A four-year University of Maine research project will examine how a forest recovers after some trees are removed, rather than an entire stand being cleared.
The Department of Energy-funded study focuses on Howland Research Forest. Researchers will compare an area partially harvested in August 2025 with an unharvested area, according to an Oct. 16 university announcement.
Daniel Hayes, a professor of geospatial analysis and remote sensing, is leading the project. Its measurements include annual airborne laser mapping, 96 ground plots, tree rings and a carbon-dioxide record extending more than 25 years.
Researchers plan to track tree growth, seedlings, dead wood, nutrients and carbon. The Department of Energy computer model of the Earth's systems does not currently account for partial harvests and forest recovery. The measurements are intended to help add those processes.