SEEDS Field Trips » Upcoming Trips: Harvard Forest Details
The 2008 SEEDS Fall Field Trip will take place from October 16-19 at the Harvard Forest Long Term Ecological Researchsite (HFR LTER) in Petersham, Massachusetts, about 65 miles west of Boston. This field trip provides a unique opportunity for students to learn from, and perhaps contribute to, scientific research programs taking place within the long term ecological research network.
The Harvard Forest LTER program is supported and hosted by Harvard University, the Long Term Ecological Research Network, Massachusetts Environmental Trust, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service, and the Nature Conservancy, with major funding provided by the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Since 1907, the Harvard Forest has served as a center for research and education in forest biology and conservation. Two major research programs provide a framework for much of this activity. The Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) program is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). It was established in 1988 to investigate the structure, function and d
ynamics of natural ecosystems in New England. The National Institutes of Global Environmental Change (NIGEC) program was established in 1990 with funding by the Department of Energy (DOE). It emphasizes studies of physical and biological processes relevant to climate change. In addition to these large programs
there are many focused studies on
diverse subjects.
The goal of the HFR LTER is to examine the drivers of landscape change for human populations and diverse natural ecosystems in the eastern United States. Drivers range from microbes to moose, invasive plants to exotic insects, hurricanes to forest harvesting, and global climate change to regional land-use. Their consequences are explored through historical and regional studies, long-term measurements, modeling, and controlled experimental manipulations several of which are well into their second decade.
Research and education have always been the mission of the Harvard Forest LTER, one of the oldest and most intensively studied forests in North America. From a center comprising 3,000 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.
During the field trip, students will tour the Harvard Forest, meeting with many faculty, staff and graduate students. Students will conduct an ecological investigation, and present their results. In addition, students will attend a seminar, participate in a writing workshop, and learn about the important cultural history of the area. A career panel discussion will also give students some ideas of the diverse career paths in ecology.
Opportunities for undergraduate students at Harvard Forest and Harvard University will be presented, including Research Experience for Undergraduates
(REU) opportunities. Students are expected to maintain journals on their experience, both individually and as a group. Group journals will create a comprehensive field trip document that students are then encouraged to publish in the ESA Bulletin.
Please contact Erin Vinson with any questions at erin@esa.org.
Photos and information credit: Harvard Forest LTER website
