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class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden clearfix"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"> <p>The 4,000 acres of land that comprise the Harvard Forest, in Petersham (Nichewaug), Massachusetts, are within the unceded homeland of the Nipmuc people.</p><p>Following the tragic genocide and forced removal/assimilation of Indigenous people in this region, Nichewaug was colonized by European settlers and incorporated as the town of Petersham in the 18th century. The incredible resilience of the Nipmuc people through this period has led to their ability to thrive into the modern era, and means that we are able to collaborate today.</p><p>The original 2,000 acres that make up the Harvard Forest were donated to Harvard University by James Brooks for the purposes of establishing a field-based classroom for Harvard's new School of Forestry. At its founding in 1907, the original purpose of the Harvard Forest was to serve as:</p><ol><li>A field laboratory for students</li><li>A research center in forestry and related disciplines, including soils, wildlife biology, geography and botany</li><li>A demonstration of practical sustained forestry</li></ol><p>In 1914, Forestry education was shifted to Petersham, and the Harvard Forest was made a graduate school.</p><p>The Harvard Forest mission was reprioritized in 1915 to include serving as an example to the local community for the care and marketing of forests.</p><p>In 1932, the Harvard Forest was placed within Harvard's Faculty of Arts and Sciences and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, where it has remained since.</p><p>Today, the Forest hosts <a href="/education-opportunities">educational programs</a> (courses, internships, and field trips) for thousands of students a year, from Harvard and around the world.</p><p>The Harvard Forest is also now among the most studied forests in the world. While its dual mission of research and teaching has been largely unchanged since its founding, the Forest’s <a href="/hf-land-management">land base</a>, <a href="/research">research</a> scope, and range of <a href="https://harvardforest2.fas.harvard.edu/asp/hf/php/researcher_profiles.php">collaborators</a> have expanded considerably, and the Forest now serves as a critical node in nearly every national ecological network (see <a href="/research/lter">LTER</a>, <a href="/other-tags/neon">NEON</a>, and <a href="/other-tags/mega-plot">ForestGEO</a>).</p><h2>Directors of the Harvard Forest</h2><ul><li>Richard T. Fisher (1907-1934)</li><li>Ward Shepard (1935-1939)</li><li>Albert C. Cline (1939-1946)</li><li>Hugh M. Raup (1946-1967)</li><li>Martin H. Zimmermann (1969-1984)</li><li>John G. Torrey (1984-1990)</li><li>David R. Foster (1990-2020)</li><li>N. Michele Holbrook (2020- )</li></ul> </div> </div> </div> <div class="sharethis-buttons"><div class="sharethis-wrapper"><span st_url="https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/history" st_title="History" class="st_facebook_button" displayText="facebook"></span> <span st_url="https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/history" st_title="History" class="st_twitter_button" displayText="twitter" st_via="" st_username=""></span> <span st_url="https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/history" st_title="History" class="st_googleplus_button" displayText="googleplus" st_via="" st_username=""></span> </div></div> </div> </div><!-- /.node --> </div> </div> </div><!-- /.block --> <div id="block-block-88" class="block block-block plain last even"> <div class="block-inner"> <div class="content"> <style>#webform-component-topic-label{display: none;}</style> </div> </div> </div><!-- /.block --> </div><!-- /.region --> </div></div><!-- /.section, /#content --> <div id="sidebar-second" class="sidebar"> <div class="region region-sidebar-second column sidebar"> <div class="section"> <div id="block-block-12" class="block block-block with-background first odd"> <div class="block-inner"> <h2 class="block-title">Complete Listing of Personnel</h2> <div class="content"> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://harvardforest2.fas.harvard.edu/asp/hf/php/staff_list.php">Staff Directory</a></h3> </div> </div> </div><!-- /.block --> <div id="block-block-5" class="block block-block announcement last even"> <div class="block-inner"> <h2 class="block-title">Mailing Address</h2> <div class="content"> <p>Harvard Forest<br />324 North Main Street<br />Petersham, MA 01366-9504<br /><br />Tel: (978) 724-3302<br />Fax: (978) 724-3595</p> </div> </div> </div><!-- /.block --> </div><!-- /.section --> </div><!-- /.region --> </div> </div></div><!-- /#main, /#main-wrapper --> <div id="footer"> <div class="region region-footer"> <div id="block-block-90" class="block block-block plain first odd"> <div class="block-inner"> <div class="content"> <div class="footer-buttons"><a href="/give-harvard-forest" class="primary-button donate">Donate</a><a href="/volunteering" class="primary-button volunteer">Volunteer</a></div> </div> </div> </div><!-- /.block --> <div id="block-block-91" class="block block-block plain even"> <div class="block-inner"> <div class="content"> <div class="footer-info-container"><div class="footer-logo"><a class="logo" href="#">logo</a></div><div class="footer-info-info"><div class="footer-info-title"><a class="footer-link-title" href="#">Harvard Forest</a><p class="footer-info-text">The Harvard Forest is a department of Harvard University's <a class="text-green-link" href="https://www.fas.harvard.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Faculty of Arts & Sciences</a> and a member of the <a class="text-green-link" href="https://lternet.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">U.S. LTER Network</a> supported by the <a class="text-green-link" href="http://www.nsf.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Science Foundation</a>. 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All rights reserved.<br /><a href="http://www.fas.harvard.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Faculty of Arts and Sciences</a> of <a href="http://www.harvard.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Harvard University</a><br /><br /><a href="https://accessibility.huit.harvard.edu/digital-accessibility-policy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Harvard University Digital Accessibility Policy</a></p> </div> </div> </div><!-- /.block --> <div id="block-block-6" class="block block-block plain odd"> <div class="block-inner"> <h2 class="block-title">Contact</h2> <div class="content"> <p>Harvard Forest<br />324 North Main Street<br />Petersham, MA 01366-9504<br />Tel (978) 724-3302</p><p>Fax (978) 724-3595</p><p><a href="https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/inquiries">Contact us</a></p> </div> </div> </div><!-- /.block --> <div id="block-block-93" class="block block-block plain even"> <div class="block-inner"> <div class="content"> <div class="stacked-footer"><div class="temp-footer"><h2 class="block-title">Harvard Forest Weather</h2><p><a href="/meteorological-hydrological-stations">Current Conditions & Data</a></p><p class="footer-current-weather"><span></span></p></div><div class="map-footer"><h2 class="block-title">Google Maps & Directions</h2><p><a href="/directions" title="Google Maps & Directions"><img src="/sites/default/files/map_footer.png" alt="" width="200" height="100" /></a></p></div></div> </div> </div> </div><!-- /.block --> <div id="block-block-92" class="block block-block plain last odd"> <div class="block-inner"> <h2 class="block-title">Stay Connected</h2> <div class="content"> <div class="footer-stay-connected"><ul class="footer-list"><li><div class="icon-facebook footer-list-logo">f</div><a class="text-green-link" href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Harvard-Forest/255923217795002" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Follow us on Facebook</a></li><li><div class="icon-twitter footer-list-logo">t</div><a class="text-green-link" href="http://twitter.com/harvardforest" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Follow @HarvardForest on Twitter</a></li><li><div class="icon-instagram footer-list-logo">i</div><a class="text-green-link" href="https://www.instagram.com/harvard.forest/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Follow @harvard.forest on Instagram</a></li><li><div class="icon-feed footer-list-logo">f</div><a class="text-green-link" href="/news/rss.xml" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Subscribe via RSS</a></li><li><div class="icon-email footer-list-logo">e</div><a href="http://eepurl.com/cX1pKb" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sign up for our quarterly e-news</a></li></ul></div> </div> </div> </div><!-- /.block --> </div><!-- /.region --> </div> </div></div><!-- /#page, /#page-wrapper --> </body> </html>