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Harvard Forest LTER

Home » Sites » Harvard Forest LTER

Site Contacts

Lead Principal Investigator: Jonathan Thompson
Research/Site Coordinator: Audrey Barker Plotkin
Information Manager: Emery Boose
Broadening Participation Contact: Jonathan Thompson
Education Contact: Katharine Hinkle
Site Grad Rep A: Carina Berlingeri
View all people at this site

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Site Details

Research Topics:
Long-term climate change, disturbance history and vegetation dynamics; comparison of community, population, and plant architectural responses to human and natural disturbance; forest-atmosphere trace gas fluxes; organic matter accumulation, decomposition and mineralization; element cycling, fine root dynamics and forest microbiology. Read More

Since its establishment in 1907 the Harvard Forest has served as a center for research and education in forest biology. Research areas have included siliviculture and forest management, soils and the development of forest site concepts, biology of temperate and tropical trees, forest ecology, and ecosystem dynamics. The Harvard Forest Long Term Ecological Research Program (HF LTER), established in 1988 through funding from the National Science Foundation, epitomizes current research activities. Cooperation with other research sites and collaboration with independent researchers are central to the research and educational goals of the forest.

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Description:
The Harvard Forest is located in a rural setting in north-central Massachusetts about 70 miles west of Boston. The 1200-hectare site lies in the Transition Hardwood-White Pine-Hemlock forest region, and includes a variety of forests and wetlands. Research at the Forest focuses on effects of natural and human disturbances on forest ecosystems. These disturbances include atmospheric pollution, global warming, hurricanes, treefalls, and insect outbreaks. Facilities include laboratories for nutrient analysis, physiological and population ecology, isozyme and pollen analysis; greenhouses; herbarium; computer laboratory; library; and a museum. Read More

Location: North-central Massachusetts 42.5°N Latitude; 72°W

Longitude Land Base, Petersham, MA: 1200 ha across 3 major tracts Prospect Hill Tom Swamp Slab City Plus 2 smaller tracts (Schwarz Tract and Simes Tract) Royalston, MA: 28 ha Tall Timbers Tract Hamilton, MA: 40 ha Matthews Plantation Winchester, NH: 10 ha Pisgah Tract, which is part of the 5000 ha Pisgah State Forest

Climate: Cool, moist temperate July mean temperature 20°C January mean temperature -7°C; Annual mean precipitation 110 cm, distributed fairly evenly throughout the year

Physiography: New England Upland Region Elevation: 220m to 410m above sea level Bedrock: granite, gneiss and schist Soils Mainly sandy loam glacial till, with some alluvial and colluvial deposits; moderately to well drained in most areas, acidic, average depth 3 m

Vegetation: Transition Hardwood - White Pine - Hemlock Region

Dominant species: Red oak (Quercus rubra) Red maple (Acer rubrum) Black birch (Betula lenta) White pine (Pinus strobus) Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis)

Species found on drier soils: White oak (Quercus alba) Black oak (Quercus velutina) Hickory (Carya ovata) Chestnut (Castanea dentata), now only found in understory because of chestnut blight

On moist, cool, but well-drained sites: Yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis) Beech (Fagus grandifolia) Sugar maple (Acer saccharum) Paper birch (Betula papyrifera) White ash (Fraxinus americana) Hemlock White pine In peatlands: Red spruce (Picea rubens) Black spruce (Picea mariana) Larch (Larix laricina)

Plantations: Conifer plantations cover about 7% of Harvard Forest land

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History:
Since 1907 research and education have been the mission of the Harvard Forest, one of the oldest and most intensively studied forests in North America. From a center comprised of 3000 acres of land, research facilities, and the Fisher Museum the scientists, students, and collaborators at the Forest explore topics ranging from conservation and environmental change to land-use history and the ways in which physical, biological and human systems interact to change our earth.

Location

Latitude: 42.53
Longitude: -72.19
Elevation: 330
Biome: Deciduous Forest
View Map

Grant History:

    LTER-06: DEB–1832210
    LTER: From Microbes to Macrosystems: Understanding the response of ecological systems to global change drivers and their interactions
    Start Date: March 1, 2019

    LTER-05: DEB–1237491
    LTER V: New Science, Synthesis, Scholarship, and Strategic Vision for Society
    Start Date: January 1, 2013

    LTER-04: DEB–0620443
    LTER IV: Integrated Studies of the Drivers, Dynamics, and Consequences of Landscape Change in New England
    Start Date: October 1, 2006

    LTER-03: DEB–0080592
    LTER III: Long Term Ecological Research at Harvard Forest
    Start Date: October 15, 2000

    LTER-02: DEB–9411975
    LTER: Harvard Forest Long-Term Ecological Research Program Forest Ecosystem Dynamics in Central New England
    Start Date: January 15, 1995

    LTER-01: DEB–8811764
    Responses of the Harvard Forest (MA) to a Suite of Disturbances
    Start Date: October 15, 1988

Updated June 12, 2025

Key Research Findings

Carbon Uptake Exceeds Expectations
Hemlock is a Foundation Species
Microbes Respond to Global Change
Spring is Arriving Earlier

View all key research findings
for this site

Harvard Forest LTER News

Director of Administration and Finance | Harvard Forest
Ten years later: an LTER synthesis working group leads to discovery and accelerates four careers
Harvard Forest Summer Research Program in Ecology (REU)
Measuring Methane in 4D: Tree Fluxes at Harvard Forest 
NEON Biorepository Biodiversity Informatician | Arizona State University
Litterfall in the Limelight: How a “COVID Paper” from Harvard Forest Sheds Light on Spatial and Temporal Litterfall Patterns
A researcher in an orange vest stands atop a brown and green forest floor with white sampling equipment in front of her and a round puck of soil below her feet.
Across fourteen LTERs, soil carbon is a “gatekeeper” on the nitrogen cycle
Summer Research Program in Ecology Assistant Program Coordinator/Resident Advisor | Harvard Forest LTER
Postdoctoral Research Fellow: Ecosystem-Atmosphere Interactions
Postdoctoral Research Fellow: Forest Landscape Ecology | Harvard Forest LTER
Director | Harvard Forest
Postdoctoral Researcher: Scaling of Forest Structure using Remote Sensing
NEON and LTER: A Long-Term Partnership for Ecological Observation
Dr. Christopher Patrick stands in a brown stream in front of several huge downed trees in the mud.
Ecosystems are resistant or resilient to hurricanes, but not both
Upcoming Panel Discussion on Community Engagement
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Except where otherwise noted, material may be re-used under a Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0 license.

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under grant # 1545288, 10/1/2015-9/30/19 and # 1929393, 09/01/2019-08/31/2024, and # 2419138, 08/01/2024-present . Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in the material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

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