The MAB Program United States of America
Biosphere Reserve Information - General
Description
Hubbard Brook
General Description
The Hubbard Brook Biosphere
Reserve and Experimental Forest is located in the White Mountain National Forest
near Woodstock (New Hampshire). The biosphere reserve is mainly dedicated to the
long-term study of forest and associated aquatic ecosystems.
The biosphere reserve is entirely forested, mainly with deciduous northern
hardwoods. Logging operations ending around 1915-1917 removed large portions of
the conifers and better quality, accessible hardwoods. The present second-growth
forest is even-aged and composed of about 80 to 90% hardwoods and 10 to 20%
conifers. Trees on the lower and middle slopes include sugar maple (Acer
saccharum), beech (Fagus grandifolia), and yellow birch (Betula allegheniensis),
and some white ash (Fraxinus americana). Red spruce (Picea rubens), balsam fir (Abies
balsamea), and white birch (Betula papyrifera var. cordifolia) are abundant at
higher elevations and on rock outcrops.
In 1988, the area was designated as a Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) site
by the National Science Foundation. On-going cooperative efforts among diverse
educational institutions, private institutions, government agencies, foundations
and corporations have resulted in one of the most extensive and longest
continuous databases on the hydrology, biology, geology and chemistry of natural
ecosystems.
Last updated: 06/27/2005