Northern Research Station U.S. Forest Service United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service Northern Research Station Forest Service Home About the Agency Contact the National Office Toggle navigation Northern Research Station Go Research Programs Publications & Data Tools & Applications Locations Scientists & Staff About NRS Partnerships NRS News Contact Information Northern Research Station One Gifford Pinchot Drive Madison, WI 53726 (608) 231-9318 (608) 231-9544 TTY/TD Contact Us Popular Topics Research Publications Climate Change Fire Invasive Species Forest Inventory & Analysis Urban Field Stations Environmental Literacy Science of the Seasons Experimental Forests Research Natural Areas Forest Products Laboratory Forest Service Research Stay Connected You are here: NRS Home Northern Research Station Featured Scientist Todd Hutchinson thinks about forests past and present Featured Research When a timber demonstration project became an impromptu class on fire ecology Featured Partnership If a tree falls in a forest, and someone is around, should it be removed? Previous Next April Feature - Earth, Wind, and Fire Last month was all about water, and in April we focus on the other three elements: Earth, wind and fire. Meet a scientist who is fascinated by the traces of past forests that remain on the landscape; learn about a study that delivered an unexpected lesson on fire ecology, and see why a partnership is recommending that some trees uprooted by wind should be left on the forest floor. Rooted in Research Leaving It Messy: Using Tip-up Mounds to Promote Tree Species Diversity When a tree falls in the woods, should it be removed? In managed forests, common practices call for cleaning up and removing timber following a blowdown. But when Northern Research Station research forester Christel Kern sees the root mass of a fallen tree, she's more likely to see it as an opportunity. Her work is described in a 2019 Forest Ecology and Management article entitled Mounds Facilitate Regeneration of Light-Seeded and Browse-Sensitive Tree Species After Moderate-Severity Wind Disturbance. Forestcast Our new podcast brings you stories, interviews, and special in-depth anthologies of the science that's examining and explaining how forests affect our lives, and how we affect our forests. 2020 Research Highlights View all of our Research Highlights Latest Publications Blog Posts Loading Publications... Voices of Maple Nation - USDA Forest Service Tribal Relations BlogMarch 25, 2020 Why the Trees Outside Forests Count - USDA BlogMarch 11, 2020 After a Blight, the Trees that Survived Need Your Help - USDA BlogFebruary 25, 2020 Seeing the Urban Forest for the Trees - Taylor Quality GuitarsJanuary 13, 2020 A Walk in the Woods - 17 Years Later - Short Stories About Long Term ResearchNovember 19, 2019 Trees can do the Dirty Work of Waste Cleanup - USDA BlogAugust 30, 2019 Podcast: London Plane Trees: More than Just the Hostas of Street Trees? - Urban Wildlife PodcastJune 25, 2019 News Releases NRS In the News Decline in black cherry regeneration may herald wider forest changeMarch 24, 2021 First Midwest Urban Long-term Ecological Research Site Established in Twin-CitiesMarch 16, 2021 Invasion by Non-native Insects Expected to Increase 36 percent Worldwide by 2050October 1, 2020 In the Arctic, Extreme Air Pollution Kills Trees, Limits Growth by Reducing SunlightSeptember 29, 2020 Tree Planting has Potential to Increase Carbon Sequestration Capacity on the Nation's ForestsSeptember 21, 2020 A Small Bird's Return to Missouri Stems from Forest Restoration CollaborationSeptember 1, 2020 More news releases... Church creates local oasis from dying urban forest - Washington PostMarch 21, 2021 ‘A bit of a haven’: Southwest Baltimore church reclaims a dying urban forest and creates a community oasis - Baltimore SunMarch 15, 2021 Baltimore church converts neglected urban forest into ‘peace park’ - Chesapeake Bay JournalMarch 3, 2021 Invasive Insects and Diseases Are Killing Our Forests - New York TimesFebruary 6, 2021 Movement turns abandoned housing into beautiful furniture, fighting climate change and growing jobs in the process - CBS This Morning - SaturdayDecember 12, 2020 A Warming Planet Makes Northeastern Forests More Susceptible to Western-Style Wildfires - Inside Climate NewsNovember 25, 2020 Wisconsin Northwoods: Wildfire Reflections & Sustainable Management - Sustain DaneNovember 23, 2020 Science Themes & Programs Forest Disturbance Processes Climate Change, Invasive Species, Fire, Forest Health Urban Natural Resource Stewardship Urban Forestry, Urban Field Stations, Environmental Justice, Land Use Change Natural Resource Inventory, Monitoring & Assessment Forestry Inventory, Monitoring & Assessment, Techniques Sustaining Forests Forest Management, Biodiversity, Ecology, Bioenergy, Wildlife & Fish Providing Clean Air & Water Riparian Forests, Clean Water,Monitoring Carbon, Bioenergy Experimental Forests Long-Term Research, Locations, National Network Get Connected Tweets by usfs_nrs Visit our Twitter feed U.S. Forest Service - Research and Development Last modified: Sunday, April 4, 2021 NRS at a Glance Research Programs Themes Units Lands Facilities Special Programs Publications & Tools Search Research Highlights Data Software Online Tools Locations Location Directory NRS in My State Experimental Forests Research Natural Areas Scientists & Staff Contact Us Research Units Scientist Directory All Employees About NRS Staff Directory Scientist Directory Research Unit Directory Locations NRS in My State Research Highlights NRS News News Releases Research Review USDA.gov | Policies & Links | Our Performance | Report Fraud on USDA Contracts | Visit OIG | Plain Writing | Get Adobe Reader FOIA | Accessibility Statement | Privacy Policy | Non-Discrimination Statement | Information Quality | USDA Recovery | USA.gov | Whitehouse.gov