Conduct Research

Join scientists from universities and local conservation organizations to build knowledge about conserved forestland. 

The Wildlands and Woodlands Stewardship Science project helps groups and individuals who own conserved forests to design forest monitoring projects with long-term research plots on their land.

Our project goals:

• Engage land trusts, conservation commissions, forest managers, timber companies, and others in systematic data collection on their protected lands in order to (1) document long-term vegetation change and (2) the effects of different management regimes on forests across New England
• Encourage and facilitate a greater reliance on long-term scientific data among forest practitioners and conservation groups to inform future management decisions locally and across the region
• Work closely with participating groups to (1) design long-term forest monitoring programs that are specific to the goals, resources, and constraints of each organization and (2) train participating members in the collection of data in the field
• Use a consistent and straightforward data collection protocol at each site throughout New England
• Create an online database for participants to enter and share their data and to access other groups’ data for comparison and collaboration

Learn more about the project, and see sample data on the Stewardship Science website.

Members of the W&W Stewardship Science Working Group include scientists from Harvard Forest,  Highstead, Brandeis University, the University of Massachusetts, and the University of Minnesota.  For more information or to get involved, contact Ed Faison, ecologist at Highstead and research associate at the Harvard Forest efaison@highstead.net

Or

Emily Silver, research fellow, Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota silve314@umn.edu  

Download the following documents:

Harvard Forest Paper #30 on Wildlands and Woodlands Stewardship Science (coming soon)

Protocol for Wildlands and Woodlands Stewardship Science (coming soon)