Lab and Housing Resources
Forest Resources
Beyond lab facilities and field equipment, Black Rock Forest offers a multitude of other resources for researchers.
- The Forest itself: 3830 acres, with more than 1000 feet of relief, seven ponds, four major stream systems (Canterbury Brook, Black Rock Brook, Cascade Brook, and Mineral Springs Brook), several additional smaller watersheds, wetlands, and native terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems now increasingly rare in the region.
- An 18-mile system of gravel roads, closed to public vehicles but open to Consortium members, that leads through all major areas of the Forest, and a system of hiking trails, of similar length that winds through forest stands, ponds, and mountain tops, crossing the road system at many points.
- Three Ecological Reserves (Canterbury Brook, Cascade Brook, and Mineral Spring Brook) established for their pristine nature, outstanding natural resources, and/or sensitive plant and animal populations.
Eight long-term plots continuously monitored since their establishment in the 1930s in forest stands 90-125 years of age, tree-ring study sites with trees up to 200 years old, dendrometer bands on 60 red oak trees in five stands ranging from 40 to 130 years old. - 13 deer exclosures of different sizes and ages.
- Canopy access towers at high- and low-elevation sites.
- Stone House and adjacent garage (equipment storage, boats).
Access to National Atmospheric Deposition Program/National Trends Network (NADP/NTN) site (acid precipitation) and Mercury Deposition Network site at adjacent location on the West Point Military Reservation.- Embedded environmental monitoring network.
- PIT-tagged turtle populations.
