Research forest at Hubbard Brook will stay open; closure of Bartlett facilities under review

At least 57 forest research stations across the nation are set to close as part of a “restructuring” of the U.S. Forest Service. But Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, in the White Mountains, will not be among them, Gov. Kelly Ayotte and U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen announced on Monday.

Another Forest Service research station in New Hampshire, Bartlett Experimental Forest, is set to close as part of the restructuring, but Ayotte’s office said in a statement Monday morning that the United States Department of Agriculture had committed to reevaluating those plans. 

In the statement, Ayotte’s office said “productive conversations” with Shaheen and United States Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins led to Rollins committing to “review plans” for Bartlett Experimental Forest.

“The Forest Service recognizes its significance to the community, the agency, and scientific partners and is currently developing a five-year research plan with the White Mountain National Forest,” the release reads. 

“New Hampshire’s forests are an essential part of our economy, our environment, and our way of life,” Ayotte said in the statement.

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New Hampshire’s entire federal delegation has opposed the restructuring, with Shaheen and U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan convening a roundtable with conservationists and forest industry professionals mid-April, while U.S. Reps. Chris Pappas and Maggie Goodlander signed an Apr. 28 letter to Rollins opposing the move.

New Hampshire’s experimental forests have supplied researchers with sites to conduct field work and build data and specimen libraries for decades. Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest is known as the institution where acid rain was first documented in North America, and where its damaging effects on forests — and connection to pollution — were studied.

Research at Bartlett Experimental Forest has covered science from timber management and silviculture to the development of remote sensing technology that allows scientists to learn about the composition and health of a forest from satellite or aerial imagery, according to the Forest Service’s website. Both sites are home to long-term data collection efforts.

“Research from Hubbard Brook and Bartlett has guided forest stewardship across New England for the better part of a century, and we simply can’t afford to lose that,” said Shaheen, who added she appreciated the USDA’s commitment to reevaluating their plans and Ayotte’s “partnership” on the issue. 

“The lab and other facilities at Bartlett must remain open in New Hampshire to continue the decades-long research projects that serve our entire country while addressing new challenges,” Shaheen said in the statement.