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Smithsonian Environmental Research Center 60 years

Smithsonian Environmental Research Center

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Visitors: SERC will close to the public at 4:00pm on Friday, June 13, 2025 for a special event.

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Forest Ecology
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Principal Investigator
Photo for Geoffrey Parker
Geoffrey Parker
parkerg@si.edu
443-482-2210
Specialty
Forest Ecologist

Forest Ecology Projects

  • dendrometer band on tree

    This project aims to measure how tree growth responds to weather and climate throughout the world. 

    Global Tree Growth Project

  • Rehanna Chaudhri with Portable Canopy LIDAR in forest

    This project seeks to measure the structure of forest canopies throughout the world using a portable LIDAR instrument.

    LIDAR Studies of Canopy Structure

  • ForestGEO tree map

    This project maps the spatial distribution of more than 33,000 live and dead woody stems with diameters of at least 1.0 cm in the SERC Forest Dynamics Plot. 

    Spatial Dimensions of Forest Dynamics

  • A view of the cellular structure of tulip poplar wood

    Tree growth can be difficult to measure, but it is imperative to understanding forest stability and function. We measure trees in a variety of ways to better understand forest function and stability.

    Tree Growth

  • Newly opened leaves of American hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana)

    We are studying the timing of growth to understand the importance of seasonal patterns and how they are adjusting to a changing climate

    Tree Phenology

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Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
647 Contees Wharf Road
Edgewater, MD 21037-0028
(443) 482-2200

Hours: Mon.–Sun. 8:00 a.m.–5:30 p.m.

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