Cadillac Mountain Restoration
In recent years, the National Park Service managers have shifted their approach to restoring and protecting park resources, employing the “resist, accept, direct framework” that anticipates ongoing and future change. Through Wild Acadia, we are working with the National Park Service and Friends of Acadia to implement this new approach in three areas of the park, including Cadillac Mountain, where vegetation restoration experiments continue testing methods to re-establish plants on eroded areas the summit. Learn more about the Cadillac Mountain Restoration and Wild Acadia.
Sustainable Summits
How can we restore vegetation on New England’s mountain summits now, while ensuring plants persist for decades as climates change? The Sustainable Summits Project will identify best-practice techniques for restoration using experiments with common summit plants combined with workshops to incorporate multiple viewpoints of summit stakeholders.
Forest Condition and Management in Eastern U.S. National Parks
With support from Inventory and Monitoring Networks of the National Park Service, we are assessing the current status of forests in eastern parks, using 12 years of data on tree canopy and understory growth from more than 1,400 forest plots established in some 40 national parks and historic sites. Learn more about this project.
Future Forests of Coastal Maine
This research experiment at four conservation areas from Belfast to the Schoodic Peninsula is evaluating growth and survival of tree seedlings with current and predicted habitat in the region over the next several years. Learn more about Future Forests of Coastal Maine.
Common Campus Tree Experiment
Researchers and students at eight education campuses in Maine are participating in this project to follow the growth and survival of a dozen tree species across a diversity of local climates in Maine. Learn more about the Common Campus Tree Experiment.
Tree Test Beds
We are examining seedling establishment, growth, and survival of 19 tree species found in Acadia today or expected to have suitable habitat here under a warmer future. Learn more about Tree Test Beds.
Acadia Island Forests
Assessing forest change on Acadia National Park islands by resampling forest monitoring plots established around 25 years ago on eight islands. Learn more about Acadia Island Forests.
Schoodic to Schoodic Forests
Observational studies of tree seedling dynamics across a coastal to inland climate gradient. Learn more about Schoodic to Schoodic Forests.
Forest Biodiversity
What species are found in our forests, how does biodiversity above, and below ground relate? Learn more about Forest Biodiversity.
The Schoodic Spruce Citizen Science Project
How will the forests of Acadia and Maine look in the future? Which tree species will thrive and which may decline? Will we continue to see a red spruce dominated landscape or will more warm-adapted species such as oaks, maples, and birches overtake the forest? Learn more about The Schoodic Spruce Citizen Science Project.