Northern Forest Science and Applications
More Than Just Trees
Research by the Northern Forest Science and Applications Unit includes wildlife, forest vegetation, dead wood, invertebrates, and pollinators.
Wildlife
Researchers are evaluating the effectiveness of conservation programs, as well as how land management and landscape conditions impact shrubland bird species.
Understory Species
We are studying the vegetation in and around mature forests, as well as how vegetation responds to such disturbances as prescribed burning and the loss of canopy cover from trees killed by insect infestations.
Dead Wood
Dead wood plays an important role in many ecological processes, from carbon cycling to fire behavior and tree regeneration. Researchers are quantifying the amount of dead wood in northern forests, as well as tracking sources and rates of accumulation and what that may mean for increased carbon emissions.
Micro and Macro Invertebrates
Our scientists are studying how effective streamside conservation zones are at protecting species from disturbances caused by logging. They’re also measuring the mercury levels found in riparian insects and the predators that feed off them.
Pollinators
Researchers have found that creating openings in forests improves the number and variety of bees found both in and adjacent to the clearings.
Selected Research Summaries
- Forecasting the Effects of Climate Change on Spruce-fir Birds
- Hunting for Trees’ Sake - Researching Hunting’s Effects on Deer Browsing
- Managing for Forests and Wildlife - Practice Advice for Managing New England Hardwood Forests
- Non-native Norway Spruce May Become Essential Bird Habitat
- STRIPS (Science-based Trials of Rowcrops Integrated with Prairie Strips)
- The PHiLL Project: Creating Pollinator Habitat in Log Landings