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COLLECTION Identifier: VI-HF

Harvard Forest collection, 1935-2007.

Overview

The Harvard Forest, a Long Term Ecological Research Site (LTERS) is located about 70 miles west of Harvard University, in Petersham, MA. Established in 1907 with funds from a gift of John S. Ames that purchased 2100 acres - the land was used as a working forest and laboratory for students in the Forestry program at Harvard until 1917. Today, the site is designated as a LTERS by the National Science Foundation. This designation tracks long term ecological change at the forest. This collection contains information related to Harvard Forest.

Dates

  • Creation: 1935-2007

Creator

Terms of Access

Researchers seeking to examine archival materials are strongly encouraged to make an appointment. The Director, or an office of origin, may place restrictions on the use of some or all of its records. The extent and length of the restriction will be determined by the Director, office of origin, and the Archivist and will be enforced equally for all researchers.

Terms of Use

The copyright is held by The President and Fellows of Harvard College for the Arnold Arboretum Archives of Harvard University. The copyright on some materials in the collection may be held by the original author or the author's heirs or assigns. Researchers are responsible for obtaining written permission from the holder(s) of copyright and the Arnold Arboretum Archives prior to publishing any quotations or images from materials in this collection.

Photocopies may be made at the discretion of the Arnold Arboretum Archives staff. Permission to make photocopies does not constitute permission to reproduce or publish materials outside the bounds of the fair use guidelines.

Extent

2 linear feet

This collection contains information related to Harvard Forest headquartered in Petersham, MA. Materials in Series I and III were placed on deposit at the Arnold Arboretum in 2002 for safe keeping [see box 1 for correspondence regarding deposit].

The History series encompasses Jo Proctor's manuscript for a 1981 article on the history of Harvard Forest as well as chapter 6 “The Harvard School of Forestry” from an unidentified book. Photocopies of Petersham Proprietor records from 1733-1823 were included with the microfilm deposits.

Notes, Correspondence and Clippings consists of newspaper clippings from the Harvard Gazette and Crimson, an appeal letter to the Friends of Harvard Forest, and various hand written notes including Jo Proctor’s notes for a 1981 article in Plant Sciences. Information on trails at the Forest and the Dioramas round out the series.

Publications contain books, pamphlets and a postcard related to Harvard Forest’s Fisher Museum, land use history, and a the first Director of the Forest, Richard Thornton Fisher.

The Microfilm and VHS series is comprised of 18 rolls of microfilm on historical stand records for the main Harvard Forest properties, with detailed maps and accounts of forest types, planting, natural and human disturbance and other information from 1907 to the present. Other information includes data sheets from vegetation inventories and surveys, historical information about the 1938 hurricane and subsequent salvage operations, records from other Harvard Forest properties including the Pisgah Tract, and files on old Harvard Forest plantations.

This series also incorporates a snapshot of the Harvard Forest website in 2001 on compact disc as well as a VHS tape labeled “John F. O’Keefe Fisher Museum, Harvard Forest Petersham, MA”

Administrative series contains a three ring binder titled: “Harvard Forest Advisory Committee Binder”. Includes information on Harvard Forest history, staffing, education, research, land protection, facilities, and finances. January 2007.

Historical Note

The Harvard Forest, a Long Term Ecological Research Site (LTERS) is located about 70 miles west of Harvard University, in Petersham, MA. Established in 1907 with funds from a gift of John S. Ames that purchased 2100 acres - the land was used as a working forest and laboratory for students in the Forestry program at Harvard until 1917. The educational aspect of the Forest shifted to graduate research with the Masters in Forest Science and related doctoral fields after financial difficulties forced the end of the traditional applied forestry program. Today, the site is designated as a LTERS by the National Science Foundation. This designation tracks long term ecological change at the forest. [See Series I for further background on Harvard Forest].

Arrangement

The Harvard Forest collection is organized in 5 series:

  1. Series: I. History
  2. Series: II. Notes, Correspondence, Clippings
  3. Series: III. Publications
  4. Series: IV. Microfilm and VHS
  5. Series: V. Administrative

Physical Location

Archives. VI-HF

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Provenance: Microfilm and Petersham Proprietor Records on deposit from Harvard Forest, 2001.

General note

Access to Finding Aid record in HOLLIS.

Processing Information

November 2007. Finding aid template applied by Kayleigh Hinckley, 2011.

Title
Records of the Harvard Forest, 1935-2007: Guide.
Author
The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University
Language of description
und
EAD ID
ajp00056

Repository Details

Part of the Arnold Arboretum Archives Repository

The Arnold Arboretum Horticultural Library is a specialized collection devoted to the study of temperate woody plants. We collect works on botany, horticulture, floras, urban forestry and taxonomy. The library contains more than 25,000 volumes and 40,000 photographs, and includes an archive that both documents the Arboretum's history and is a repository for 19th, 20th, and 21st century horticultural and botanical collections.

Contact:
125 Arborway
Jamaica Plain MA 02130 USA