The Harvard Forest Dioramas vividly depict the history of eastern forests from the Atlantic seaboard to the Mississippi River(New England is the example depicted below of what occurred from Maine to Florida)................Perhaps 1% of the lower 48 states are virgin woodlands, prairies, chaparral as defined as the land cover that existed at the time of European colonization, circa AD1500

 CLICK ON ALL BOLDED HEADLINES BELOW FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THE HISTORY OF LAND USE IN THE EASTERN USA

Download high-res images of the dioramas.

Landscape History of Central New England

Pre-Settlement Forest

1700 A.D.

In the pre-settlement forest, natural variation across sites and ongoing natural and human disturbance processes led to differences in age, density, size, and species of trees across a wide range of sites. Notice the large trees and large fallen trunks on the right in the diorama. Compare them with... Read More >

An Early Settler Clears a Homestead

1740 A.D.

For most of the New England region, European settlement occurred largely during the 18th century. Through forest clearing, hunting, and trapping, the abundance of many species changed rapidly and the wilderness was gradually transformed into a domesticated rural landscape.  Read More >

Height of Forest Clearing and Agriculture

1830 A.D.

The peak of deforestation and agricultural activity across most of New England occurred from 1830 to 1880. Across much of New England, 60 to 80 percent of the land was cleared for pasture, tillage, orchards and buildings. Small remaining areas of woodland were subjected to frequent cuttings for... Read More >

Farm Abandonment

1850 A.D.

Beginning in the mid-1800s and continuing for more than a century, farming declined on a broad scale across New England. Abandoned pastures and fields rapidly developed into forests. In central Massachusetts and across much of central New England these forests were dominated by white pines.  Read More >

"Old-Field" White Pine Forest on Abandoned Farmland

1910 A.D.

As the "old-field" stands of white pine reached middle age, it became evident that they contained a valuable and rapidly growing crop of second-growth timber. As this white pine became marketable portable sawmills appeared across central New England. One of the most common and valuable uses of... Read More >

"Old-Field" White Pine is Succeeded by Hardwoods

1915 A.D.

Clear-cutting of the "old-field" white pines led to the succession of mixed hardwoods across much of the landscape. The inability of white pine to sprout after being cut, in contrast to the prolific sprouting of our hardwood species, facilitated this succession. Patterns of succession enhanced the... Read More >

A Vigorously Growing Forest of Hardwoods

1930 A.D.

One of the characteristic features of the hardwood forest that developed after the clear-cutting of the "old-field" white pines is the predominance of multi-stemmed sprout clumps. Fast-growing species that sprout prolifically -- red oak, red maple, white ash, birches, and black cherry -- are... Read More >

The Modern Forest Landscape (photograph by David Foster)

In the period since the dioramas were constructed, the trends in forest development illustrated in the 1930 model have continued. Remarkable expanses of maturing forest extend across a densely populated landscape in the northeastern United States.As these forests grow and mature and as dead and... Read More >

Conservation Issues in the History of New England Forests

Old Growth Forests

This small stand of old-growth forest on the shore of Harvard Pond survived the regional history of land-use and natural disturbance due to its sheltered position at the base of a rocky slope that was unsuited for agriculture.In their size, variety, and unmistakable antiquity, the overstory trees... Read More >

Old Growth Forests 2

Wildlife Habitat in a Dynamic Landscape

New England's wildlife habitats and food resources have changed dramatically as the landscape has been transformed through time from forest to open fields and woodlots and then back to forest.The shift in our landscape to older, more continuously developing forests may encourage native woodland... Read More >

Accelerated Erosion with Intensive Land Use

In New England, as in many other locations, widespread land clearing and agriculture led to soil erosion.In the pre-settlement era, the thick forest cover prevented erosion by intercepting rain and binding the soil with a dense network of roots. Through evapotranspiration, the forests recycled... Read More >

Forest Fire

The diorama shows a typical fire-fighting scene from the 1930s, in the era of active suppression of all fires.The fire tower is typical of those built by state and federal agencies throughout the northeastern Untied states in the early 1900s, motivated by a widespread concern over the detection and... Read More >

Forest Fire Management