The Unit aims to discover new ecological knowledge that land managers can use as they develop strategies for meeting the increasing demands on forest ecosystems and sustaining the many services that people derive from forests. Research on ecosystem processes is critical to forest management and conservation as well as scaling site-based studies temporally and spatially to address larger landscapes.

Fourteen experimental forests managed by Unit staff offer a unique opportunity to investigate contemporary resource questions with decades of historical data. Researchers are investigating ecological processes in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems of the northern forest, determining impacts of change on these ecosystems, and providing a scientific basis for managing ecosystems for long-term sustainability.

Before you can develop tools that are relevant to land managers’ challenges and objectives, you have to understand how complex systems function at scales ranging from individual organisms to diverse landscapes. The Northern Forest Science and Application unit is addressing these challenges within the northern forest region of the United States (and beyond). Research on ecosystem processes is critical to forest management and conservation as well as scaling site-based studies temporally and spatially to address larger landscapes.

The 14 experimental forests our staff manage offer a unique opportunity to investigate contemporary resource questions with decades of historical data. With partners throughout the nation and the world, we’re able to conduct broad, landscape-scale research, while simultaneously collecting a wealth of long-term monitoring data for future comparison.

Experimental forests managed through the Northern Forests Science and Applications research work unit include:

• Argonne
• Bartlett
• Big Falls
• Coulee
• Cutfoot
• Dukes
• Hubbard Brook
• Kawishiwi
• Lower Peninsula
• Marcell
• Massabesic
• Penobscot
• Pike Bay
• Udell

Key challenges facing northern forests include landscape fragmentation, air and water pollution, invasive species, natural and manmade disturbances, and changing climatic conditions.

Northern Forest Science and Applications research focuses on understanding the impacts of these evolving issues while helping forests thrive and communities adapt.