead Oaks on Martha's Vineyard

Five thousand years ago, New England forests experienced a tumultuous upheaval. Across the region's interior an abrupt and massive decline of hemlock occurred, and the dominant tree was replaced by hardwood species. Simultaneously, on Cape Cod and the Islands, oak experienced heavy mortality and was replaced by beech. The driver of these coincident changes was a warming climate and periods

November 1, 2009

New Outreach & Development Manager for Harvard Forest

Clarisse & Sam

A new position at Harvard Forest--Outreach and Development Manager for Education and Research Programs--has been filled by Clarisse Hart, who has been a research assistant at the Forest since 2007. In addition to her background in ecological research, Clarisse brings to this position a master's degree in nonfiction writing and publishing, as well as years of experience in informal science

October 1, 2009

New Harvard Forest Publication: Climate Change Shown in Paleo Record in Southwestern CT

Records of past environmental variability provide insights into how ecosystems respond to climate change. In a study published in the Journal of Quaternary Science, Harvard Forest researchers Wyatt Oswald, David Foster, Elaine Doughty, and Ed Faison analyze a lake-sediment record from southwestern Connecticut to reconstruct changes in climate, hydrology, and vegetation at the beginning and end of the Younger Dryas

October 1, 2009

New Harvard Forest Publication: Effect of Observers on Estimates of Infestation of Invasive Species

Hemlocks by stream

The growing threat posed by invasive species has focused increased attention on the importance of documenting the spread of introduced organisms. However, labor-intensive surveys are often required to monitor populations of invasive species and thus methods have been developed to estimate the true extent of an invasion using a sample of sites. In a new publication, postdoctoral fellow Matt Fitzpatrick

October 1, 2009

"Discover" Carnivorous plants

The recent paper published in American Journal of Botany by former post-doc Jim Karagatzides and Senior Ecologist Aaron Ellison (see September highlights) was featered in a slide show on Discovery News, the website of the Discovery Channel. 

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