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Harvard Forest Research Project 2024

  • Title: Long-term history of New England forests
  • Principal investigator: Wyatt Oswald (w_wyatt_oswald@emerson.edu)
  • Institution: Emerson College
  • Primary contact: Wyatt Oswald (w_wyatt_oswald@emerson.edu)
  • Team members:
  • Abstract:

    Paleoecological studies reveal the rates, patterns, and drivers of past ecological dynamics. Harvard Forest researchers collect lake-sediment cores from sites across New England and analyze a variety of components of the sediments, including pollen, charcoal, and chemistry, yielding reconstructions of forest composition, fire activity, and climate spanning the postglacial interval. In conjunction with modern and historical research, this work provides insights into human-environment interactions and the response of ecosystems to climate change.