News and Highlights | Hubbard Brook

A microburst windstorm in the Hubbard Brook forest

On 2 June 2013 Hubbard Brook was visited by a severe microburst windstorm that blew down extensive areas of the forest. We quantified the pattern and extent of damage by this rare event to improve understanding of the role of such 'intermediate disturbances' in the dynamics of the northern hardwood forest.

Cues for Masting in Sugar Maple and American Beech

Many tree species exhibit the phenomenon of seed (or fruit) “masting” in which all the trees in a population produce large seed crops in a particular year.

Sugar Maple Decline Following Whole-Tree Harvest of Watershed 5

In 1985 we conducted a whole-tree harvest experiment on W5 to evaluate how forest ecosystems respond to this intensive forest management practice and associated high nutrient removal. Periodic measurements on permanent plots across W5 have revealed that sugar maple abundance has drastically declined during thirty years of forest development on W5.

An Ice Storm Manipulation Experiment in a Northern Hardwood Forest

ICE STORMS are an important natural disturbance in forest ecosystems of the "ice belt" that covers a broad area extending from east Texas to New England. These glazing events (defined as 0.25 in. of ice accretion or more) are often perceived as rare occurrences, even though the return interval is as short as 2-5 years in the most ice storm prone northeastern U.S. In this region, ice storms are a major cause of forest disturbance.

Double Barreled October Rain Storms Soak Hubbard Brook

On October 27, two days before the remnants of Tropical Storm Philippe drenched New England, toppled trees, and cut power to over 1.1 million customers, a dozen scientists at the USDA Forest Service’s Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in North Woodstock, NH were hard at work. Alerted by meteorologist Eric Kelsey of a potentially historic extreme rain event, they activated a "Water RAT," or a Rapid Assessment Team, to monitor the pending storm.

Eclipse Science at Hubbard Brook: Solar Radiation and Carbon Dioxide Flux

On August 21, 2017, people across the United States looked towards the sky for a partial or complete solar eclipse, the first such astronomical event since 1918. In a rare moment of unity, people in all corners of the country gathered together to witness a natural wonder. At the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in New Hampshire, staff and scientists shared in the fun with a variety of contraptions. Technical instruments at Hubbard Brook and nearby research sites captured the impact of the eclipse on net solar radiation and whole forest atmospheric carbon dioxide exchange.

Comments by Dr. Michael Michael Oppenheimer at the 2017 HBRF Annual Meeting

Below are the comments made by invited speaker Dr. Michael Oppenheimer, Albert G.

Embedding Public Engagement with Science at LTER Sites

Embedding Public Engagement with Science at Long-Term Ecological Research Sites (PES @ LTERs) is a new collaborative project led by the Hubbard Brook Research Foundation, Harvard Forest, Michigan State University, Boston University, and CUNY. The goal of the project is to integrate public engagment into the cultures and practices of two LTER sites, Hubbard Brook and Harvard Forest, and to build knowledge about the mutual learning that takes place between scientists and adult stakeholders in multiple engagement settings.