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290 results for “New England”
Ecological Momentary Assessment of Family Forest Owners in New England 2016
Family forest owners (FFOs) across the U.S., and particularly in New England, are critically important to the health and future of the nation’s forests. It is important to understand the behavior of FFOs because they in the United States collectively own more forested land than the federal government or any other type of owner, and their actions and decisions will impact the public goods these forests provide. Typical studies of FFO behavior use self-reported survey data; participants are asked to recall past behavior or predict future behavior. These surveys are prone to bias, as it can be difficult to remember when things occur or to accurately predict what one will do in the future. Ecological momentary assessments, used commonly in medicine, are a fresh approach to measuring behavior by querying the subject in real-time. The PING project was designed to reduce this bias and provide a more accurate snapshot of how landowners engage with their land on a short-term basis. Participants in two experimental groups were invited to take part in a month-long survey, where the same questions were sent to them in the method of their choosing (text, via social media, or e-mail) once per week, asking about woodland engagement that week. Participants also took a pre- and post-survey to capture both demographics and feedback on the method. Over 61% of participants completed all 4 surveys and there was no statistically significant difference between the day a participant received their survey. Demographics were consistent with national statistics on woodland owners. A plurality of woodland owners in the study harvested timber for personal use and collected non-timber forest products. Finally, 86% of participants found the method of contact and number of questions reasonable, while 77% found the weekly contact reasonable. A plurality of respondents reported that their answers were typical of a given week, but that the survey question made them think more about their woods than t
Harmonic Baseline Experiments for Landsat-Based Forest Condition Monitoring in Southern New England 2017
This dataset was developed as part of a study of harmonic baseline model parameterization for forest condition monitoring using Landsat time series. We implemented a previously published harmonic modeling approach for forest condition monitoring in Google Earth Engine and systematically assessed the relative ability of condition change products generated using various model parameterizations for predicting pest abundances and defoliation during the 2016-2018 Lymantria dispar outbreak in southern New England. We ran a series of 32 experiments that considered a variety of parameter choices for establishing multi-year “baseline” models representing relatively stable forest conditions for each Landsat pixel in our study area. We tested a full set of factors including (a) spectral vegetation index used for model fitting, (b) baseline-modeling period, (c) frequencies of harmonic regression terms, and (d) differences in Landsat time series input imagery. We generated average condition score estimates for each of these 32 baseline parameterizations for a May 1 to September 30, 2017 monitoring period, then used Generalized Linear Mixed Models to test the relationships between ground-based observations of defoliation and defoliator abundance (larva and egg masses). This archived dataset includes the full set of experimental raster results, as well as a “reanalysis” product from a previous implementation of our condition monitoring workflow. More information on model parameterization rankings can be found in the associated publication (Pasquarella et al. 2021).
Reconstruction of the 1938 Hurricane in New England and Hurricane Hugo in Puerto Rico
This study examined landscape and regional impacts of the 1938 Hurricane in New England and Hurricane Hugo in Puerto Rico, with a focus on the Harvard Forest and the Luquillo Expermental Forest. For details on methods and results, please see the published paper (Boose, E. R., D. R. Foster and M. Fluet. 1994. Hurricane impacts to tropical and temperate forest landscapes. Ecological Monographs 64(4): 369-400). The Abstract from the paper is reproduced below. "Hurricanes represent an important natural disturbance process to tropical and temperate forests in many coastal areas of the world. The complex patterns of damage created in forests by hurricane winds result from the interaction of meteorological, physiographic, and biotic factors on a range of spatial scales. To improve our understanding of these factors and of the role of catastrophic hurricane wind as a disturbance process, we take an integrative approach. A simple meteorological model (HURRECON) utilizes meteorological data to reconstruct wind conditions at specific sites and regional gradients in wind speed and direction during a hurricane. A simple topograhic exposure model (EXPOS) utilizes wind direction predicted by HURRECON and a digital elevation map to estimate landscape-level exposure to the strongest winds. Actual damage to forest stands is assessed through analysis of remotely sensed, historical, and field data. "These techniques were used to evaluate the characteristics and impacts of two important hurricanes: Hurricane Hugo (1989) in Puerto Rico and the 1938 New England Hurricane, storms of comparable magnitude in regions that differ greatly in climate, vegetation, physiography, and disturbance regimes. In both cases patterns of damage on a regional scale were found to agree with the predicted distribution of peak wind gust velocities. On a landscape scale there was also good agreement between patterns of forest damage and predicted exposure in the Luquillo Experimental Forest in Puerto Rico and t
Landscape and Regional Impacts of Hurricanes in New England 1620-1997
This project used a combination of historical research and computer modeling to study the impacts of hurricanes in New England since 1620. For details on methods and results, please see the published paper (Boose, E. R., K. E. Chamberlin and D. R. Foster. 2001. Landscape and regional impacts of hurricanes in New England. Ecological Monographs 71: 27-48). The Abstract from the paper is reproduced below. "Hurricanes are a major factor controlling ecosystem structure, function and dynamics in many coastal forests and yet their ecological role can be understood only by assessing impacts in space and time over a period of centuries. We present a new method for reconstructing hurricane disturbance regimes using a combination of historical research and computer modeling. Historical data on wind damage for each hurricane in the selected region are quantified using the Fujita scale to produce regional maps of actual damage. A simple meteorological model (HURRECON), parameterized and tested for selected recent hurricanes, provides regional estimates of wind speed, direction, and damage for each storm. Individual reconstructions are compiled to analyze spatial and temporal patterns of hurricane impacts. Long-term effects of topography on a landscape scale are then examined with a simple topographic exposure model (EXPOS). "We applied this method to New England, USA, examining hurricanes since European settlement in 1620. Results showed strong regional gradients in hurricane frequency and intensity from southeast to northwest: average return intervals for F0 damage on the Fujita scale (loss of leaves and branches) ranged from 5 to 85 years, average return intervals for F1 damage (scattered blowdowns, small gaps) ranged from 10 to more than 200 years, and average return intervals for F2 damage (extensive blowdowns, large gaps) ranged from 85 to more than 380 years. On a landscape scale, average return intervals for F2 damage in the town of Petersham MA ranged from 125 years acro
Ant Distribution and Abundance in New England 1990-2014
The Ants of New England project is a multi-investigator, multi-year effort to document the occurrence, distribution, and relative abundance of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the six New England states (Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine). The project was initiated in 1999 as a more narrowly-focused effort aimed at determining ant species diversity in bogs and surrounding forests in Massachusetts and Vermont using standard methods (pitfall trapping, timed baiting, litter collection, and visual searching; Gotelli and Ellison 2002, Ellison et al. 2002). Subsequent detailed analysis of collection methods revealed that reliable estimates of ant species occurrences, distribution, and abundance in this geographic region could be obtained using only visual searching and litter collection (Ellison et al. 2007). Following this analysis, we carried out an initial survey of ant occurrences, distribution, and abundances in Massachusetts in 2007. The 2007 survey was focused on ants living in natural community types as defined by the Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program (Swain and Kearsley 2001) and located in properties of high conservation and education value owned by Massachusetts Audubon Society and The Trustees of Reservations. The primary goals for the 2007 survey were: (1) To describe and quantify patterns of distribution and abundance of ants across Massachusetts and to determine the regional "species pool" of ants that could ground local studies on ants (for example, the Warm Ants project at Harvard Forest). (2) To provide a baseline from which to assess long-term effects of climate change on species distributions. (3) To develop a set of indicator species to be used to determine efficacy of ongoing and proposed management strategies and to reveal effects of future disturbances and habitat degradation. (4) To compare with ongoing or planned quantitative surveys of birds and plants at sites owned by conse
Vegetation Patterns of a New England Sand Plain in Montague MA 1993-1995
For details on methods and results, please see the published paper (Motzkin, G., D. Foster, A. Allen, J. Harrod and R. D. Boone. 1996. Controlling site to evaluate history: vegetation patterns of a New England sand plain. Ecological Monographs 66: 345-365). The Abstract from the paper is reproduced below. "The widespread and long-lasting impact of human activity on natural eco-systems indicates that land-use history must be treated as an integral aspect of ecological study and a critical component of conservation planning. The New England landscape has undergone a complete transformation as forests were converted to agriculture in the 18th and 19th centuries followed by succession to woodland as a result of widespread agricultural abandonment. Despite the prevalence of human impacts, the effect and longevity of land-use practices on modern forest conditions are poorly understood. In the present study of pitch pine - scrub oak vegetation on a sand plain in the Connecticut Valley of Massachusetts, we address the following questions: (1) what is the relative importance of human and natural disturbance and environmental factors in controlling vegetation composition, structure, and landscape patterns; (2) what are the mechanisms underlying human impacts on vegetation, and what is the duration of these impacts; and (3) what are the implications of land-use history for the interpretation and conservation of these communities? Sand plain vegetation was selected for investigation because the homogeneity of site conditions facilitates the interpretation of land-use and natural disturbance impacts, and because the uncommon vegetation and constituent species are priorities for conservation efforts. "Paleoecological data suggest that pre-European fires were common on the study area, perhaps ignited by a large regional Indian population. The area was noted historically as an extensive pine plain and was used for wood products from the 18th to the mid-19th century. Eighty-two perc
Allelopathy of Frangula Alnus to Native New England Wetland Vegetation at Harvard Forest 2008
Glossy buckthorn (Frangula alnus), an invasive shrub from Eurasia, colonizes both upland and mesic sites in New England, USA, reducing the growth and survival of native tree saplings and lowering species richness. Although a generalist, buckthorn thrives particularly well along river, pond, and wetland margins, which are traditional habitat for speckled alder (Alnus incana ssp. rugosa), a native nitrogen-fixing shrub. As buckthorn’s dense, monospecific growth is typical of allelopaths, we wondered whether it chemically suppresses the growth of alder and other indigenous shrubs. We thus propagated three native shrub species: Alnus incana ssp. rugosa, Viburnum dentatum and Spiraea latifolia, in invasive buckthorn and native dogwood (Cornus amomum) root and leaf mulch. After seven weeks, alder grown in buckthorn root demonstrated significantly smaller basal diameter than alder grown in buckthorn leaf or other mulches. Therefore, putative buckthorn allelopathy to alder likely occurs through root exudation instead of leaf litter effects. Meadowsweet grown in buckthorn mulch, in contrast, was taller, thicker, and had more numerous leaves than meadowsweet grown in native mulch. These species-specific effects point to allelopathy as a mechanism by which buckthorn changes the structure of native plant communities.
Regional Conservation Partnerships in New England 2009-2012
Across New England, a new model of regional collaboration is increasingly being used by land conservation trusts, watershed associations, state agencies and others. Regional conservation partnerships (RCPs) serve multiple purposes, such as coordinating among the various active groups in the region and allowing them to leverage funding and staff capacity. However, their essential missions are the same--protect more land from development. We use interviews, geographic information systems (GIS), and statistical analysis on 20 case studies to document RCP growth and characteristics and to analyze which attributes most contribute to their ability to conserve land. Along with well-known factors of organizational development, we find that the RCPs that match the size of the partnership region with the territory and capacity of the host partner organization are better able to achieve measurable conservation gains.
Correction Factors for Dissolved Organic Carbon Extracted from Soil in New England 2012-2013
Oxidizable dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is regularly measured in environmental samples using a colorimetric method with Mn(III)-pyrophosphate as the oxidizing agent. It is simpler to use and has a much higher throughput than the commonly used dichromate oxidation and combustion methods. Here, we demonstrate that the method often leads to an underestimation or overestimation of the concentration of common organic compounds in solutions. To our knowledge, no published study has taken this fact into account when analyzing DOC data. Hence, we compared Mn(III)-pyrophosphate-based results with measurements performed with a total organic carbon combustion analyzer for samples of organic and mineral soil horizons of two temperate deciduous forests (Harvard Forest, Hubbard Brook), of organic soil horizon of a primary growth hemlock stand (Harvard Forest), and of a peatland (Caribou Bog) located in New England, USA. The Mn(III)-pyrophosphate method consistently underestimated DOC concentration in soil extracts. We present correction factors for the different types of soil studied. By employing correction factors, we find the method can be an inexpensive, accurate, and high throughput tool to measure DOC in environmental samples.
LANDIS-II PnET Simulation of Recent Trends in Forest Change in New England 2010-2060
The future forests of eastern North America will be shaped by at least three broad drivers: (i) vegetation change and natural disturbance patterns associated with the protracted recovery following colonial era land use, (ii) a changing climate, and (iii) a land-use regime that consists of geographically variable rates and intensities of forest harvesting, clearing for development, and land protection. We evaluated the aggregate and relative importance of these factors for the future forests of New England, USA by simulating a continuation of the recent trends in these drivers for fifty-years, nominally spanning 2010 to 2060. The models explicitly incorporate the modern distribution of tree species and the geographical variation in climate and land-use change. Using a cellular land-cover change model in combination with a physiologically-based forest landscape model, we conducted a factorial simulation experiment to assess changes in aboveground carbon (AGC) and forest composition. In the control scenario that simulates a hypothetical absence of any future land use or future climate change, the simulated landscape experienced large increases in average AGC—an increase of 53% from 2010 to 2060 (from 4.2 to 6.3 kg m-2). By 2060, climate change increased AGC stores by 8% relative to the control while the land-use regime reduced AGC by 16%. Among land uses, timber harvesting had a larger effect on AGC storage and changes in tree composition than did forest conversion to non-forest uses, with the most pronounced impacts observed on private corporate-owned land in northern New England. Our results demonstrate a large difference between the landscape’s potential to store carbon and the landscape’s current trajectory, assuming a continuation of the modern land-use regime. They also reveal aspects of the land-use regime that will have a disproportionate impact on the ability of the landscape to store carbon in the future, such as harvest regimes on corporate-owned lands. This
LANDIS-II PnET Impacts of Warming on Forest Net Primary Productivity in New England 2010-2100
Climate warming is expected to lengthen growing seasons of temperate forest ecosystems and increase gross primary productivity. Simultaneously, warming is expected to increase summer ecosystem respiration, which could offset gains accrued from longer growing seasons. These responses have been observed during anomalously warm years, but the role of future climate change on phenological trade‐offs and how they affect net primary productivity (NPP) at regional scales in temperate forests remain unexplored. We simulated scenarios of climate change on monthly forest NPP throughout 18 million hectares of temperate forests in New England, USA, through year 2100. Using an ecophysiological model coupled to a forest landscape model, we simulated scenarios of climate change on monthly NPP. A high emission scenario (RCP 8.5), resulted in longer growing seasons that offset midsummer ecosystem respiration costs and produced greater annual NPP throughout the study landscape compared to simulations using the current climate. In spring and autumn months, temperature was positively associated with greater NPP; in summer months, the relationship was negative. Spatially, the greatest increase in NPP occurred in the warmer southern region under a warm climate scenario with increased precipitation. Under a warm scenario with drier conditions, the greatest increase in NPP occurred in the cooler northern region. Phenological trade‐offs will affect NPP of future forests and their potential to serve as a negative feedback to climate change. Barring other limitations, longer growing seasons will offset greater respiratory demands and contribute to increases in NPP throughout the temperate forests of New England in the future.
Natural Land Zones in New England in 2006 from 2010 Wildlands and Woodlands Report
This GIS dataset shows different Wildland and Woodland zones in New England and is intended to illustrate how the percentage of protected land could vary between New England landscapes while achieving the total acreage goals as expressed in the Wildlands and Woodlands 2010 Report. This is layer is intended to be conceptual and not prescriptive. The zones were created by expressing the percent natural landcover for a given 500m pixel using a 25 x 25-cell neighborhood. The landuse categories considered to be natural and the breakpoints for each zone are given in the Methods section of this document. The data are provided in vector format as an ESRI shapefile. The projection is NAD 1983 Albers. The Wildlands and Woodlands webpage, http://www.wildlandsandwoodlands.org/, includes a downloadable high-resolution copy of the report and an extensive set of resources that complement and support the arguments and facts presented in it. These include citations, metadata, and downloadable high-quality images of all the graphs and maps. The website will be updated to provide further information on many of the findings, activities, and recommendations provided in the report. Wildlands and Woodlands Report: Foster, D. R., Lambert, K. F., Kittredge, D. B., Donahue, B. M, Hart, C. M., Labich, W. G., Meyer, S., Thompson, J. , Buchanan, M., Levitt, J. N., Pershel, R., Ross, K., Elkins, G., Daigle, C., Hall, B., Faison, E. K., D'Amato, A. W., Forman, R. T. T., Del Tredici, P., Irland, L. C., Colburn, B. A., Orwig, D. A., Aber, J. D., Berger, A., Driscoll, C. T., Keeton, W. S., Lilieholm, R. J., Pederson, N., Ellison, A. M., Hunter, M. L., Fahey, T. J. 2017. Wildlands and Woodlands, Farmlands and Communities: Broadening the Vision for New England.
Coastal Native American Archaeological Sites in New York and Southern New England 12000-400 BP
Information on coastal Native American archaeological sites in New York and southern New England was compiled from various state historical commissions. The data include the following characteristics: Project Area, Project Size, and Cultural Remains, which identifies the presence of either pre-Contact (PRE) or historic (HI) material, or the lack of cultural material (NCM). Site type Site Type delineates the type of pre-Contact site represented by the artifacts and features identified at a location, which ranges from a Find Spot (FS) (a tool or piece of chipping debris found on the surface or found alone), and a Short-term Site (ST) (presence of artifacts indicating temporary use of a location), to a Seasonal Site (SE) (a site containing evidence of repeated occupation over long periods of time and with features and evidence for a broad range of activities), and a Sedentary Site (SD) (evidence of year-round habitation in form of botanical, faunal, fish and shellfish remains; presence of hearths, storage pits and middens; large variety and great quantity of tool types). Time periods Time Periods include: the Paleoindian Period (P) (12,000-10,000 BP); Early Archaic (EA) (10,000-8000 BP), Middle Archaic (MA) (8000-6000 BP), Late Archaic (LA) (6000-3000 BP), Transitional Archaic (TA) (3500-2500 BP), Early Woodland (EW) (3000-2000 BP), Middle Woodland (MW) (2000-1000 BP), Late Woodland (LW) (1000-500 BP), Contact period (C) (A.D. 1500-1620), and sites of unknown temporal affiliation (U). Activities The activities represented by the artifacts recovered from the sites include: lithic tool repair (LTR) (chipping debris), lithic workshop (LTW) (chipping debris, hammerstones, cores), hunting (HU) (faunal material and/or projectile points), fishing (FI) (net weights, fish hooks, fish bone), shellfish gathering (SG) (presence of shell), plant gathering (PG) (presence of charred seeds and/or nuts), food processing (FP) (bifaces, scrapers, knives, blades, and other lithic tools, f
Mid-19th Century Land Use on the Southern New England and New York Coasts 1832-1886
The widespread influence of land use and natural disturbance on population, community, and landscape dynamics and the long-term legacy of disturbance on modern ecosystems requires that a historical, broad-scale perspective become an integral part of modern ecological studies and conservation assessment and planning. In previous studies, the Harvard Forest Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) program has developed an integrated approach of paleoecological and historical reconstruction, meteorological modeling, air photo interpretation, GIS analyses, and field studies of vegetation and soils, to address fundamental ecological questions concerning the rates, direction, and causes of vegetation change, to evaluate controls over modern species and community distributions and landscape patterns, and to provide critical background for conservation and restoration planning. In the current study, we extend this approach to investigate the link between landscape history and the abundance, distribution, and dynamics of species, communities and landscapes of the Cape Cod to Long Island coastal region, including the islands of Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, and Block Island. The study region includes many areas of high conservation priority that are linked geographically, historically, and ecologically. This data package includes GIS layers digitized by Harvard Forest researchers from copies of the US Coastal Survey “T-Sheet” maps available from the National Archives in College Park, Maryland. The US Coastal Survey, and then the US Coast and Geodetic Survey mapped the region, or specific parts of it, several times between 1832 and the 1960s. In this project we digitized the earliest T-Sheet available for each location. The original maps were surveyed between 1832 and 1886, with most of them made between 1835 to 1855. The original maps showed features such as roads, farm walls, railroads, buildings, some industrial buildings, saltworks, wharfs, and land cover including woodlands,
Lake Sediment Charcoal from Ponds in Southern New England from 14000 BP to Present
Aim We analyzed a dataset composed of multiple palaeoclimate and lake-sediment pollen and charcoal records from New England to explore how postglacial changes in forest composition and spatial patterns of vegetation and fire were controlled by regional-scale climate change, a subregional environmental gradient, and landscape-scale variations in soil characteristics. Location The 120,000-km2 study area includes parts of Vermont and New Hampshire in the north, where sites are 150-200 km from the Atlantic Ocean, and spans the coastline from southeastern New York to Cape Cod and the adjacent islands, including Block Island, the Elizabeth Islands, Nantucket, and Martha’s Vineyard. Results Boreal forest featuring Picea and Pinus banksiana was present across the region when conditions were cool and dry 14,000-12,000 calibrated 14C yrs before present (ybp). Pinus strobus became regionally dominant as temperatures increased between 12,000 and 10,000 ybp. The composition of forests in inland and coastal areas diverged in response to further warming after 10,000 ybp, when Quercus and Pinus rigida expanded across southern New England, while conditions remained cool enough in inland areas to maintain Pinus strobus. Fire severity was high during 10,000-8000 ybp. Increasing precipitation allowed Tsuga canadensis, Fagus grandifolia, and Betula to replace Pinus strobus in inland areas during 9000-8000 ybp, and also led to the expansion of Carya across the coastal part of the region beginning at 7000-6000 ybp. Abrupt cooling at 5500-5000 ybp caused sharp declines in Tsuga in inland areas and Quercus at some coastal sites, and the populations of those taxa remained low until they recovered around 3000 ybp in response to rising precipitation. Throughout most of the Holocene, sites underlain by sandy glacial deposits were occupied by Pinus rigida and Quercus. Main conclusions Postglacial changes in the composition and spatial pattern of New England forests were controlled by long-term t
Land Conservation and Human Demographics by Census Tract in New England 2014-2018
This dataset summarizes land protection, conservation prioritization layer scores, and human demographics within New England communities, defined as census tracts. This dataset was created to identify disparities in land protection according to metrics of social marginalization and assess how incorporating environmental justice criteria into land conservation prioritization systems might change conservation priorities.
Wildlands and Woodlands Stewardship Science Vegetation Plots in New England 2009-2015
The Wildlands and Woodlands (W&W) initiative is a broad, collaborative effort to protect 70% of New England in forest over the next 50 years. At the heart of this initiative is the awareness that our wooded landscapes provide immeasurable economic, environmental, and cultural benefits and the conviction that we should understand these systems better, manage them wisely, and conserve them for the future. As part of W&W, Stewardship Science seeks to encourage widespread application of an accessible approach to monitoring forests that interested landowners or conservation-minded individuals can use to track changes in their woods over time. Whether the motivation is active management for timber, understanding how forests are being shaped by factors ranging from climate change and ice storms to insect pests, or simple pleasure in observing nature’s dynamics, anyone equipped with a notebook, tape measure, pencil, and the willingness to puzzle through a book of tree identification can readily develop a robust and valuable set of observations. This idea is not new. For over 150 years, leading conservationists and ecological thinkers beginning with Henry David Thoreau have argued that there is much to be learned through simple, long-term measurements of forest growth and change. Yet there are still remarkably few examples of private landowners, land trusts, timber companies, or conservation organizations that base their understanding and management practices on a regular system of observations and measurements. Because the vast majority of forestland in New England is privately owned, most of these lands remain unmonitored, and management plans are often drawn up from casual rather than systematic observation. For more background information on the project, please see the Wildlands & Woodlands Stewardship Science manual. This data package contains vegetation and environmental data on 64 20x20m plots set up in four areas across New England by staff and summer field crews fro
Wildlands of New England GIS Data 1900-2022
Wildlands in New England is the first U.S. study to map and characterize within one region all conserved lands that, by design, allow natural processes to unfold with no active management or intervention. These “forever wild lands” include federal Wilderness areas along with diverse public and private natural areas and reserves. Knowing the precise locations of Wildlands, their characteristics, and their protection status is important as both a baseline for advancing conservation initiatives and an urgent call to action for supporting nature and society. Wildlands play a unique role in the integrated approach to conservation and land planning advanced by the Wildlands, Woodlands, Farmlands & Communities (WWF&C) initiative, which calls for: at least 70 percent of the region to be protected forest; Wildlands to occupy at least 10 percent of the land; and all existing farmland to be permanently conserved. This research was conducted by WWF&C partners Harvard Forest (Harvard University), Highstead Foundation, and Northeast Wilderness Trust, in collaboration with over one hundred conservation organizations and municipal, state, and federal agencies. This dataset contains the Geographical Information System (GIS) polygon layer of Wildlands created by this project and used in all analyses for the 2023 report. Another GIS layer will be updated as new Wildlands are brought to our attention or created and will be available at https://wildlandsandwoodlands.org/ for researchers.
Land Use on the Southern New England and New York Coasts 1600-2001
The widespread influence of land use and natural disturbance on population, community, and landscape dynamics and the long-term legacy of disturbance on modern ecosystems requires that a historical, broad-scale perspective become an integral part of modern ecological studies and conservation assessment and planning. In previous studies, the Harvard Forest Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) program has developed an integrated approach of paleoecological and historical reconstruction, meteorological modeling, air photo interpretation, GIS analyses, and field studies of vegetation and soils, to address fundamental ecological questions concerning the rates, direction, and causes of vegetation change, to evaluate controls over modern species and community distributions and landscape patterns, and to provide critical background for conservation and restoration planning. In the current study, we extend this approach to investigate the link between landscape history and the abundance, distribution, and dynamics of species, communities and landscapes of the Cape Cod to Long Island coastal region, including the islands of Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, and Block Island. The study region includes many areas of high conservation priority that are linked geographically, historically, and ecologically. Despite the compelling rationale for examining this coastal region as a whole and for comparing its related, though distinctive geographic areas, an integrated and comprehensive study of the region has never been undertaken. We are investigating regional controls over landscape patterns and community distribution and will focus in detail on the dynamics of sandplain communities, including grasslands, heathlands, barrens, and woodlands, which are unique components of this region and high priorities for conservation. In order to determine the historical and modern abundance and distribution of these community types, and to relate these to historical patterns of land use, fire, winds
Influence of Little Ice Age on New England Vegetation from 2000 BP to Present
This multi-proxy study uses paleoecological, paleolimnological, and historical approaches to reconstruct climate, vegetation, and cultural dynamics over the past 1500 years at sites arrayed across the climatic and forest gradients of New England and to place these results in a regional framework through analysis of pollen records from the North American Pollen Database. High resolution records were obtained using pollen to interpret vegetation history; chironomids, stable isotopes, geochemistry, and diatoms, supplemented by historical reconstructions, to interpret climate history; charcoal and land-use data to document the human impacts; and Pb-210 and C-14 for chronological control. Results will provide: (1) an objective characterization of the Little Ice Age and climate history in New England, (2) comparison of pre- and post-European forest dynamics in relationship to independent environmental and land-use histories, (3) a reexamination of historical vegetation dynamics in light of prior climate an vegetation change, and (4) widespread availability of data and results through publications, symposium presentation, and the Harvard Forest Archives and web pages.
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These curated guides explain access requirements, typical timelines, costs, and reuse considerations for widely used research datasets.
Allen Brain Atlas
Allen Brain Atlas is an Allen Institute collection of brain map atlases, datasets, APIs, and analysis tools covering mouse, human, and non-human primate brain resources.
Annotated Behaviour and Observability Dataset (ABODe)
ABODe is a University of Edinburgh DataShare dataset for behavior classification in group-housed mice using home-cage video, identities, bounding boxes, ground-plate positions, and annotator labels.
DANDI Archive for NWB datasets
DANDI is a BRAIN Initiative archive for publishing and sharing neurophysiology data, including electrophysiology, optophysiology, and behavioral data packaged as NWB and related standards.
International Brain Laboratory public data
The International Brain Laboratory public data releases expose standardized mouse decision-making experiments, including Neuropixels recordings, widefield calcium imaging, behavior, and session metadata accessed through the ONE API.
OpenNeuro
OpenNeuro is a free, open platform for sharing neuroimaging datasets, with public search, dataset pages, and download paths for web, S3, DataLad, and the OpenNeuro CLI.