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What You Will Do on Day 3
This field trip will visit The Harvard Forest where we will begin with a visit to the Fisher Museum. The museum is known internationally for its twenty-three dioramas that present the history of land use in central New England. We will also spend time reviewing exhibits covering the on-going research at Harvard Forest. There are several short video productions we will view before heading out on several of the trials for the guided tour.
During the drive to Harvard Forest, we will make several stops to view examples of non-native invasive plants, a well know glacial erratic (Balance Rock), a kettle lack, and other locations of interest.
The purpose of this trip is to become familiar with the interrelationships of abiotic and biotic factors on an ecosystem highlighting disturbances such as climate change.
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What You Will Need For Day 3
• Appropriate Clothing for Woodland Hiking
• Drinking Water, Snacks
• Rain Gear
• Extra Socks
• Plenty of Insect Repellent...
(there are plenty of insects!)
• Maps of Harvard Forest (provided)
• Meteorology Charts (provided)
Fees (per person):
• Free - Harvard Forest
• Free - Fisher Museum
Donation Box in Fisher Museum
• $10 - Guided Tour
Sliding Scale - fees may vary
• $5 - $10 for lunch
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Field Trip
En Route to Petersham MA
Various Stops
(~2 hours)
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IMAGE 1 - Anascomet Pond
Stephen C. Daukas, July, 2006
The route selected takes us along a few "back roads", where we will stop at three locations, to MA Route 140 North. We will pass Balance Rock and the Wachusett Reservoir as we work our way to MA Route 62 West, MA Route 68 West, and then north to Harvard Forest in Petersham. Route 62 takes us up to the Worcester Plateau and as this is little more than a state maintained local road, the changes in elevation are evident along the route. Also of note is the change in temperature that is often noticeable. On the day of this trip, outside average temperature (measured) was 82°F in Shrewsbury at 11:30 am, and dropped to 77°F at Harvard Forest (12:30 pm).
Our first stop along the route to Harvard Forest is in Berlin MA (Whitney Road & River Road) where the non-native invasive species Purple Loostrife has taken over part of a field along North Brook.
IMAGE 2 - North Brook by River Road
From: assabetriver.org Web Site
IMAGE 3 (right) Is a view of the field from River Road (to the left of IMAGE 2) looking southwest. The extent of purple loosestrife coverage has dramatically increased from the time IMAGE 2 was taken. As summer progresses, the entire field will be bright purple - the cooler and wetter opening to summer has delayed many plants this year.
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IMAGE 2 (left) is a view of North Brook flowing through the field between River Road and Whitney Road. Both banks are populated with purple loosestrife. This image was taken before 2002.
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IMAGE 3 - North Brook - Berlin
Stephen C. Daukas, July, 2006
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Our second stop shown in IMAGE 4 (below right) is a wetland area in Shrewsbury, MA, in the area of Spring Street. This area sits at ~600' AMSL and has a healthy variety of native plants, as well as some naturalized non-native species. Unfortunately, as seen in IMAGE 5 (below left), it also has its first few Purple Loosestrife among the Cat Tails. IMAGE 4 was taken at a distance of ~8 feet and includes the location of the plant shown in IMAGE 5 (a distance of ~2 feet). Until the plant begins to set its flowers, it is unremarkable and this ability to "blend in" may help it avoid eradication efforts.
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IMAGE 4 - Wetland, Shrewsbury, MA
Stephen C. Daukas, July, 2006
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IMAGE 5 - Purple Loosestrife
Stephen C. Daukas, July, 2006
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IMAGE 6 - Purple Loosestrife
Stephen C. Daukas, July, 2006
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Purple Loosestrife (lythrum salicaria)
Purple Loosestrife was first brought to the US for use an an ornamental plant, as well as for medicinal uses as an astringent.
Astringents act to shrink body tissues and Purple Loosestrife is used for washing and cleaning wounds, treatment of dysentery, diarrhoea in infants and young children, and as an antibiotic shown to be effective in the treatment of typhus (typhoid fever).
As an agricultural product, Purple Loosestrife contains tannin and is used to preserve rope and wood for use in wet environments. Its bright purple flowers are attractive and are used in gardens as a rear border much like Solidago (Golden Rod) is in England. It has also been used by bee keepers.
This plant propogates by seed, and also by rhizomes (underground stem that bears a new plant). Seeds produced by a single plan can number 3 million. The site where the referenced images were taken had two plants in 2004 that were removed manually, with periodic inspection and removal thereafter. There were ~12 plants at the time these images were taken.
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Our third (brief) stop is Balance Rock, a glacial erratic shown in IMAGE 7 (below left) perched atop a gneiss-granitic ridge west of MA Route 140 in Shrewsbury, MA. IMAGE 8 (below right) is a view from the opposite side looking east. (This is best viewed in person.) Just north of this area is a cut for I-290 where the metamorphic nature of the underlying rock is clearly visible. This is part of the Nashoba Formation, a high-grade metamorphic rock that has laternating layers of gneiss and schist. Just to the west is the Clinton-Newbury fault zone that runs through Lake Quinsigamond - a lake that forms the border between Worcester and Shrewsbury.
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IMAGE 7 - Balance Rock (front)
Stephen C. Daukas, July, 2006
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IMAGE 8 - Balance Rock (back)
Stephen C. Daukas, July, 2006
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As we continue north to MA Route 62, we will pass the Wachusett Reservoir. The reservoir, maintained by a dam in Clinton MA, sits in the south-west end of Glacial Lake Nashua. The present-day headwaters of the Nashua River are near the Reservoir's South Bay - opposite to our location on MA Route 140.
We will turn West onto MA Route 62 following this road up into the Highlands as previosuly described. Along this route are dramatic views (center of Hubbardston looking East), rapid changes in elevation, numberous beaver ponds, and a distinct drop in human population. We will pass Anascomet Pond at an elevation of 910' AMSL (IMAGE 1 above). Anascomet (Comet) Pond is stocked with trout and is a popular fishing and swimming location. Ponds in this area are susceptible to acidification as due to the glacial origins of the landscape lacking the ability to buffer acid rain. Our route continues on MA Route 68 N and several back roads selected to show seeps and springs and the transition from the rapidly changing terraine along MA Route 62 to more of a rolling topography along this part of the highlands. The Harvard Forest is along MA Route 32 Nort, about 3 miles north of Petersham, at an elevation of ~1100' AMSL.
During our drive, we will stop for lunch at a local favorite, Calico & Creme, and then continue on to Harvard Forest.
Harvard Forest
Fisher Museum
Stop #2
(~4 hours)
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IMAGE 9 - Fisher Museum
Stephen C. Daukas, July, 2006
When we arrive at Harvard Forest, we will enter the Fisher Museum and collect trail maps and get oriented to the area. The first exhibit portrays the history of forests in New England. These 23 dioramas are remarkable in their detail and are particularly effective at imparting an appreciation of the landforms and land use over time.
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IMAGE 10 - Dioramas at Fisher Museum
Stephen C. Daukas, July, 2006
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IMAGE 11 - Fisher 60-seat Theater
Stephen C. Daukas, July, 2006
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IMAGE 10 (left) shows the first few dioramas just inside the entrance to the Fisher Museum. The 23 dioramas follow the perimiter of the Museum's first floor and encircle the 60-seat theater shown in IMAGE 11 (below left) where we will view:
Flow of Time: 500 Million Years of Geohistory in the Connecticut River Valley - a 35-minute program covering the area's geologic history
Long-Term Ecological Research at Harvard Forest - a 15-minute program introducing Harvard Forest's long-term research projects.
The Rise and Fall of Lake Hitchcock - a 45-minute program introducing Glacial Lake Hitchcock in the Connecticut River valley
The two selections on the Connecticut River Valley will be of value both for our time at Harvard Forest and as background information for tomorrow's (Day 4) field trip.
The suggested itinerary for our visit follows:
1. We will being with the dioramas, followed by
2. a viewing of the Flow of Time program.
3. Next, we visit the second floor of the museum, followed by
4. a viewing of the Research at Harvard Forest program
5. At this point, we will take a guided tour highlighting the current Regional (CT Valley, Cape Cod, etc.) and Long-Term (Hurricanes, Climate Change, etc.) research underway.
6. After the tour, we will view The Rise and Fall of Lake Hitchcock.
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Fisher Museum, 2nd Floor
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IMAGE 12 - Soil Formation
Stephen C. Daukas, July, 2006
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The second floor houses exhibits associated with on-going research at Harvard Forest.
IMAGE 12 (right) dipicts the stages of soil formation beginning with the local parent rock sources and ending with typical soils in the area today. Composition and texture are included in the exhibit and local soils can be discussed in the context of acidification and typical horizons present in the forest.
Image 13 (below left) shows the topography of this section of the Worcester Highlands. IMAGE 14 (below) show an exhibit from Harvard Forest's long-term research on climate change, and IMAGE 15 (below right) is one of the posters from exhibits on disturbances from hurricanes.
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IMAGE 13 - Topo
Stephen C. Daukas, July, 2006
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IMAGE 14 - Soil Warming
Stephen C. Daukas, July, 2006
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IMAGE 15 - Hurricane Exhibit
Stephen C. Daukas, July, 2006
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Guided Tour
Among the many trails and trail-side locations in Harvard Forest available are the climate change research areas.
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IMAGE 16 (right) is Harvard Forest's Fisher Meteorological Station. This station makes observations of air temperature, relative humidity & dew point, precipitation, solar radiation, barometric pressure, wind speed & direction, and soil temperature, every 15 minutes.
IMAGE 17 & IMAGE 18 (below) show one of the sites investigating the impact of a 5°C increase in soil temperature on processes involving the carbon and nitrogen cycle. Heating cables are buried beneath the soil surface where they maintain an elevated soil temperature of 5°C for the duration of the experiment.
The experiment has been running for more than ten years (at six different locations) measuring trace gases including CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) and CH4 (Methane), and amounts of Nitrogen being fixed in the soil.
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IMAGE 16 - Weather Station
Stephen C. Daukas, July, 2006
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When compared to control plots of similar species, researchers have found that an increase of 5°C results in a ~10% increase in CO2 being released to the atmosphere decreasing with time. After ten years, researchers found that more Nitrogen was being fixed in the soil which would lead to more carbon being stored in plants whose growth had been stimulated by the increase in Nitrogen - often a limiting factor regulating growth. Researchers believe that the amount of Carbon being stored as a reult of increased plant growth is larger than the amount being released from the soil.
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IMAGE 17 - Soil Warming Station
Stephen C. Daukas, July, 2006
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IMAGE 18 - Soil Warming Entrance
Stephen C. Daukas, June, 2006
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Researchers have extended the experiment by adding two much larger plots (30m x 30m as compared to the original 6m x 6m plots) so as to include the effects of increased temperature on the trees as well as the forest floor. Measurements of woody growth will be added to those of trace gases and nitrogen fixation.
During the day of this visit, researchers were running an experiment to measure the amount of sunlight at different depths of the forest. After an interesting conversation comparing and contrasting photic and aphotic zones of a water column to insolation levels in a forest, researchers had to stop the experiment due to (high-level) cloud cover. (It is worth noting that our daily forecasts - see Day One's Fieldtrip - for today's field trip came in handy for the researchers while discussing the potential impact of the next day's weather on their experiment. Having a feel for the weather also won a ride back to the Fisher Museum!) IMAGE 19 (below) shows the researchers having just reeled-in the helium-filled balloon to ground level.
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IMAGE 19 - Measuring Solar Radiation
Stephen C. Daukas, July, 2006
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IMAGE 20 - Balloon & Researcher
Stephen C. Daukas, July, 2006
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Just as radiosondes are used to gather meteorological data for a skew-t plot (see Day One's fieldtrip, specifically Forecasting Weather - IMAGE 12), researchers attach an instrument to measure the amount of solar radiation reaching the balloon. The balloon shown in the images, however, is teathered and the photo-sensative instrument is attached to the top of the balloon. Using the teather, researchers allow the balloon to slowly rise from ground-level to the top of the canopy, with stops at various levels along the way, and then reverse the process until once again reaching ground-level. This procedure is repeated and the data is recorded manually for later analysis. IMAGE 20 (above right) is a better view of the balloon (and one of the insect-harassed researchers).
Upon completion of the guided tour, we will return to the Fisher Museum to watch our final program, The Rise and Fall of Lake Hitchcock. This 45-minute program (in an insect-free, air-conditioned theater) will wrap-up our visit to Harvard Forest.
This completes day three of the tour. When we are ready, we will depart Harvard Forest and return to our hotel.
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