Chronic Nitrogen Enrichment Slows Fungal Action

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Fungi, often spotted in cold, damp locations, are responsible for decomposing the plant litter that falls to forest floors, enriching soils. Without fungi, dead plant material would inundate ecosystems and overwhelm other organisms. What would happen, then, if anthropogenic nitrogen altered the fungi’s ability to perform this vital ecosystem function? A recent study capitalized on a 28-year nitrogen enrichment experiment at the Harvard Forest LTER site in north-central Massachusetts to find out.  As nitrogen inputs to a system increase, researchers found, fungal decomposition slowed.

Science Policy Forum: Liberating Data (and Samples)

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samples stored at the hubbard brook archive for potential reuse

A phalanx of open-science advocates (including Harvard Forest LTER’s Aaron Elison) recently published a Science Policy Forum full of broad principles and specific proposals on how the scientific community might cultivate a more open, transparent, and collaborative approach to data archiving and sharing. And they didn’t give anybody a pass on physical samples either. Credit:… Read more »

Harvard Study Shows Sprawl Threatens Water Quality, Climate Protection, and Land Conservation Gains in Massachusetts

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Important findings reveal promise and peril of land-use decisions Petersham, MA – A groundbreaking study by Harvard University’s Harvard Forest Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) program 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,… Read more »

Study: Forest clearcuts show sustained losses of carbon, surprising trends in water

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PETERSHAM, Mass.—A new study out of the Harvard Forest, released today in the journal Global Change Biology, is the first detailed account of how carbon, water, and energy balances shift in the three years following the clearcut of a deciduous forest. The study, conducted by Clark University Professor Christopher Williams and colleagues in a 20-acre… Read more »

Harvard Forest researchers say whitebark pine tree’s future may be at risk

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New research by Harvard Forest (HFR) LTER scientists suggest that widespread death of the whiteback pine tree from beetle infestations and tree disease outbreaks may be affecting seed production and hence the future of the tree–a mountain tree important to wildlife and water resources in the western United States and Canada. In a paper published… Read more »

Harvard Forest carbon research featured on NSF “Science Nation”

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The National Science Foundation’s online video magazine, “Science Nation,” has released a short video featuring long term research by scientists at the Harvard Forest (HFR) Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) program to determine how the forest responds to carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The short video and the accompanying short article can be viewed at… Read more »

In blown down forests, a story of survival

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Contact: Clarisse Hart, Harvard Forest Outreach Manager Telephone: (978) 756-6157 (9a to 5p) Email: hart3@fas.harvard.edu October 16, 2012 PETERSHAM, MASSACHUSETTS—In newscasts following intense wind and ice storms, damaged trees stand out: snapped limbs, uprooted trunks, sometimes entire forests blown nearly flat. In the storm’s wake, landowners, municipalities, and state agencies are faced with important financial… Read more »

NEON breaks ground at the Harvard Forest

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On June 8, 2012, a shovel thrust into the ground at the Harvard Forest (HFR) marked the dawn of construction for the 30-year, continental-scale National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON). Harvard Forest is the core site for NEON’s Northeast domain, one of 20 core sites slated to be built across the U.S. and one of several… Read more »