Air and Soil Temperature in Hemlock Removal Experiment at Harvard Forest since 2004

The impending loss of hemlock trees due to hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae) infestation is expected to lead to changes in the temperature regime of the forest understory. These changes will both drive succession and will themselves be altered by successional processes. Air temperature (1 m above forest floor) and soil temperature (at 10 cm depth) is measured at 1-minute intervals (hourly averages, minimum, and maximum are stored) using thermistors connected to Campbell 21-X dataloggers. Temperature measurements began 60-120 days prior to applications of the logging and girdling treatments, and will continue for the duration of the study.