We conduct ecological research to better understand the natural dynamics that occur in the woodlands and wildlands at Highstead and across the region. We study the inescapable change and the inherent resilience of wooded ecosystems and how natural and human disturbances are shaping these systems. Our integrated research approach combines long-term studies at Highstead and in central New England, with external datasets and in collaboration with our partners throughout the Northeast. We strive to advance knowledge in order to provide deeper insights into our landscape today and in the future while informing land management and stewardship decisions.
Ed Faison, Highstead’s Senior Ecologist“At Highstead, we embrace, and seek to understand, the inescapable change and inherent resilience of natural landscapes, rather than try to create an idealized state of nature.”
Current Projects:
- Long-term forest monitoring. Learn more
- Deer-forest interactions. Learn more
- The effects of strict land protection (i.e., wildlands) on the structure and carbon storage of forests. Learn more
- Forest and land use history and its application to contemporary conservation. Learn more
