LTER IV: Integrated Studies of the Drivers, Dynamics, and Consequences of Landscape Change in New England

哈佛森林LTER （HFR）在广泛的时空尺度上调查森林对自然和人类干扰以及环境变化的反应。HFR涉及来自十几个机构的许多研究人员和学生，涵盖生物，物理和社会科学，以解决动态生态系统的基础和应用问题。它在新英格兰森林变化的主要驱动因素（人类影响、自然干扰和气候变化）的生态影响方面的工作导致了综合出版物、跨站点合作以及在保护和环境政策方面的有效推广。北美东部的森林正在以比美国其他地方更快的速度城市化和碎片化，由于新英格兰位于美国“排气管”的末端，污染和气候变化的区域影响可能特别显著。HFR下一阶段的拟议工作重点是这些主要景观变化驱动因素的速率和幅度变化的影响，并探讨其对区域人口、社区和生态系统的影响。拟议的研究将重点从主要在单一地点或景观上审查的森林变化的主要物理驱动因素的影响，转向对整个区域的主要和次要力量和反应进行全面分析。这就要求更加重视景观变化的生物成分，如入侵物种和害虫，以及个别分类群对生态系统过程的贡献。除了考虑先前探索的驱动因素外，这一阶段将纳入新的测量和土地覆盖变化的实验研究（由森林采伐、转换和土地保护引起），以及入侵物种（植物、害虫和病原体）和重新定居该地区的本地有蹄类动物（特别是驼鹿）的传播。这一扩大的研究议程是越来越多的区域视角、更多的跨学科参与、通过与以任务为导向的机构和非营利组织合作为保护、管理和政策努力提供信息的坚定承诺，以及致力于将HFR定位为LTER战略工作组和NEON规划过程中概述的新兴研究机会的结果。

The Harvard Forest LTER (HFR) investigates forest response to natural and human disturbance and environmental change over broad spatial and temporal scales. Involving many researchers and students from a dozen institutions, HFR embraces the biological, physical, and social sciences to address fundamental and applied questions for dynamic ecosystems. Its work on the ecological effects of the primary drivers of forest change in New England (human impacts, natural disturbances, and climate change) has resulted in synthetic publications, cross-site collaborations, and effective outreach in conservation and environmental policy. The forests of eastern North America are being (sub)urbanized and fragmented more rapidly than elsewhere in the U.S., and regional impacts of pollution and climate change may be especially dramatic due to New England's location at the end of the nation's 'tail-pipe'. The proposed work for HFR's next phase focuses on the impacts of the changes in rates and magnitudes of these key drivers of landscape change and explores their consequences for regional populations, communities and ecosystems. The proposed research represents a shift in focus from the impacts of the primary, physical drivers of forest change examined largely at a single site or landscape to a comprehensive analysis of both primary and secondary forces and responses operating across the entire region. This mandates a greater emphasis on the biological components of landscape change, such as invasive species and pests, and the contributions of individual taxa to ecosystem processes. In addition to considering drivers explored earlier, this phase will incorporate new measurement and experimental studies of land-cover change (resulting from forest harvesting, conversion, and land protection) and the spread of invasive species (plants, pests, and pathogens) and native ungulates (especially moose) that are re-colonizing the region. This broadened research agenda is a consequence of an increasing regional perspective, greater interdisciplinary participation, a strong commitment to inform conservation, management, and policy efforts through collaboration with mission-oriented agencies and non-profit organizations, and a commitment to position HFR for emerging research opportunities outlined by the LTER Strategic Task Force and NEON planning processes.