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January 31, 2022

Winter Interns Explore US Forest Cover, Indigenous Partnerships, Museum Communication

Tiled image of four winter interns: Langa Siziba, Anna Christensen, Jaidyn Probst, Nina Chung

Four Harvard students completed intensive winter internships at the Forest this January, working virtually on a range of projects and presenting their findings to community partners and Harvard faculty and staff on January 19.

January 19, 2022

Study Tracks Seasonal Growth and Water Shortage in Trees

HF scientists and students work together to core hemlock saplings.

By Anna Christensen

A paper published this past summer in Tree Physiology finds that tree species of varying wood-porosity experience peak growth at different times of the year, exposing some species to more intense water shortages than others.

The wood-porosity of a tree refers to the structure of its vessels—pipelines within the trunk that carry sap throughout the tree.

Some trees such as

January 7, 2022

Study Reveals Impact of Colonial Land Use on Current Forest Composition

Figures from the ForestGEO paper in PeerJ, showing colonial land use

By Anna Christensen

A study just published in PeerJ Life and Environment examines how anthropogenic and natural disturbances from past decades, and even centuries, affect the spatial and species composition of woody plants within a forest plot.

Harvard Forest Senior Ecologist David Orwig and collaborators (Jason Aylward, Hannah Buckley, Bradley Case, and Aaron Ellison) utilized the data from the first

December 9, 2021

2022 Summer Research Program in Ecology

Summer Research Program student Kyle Wyche measures soil respiration with mentor Tim Rademacher.

Update: Applications are now closed.

Harvard Forest is now accepting applications for its 2022 Summer Research Program in Ecology -- a paid, 11-week, immersive research internship for undergraduates from 2- and 4-year institutions in the U.S. and territories.

Applications are due by February 4, 2022.

  • Explore past students' experiences in their own words on the program blog.
November 19, 2021

Bullard Fellowship Applications Due 12/15

Applications are now closed.

Applications are due December 15 for 2022-2023 Charles Bullard Fellowships in Forest Research - 6 to 12-month fellowships for mid-career professionals who can make an important contribution, either as scholars or administrators, to forestry and forest-related subjects including biology, earth sciences, economics, politics, administration, philosophy, humanities, the arts, or law.

"Bullard Fellows are a vital and dynamic part of

October 26, 2021

Urban-to-Rural Study Reveals High Methane Emissions in Boston

An eddy-flux tower amid a green forest canopy

A new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that methane emissions in Boston are 6 times higher than previous estimates, and deeply undercounted in state calculations. 

The study, by Harvard Forest research collaborators Lucy Hutyra, Steve Wofsy and colleagues, used long-term methane data from Harvard Forest as a rural benchmark for analyzing Boston methane data.

September 7, 2021

STEM Teaching Tool Highlights Urban Watershed Data

map of the Merrimack River watershed, showing forests in green and developed areas in red

Science teacher Tara Goodhue of Greater Lowell Technical School worked throughout summer 2020 with Josh Plisinski of the Thompson Lab to learn geospatial mapping techniques and analyze ecosystem services data from the public watershed that serves her school. The work was funded by a Research Experience for Teachers grant from the National Science Foundation as part of the Forest's

August 12, 2021

Study: For Trees, Carbs Are Key to Surviving Insect Defoliation

close-up of Lymantria dispar caterpillar

A study published today in Functional Ecology by HF Senior Ecologist Audrey Barker Plotkin and colleagues sheds light on why some oak trees in our region survived a recent severe outbreak of invasive moth, and some did not. The key? Carbohydrates.

The new study reveals the specific threshold of reserves necessary for the trees to survive: 1.5 percent carbohydrates

July 28, 2021

Trees Telling STEM Stories: Free Online Workshop for Teachers

Scientists Tim Rademacher and Kyle Wyche measure respiration on the trunk of an oak tree in a forest in summer

WHAT: No-cost, virtual workshop introducing a Harvard Forest research and social media initiative about trees’ changing environments.

WHO: For Massachusetts middle and high school STEM teachers and informal educators. Led by scientists and educators from Harvard University (Harvard Forest) and Boston University.

WHEN: Thursday, August 26, 10:00am – 4:00pm (register by August 13)

WHERE: Online, no cost

WHY:

July 22, 2021

Senior Ecologist Position Open

A scientist places a numbered collar around a maple seedling on the forest floor.

For the first time in nearly a decade, the Harvard Forest is hiring for a new Senior Ecologist. We encourage applications from all career stages, although a PhD and postdoctoral or similar experience is required. We are open to a variety of disciplines. We particularly encourage applications from members of groups that have been historically underrepresented in the sciences (Black, Indigenous, and

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