Research
Wachusett Mountain is a prominent geologic feature, important recreational area, and contains some remarkable ecosystems. Hundreds of thousands of people visit Wachusett Mountain State Reservation (WMSR) every year and still little is known about its unique ecosystem including an old-growth forest that mostly went unnoticed until around 1995 (Orwig et al., 2001). The further study of the old-growth forest and how its inhabitants may differ from other populations in the region may have a lot to offer to our understanding of natural ecological processes. There have already been some very revealing studies completed on the tree species composition and age structure of the old growth forest (see Old-Growth Forest section). However, besides this study and several unpublished reports by the staff of the Department of Conservation and Recreation, there have been few comprehensive studies of the forests inhabitants.
There have been ongoing studies of birds and plant communities that will ultimately be featured in their own section of our website. Another group of animals that has been studied are the amphibians. There are a number of wetlands, vernal pools, and two larger ponds on WMSR. These aquatic habitats serve as breeding sites for a number of amphibians including eastern newts, wood frogs, spotted salamanders, spring peepers, gray treefrogs, and green frogs. Additionally, the mountain's streams function as habitat for many species of invertebrates as well as two-lined, dusky, and spring salamanders.
There are many research topics that will ultimately be investigated in WMSR, but one of our first thorough investigations includes detailed studies of the Spotted Salamander. This is one example of how environmental conditions such as temperature, moisture, and age of the forest appear to have promoted certain life history traits (e.g., large body size, delayed sexual maturity, longer reproductive lifespan) in a natural population of organisms. We believe that further studies of natural populations of many organisms from Wachusett Mountain will be a valuable effort for two reasons: (1) to compare life history traits of the Wachusett populations to other populations in the region and (2) determine how seasonal variability influences natural populations from Wachusett Mountain from year to year.
Starting in 2007, Friends of Wachusett Mountain will work to coordinate professional naturalists, college students, high school students, and volunteers from the public to establish a long-term biological monitoring program focused on Wachusett Mountain. If you think you can help, please contact Scott Smyers by email at scott@friendsofwachusett.org.
Back to Top ↑
Old-Growth Forest
The recent discovery of numerous old-growth forest stands in western Massachusetts has provided an unprecedented opportunity to characterize the structural attributes, dendroecological dynamics, and ecosystem properties of these rare ecosystems. University of Massachusetts-Amherst doctoral student, Tony D'Amato, and Harvard Forest Ecologist, Dr. David Orwig, are currently conducting research on eighteen old-growth sites throughout the Berkshire Hills and Taconic Mountains of western Massachusetts. This research compliments previous Harvard Forest old-growth studies on Mt. Wachusett (Orwig et al. 2002) and at Pisgah Forest in NH (Foster 1988; Schoonmaker 1991) and is providing critical information on the natural disturbance dynamics and nature and abundance of coarse woody debris of old-growth forests in southern New England.*
To view a sample of Dr. Orwig's research publications concentrating on Wachusett Mountain, check out the Old-Growth Forest page.
*From Harvard Forest's Old Growth and Dendrochronology page. Read the full text here.
Spotted Salamanders
Spotted salamanders occur in distinct populations associated with their breeding habitat in vernal pools. Our results so far indicate that the average body size of adult male spotted salamanders is variable between populations, specifically, and that this may be caused by environmental variables associated with the non-breeding habitat (i.e., the upland characteristics). The largest salamanders found to date breed at the summit of Wachusett Mountain and preliminary age analysis indicates that these animals may be older than other, smaller sized populations.
To find out more about the study and how you can participate, check out the Spotted Salamanders page.
Spring Peeper (Pseudacris crucifer) Monitoring
At Wachusett Mountain and across Massachusetts
We are looking for volunteers interested in monitoring spring peeper calling intensity throughout their breeding season. Typically in Massachusetts, they begin calling in late March, or April, but often they call most regularly in May. Calling is very dependent on weather conditions and we hope to collect data from Nantucket to the Berkshires to really find out what variability there is in call timing across Massachusetts.
Check out the Spring Peepers page to find out how to get involved.
Back to Top ↑
