Neil Pederson
@yellowbuckeye
I study old-growth forests and climate change from trees to regions and seasons to centuries. A colleague termed it RetroEcology Love music in 3/4, 6/8, 5/4, 11, & other offbeat signatures (no real pun intended)
Same here in MetroWest Boston. This population is going on 8 years now (roughly)
Eastern Old-Growth Forests Are More Than Old Trees I'll be talking about eastern US Old-Growth Forests in Greenwich, CT on Thursday, August 6th and leading a forest walk the next morning, Friday, August 7th. You can register here: greenwichtreeconservancy.org/upcoming-eve...
Lastly, Moose prints were observed in the logging road in this landscape. Paper Birch and Moose is not surprising, perhaps expected, but with a strong Tulip-poplar component? Will be fascinating to watch these lands develop over time
A fascinating aspect nearby was the regen following logging. The understory mostly Tulip-poplar. There were Birch & other species, but am not sure this was the intention. This landscape is in the midst of the great northeastern U.S. Forest ecotone, so a southerly shift in species might be expected
Sampled in a remarkable forest recently. Some old trees. More surprising is the combo of species: Liriodendron tulipifera alongside Betula papyrifera. The former more common in the SE US while the latter streams far into northern Canada. I’ve seen Spruce-Oak stands, never TulipPoplar-Paper Birch
I was lucky to visit this forest recently. It seems there might be some changes underfoot. Eastern Hemlock and Fraxinus will likely decline due to disease. The understory is filling with Liriodendron tulipifera, which, to me, is a beautiful thing:
Happy Summer Solstice or Around Peak Tree Stem Growth in Temperate Regions (for some species and regions, roughly, we think) for those who celebrate
Climate Change Has Impacted Tree Growth in Temperate and Boreal Forests Since the Beginning of the 21st Century onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Two of my favorite early Spring flowers: Twinleaf, who hold their petals for all of around 24 hours, and Allegheny Spurge, a native Pachysandra in the eastern US, whose fragrant terminal spikes are another clear sognal that Spring has started
New Pub: Identifying hurricane and sea-level rise signatures in coastal oak forests of the Northeastern United States using a multi-parameter approach Led by Dr. Nicole Davi: doi.org/10.1016/j.gl...
The core is a Picea rubens whose inner ring is 1905. The inner ring of of a 2nd core from this tree is 1721. If one extrapolated rings to pith using inner 10 ring widths and estimated distance to pith, I’d guess you’d be off 150 years, essentially two centuries off Careful when extrapolating ages
Hiking with a friend yesterday, absorbed in our own conversation. The Coyote suddenly appeared just off trail, seeing us, but seemingly, pretending no to. They ducked in the vegetation. I looked back and saw them hop back onto the trail to continue their own path
Old-growth Forest Research Assistants We are seeking old-growth forest research technicians to study and document old-growth forests in Spring & Summer 2026 Virgina. See the attached images for the job description and how to apply.
Personally, I was excited to be a part of one of the first microcoring collections of Shagbark Hickory (Carya ovata). Their growth phenology is quite different than the other species, growing far later into the year than other species.
An abbreviated microcore study of 6 contrasting tree species in the middle of a regional ecotone indicated that spring temps seem to control radial growth onset & southern tree species grew more than northern tree species kwnsfk27.r.eu-west-1.awstrack.me/L0/https:%2F...
I will be giving a free public lecture on Tuesday, February 24th at 6:30 pm as a part of Hofstra University's Science Night Live series. The title of my talk is, "Ancient Trees Bring New Knowledge in Our Rapidly Changing World" news.hofstra.edu/event/scienc...
I had to play with the colors, yes, but to try to get the color of the Sunrise to the right of the far hour as blood red as possible. I don’t recall a Sunrise of this color
Because I enjoy SciComm, I offer public talks and tree-ring workshops. The two-day tree-ring workshops include opportunities to interpret and then synthesize information gleaned from each tree as a class. If either of these activities fit your institution or communities, please reach out.
Professional Update: Starting January 2026 I will begin my two-year Highstead Research Affiliate position at Highstead: highstead.net. Among other activities, I will begin a new project identifying and mapping old-growth forests in Connecticut, the Catskills, and Adirondacks.
In a town with plenty of artists, creative songs, costumes, and songs
More than 500 at the No Kings protest in little ‘ol Maynard, MA, pop 12k
On the 26th we will learn about past environments and the amazing lives of trees from their rings (and maybe we will learn a bit about ourselves). On the 2nd we will learn what old trees tend to look like and how to read the forested landscape. I aim to make this course eye-opening and fun.
Gentle Reminder: There are a few days remaining for you or a friend, colleague, or family member to take my course on ancient trees and tree rings at the NY Botanical Garden on Sunday, October 26th and Sunday, November 2nd. Sign up at this link: www.enrole.com/nybg/jsp/ses...
I am teaching a course on ancient trees and tree rings at the NY Botanical Garden on Sunday, October 26th and Sunday, November 2nd. We will learn about past environments, the amazing lives of trees, and what old trees tend to look like. Sign up at this link: www.enrole.com/nybg/jsp/ses...