2022 Research Tour

Date/Time
Friday, December 2, 2022
1:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Location
Duke Forest Durham Division
Gate 12, GPS Coordinates: 36.025372, -78.989410
Durham, North Carolina

Go behind-the-scenes to discover scientific research in the Duke Forest.

Friday, December 2, 2022 from 1-4pm

Join the Duke Forest for one of our most popular annual tours—the Research Tour—back after a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Researchers come from across Duke University and the world to study in the largest laboratory at Duke: the “living laboratory” of the Duke Forest. We’ll spend the afternoon within the Durham Division’s Gate 12* and visit several research sites that all revolve around the study of trees. The following projects will be presented:

1. Tree health, tree maintenance, and using urban trees to track urban drought—Jordan Luongo, Lab Manager for Dr. Jim Clark, Professor of Environmental Science at the Nicholas School; Renata Poulton Kamakura, PhD candidate in the Clark Lab and Nature Conservancy NatureNet Science Fellow.
2. The “Five Pines Study,” understanding tree hydraulics and canopy architecture—Dr. Ram Oren, Professor of Earth Systems Science at the Nicholas School; Chainey Boroski, PhD candidate under the advisement of Drs. Ram Oren, JC Domec, and Gabriel Katul.
3. Additional Research Legacies in the Duke Forest, from Longleaf Pines to the Bormann Plot—Sara Childs, Duke Forest Executive Director; Maggie Heraty, Duke Forest Program Coordinator.

Clark Lab research equipment in the Duke Forest.

Dr. Ram Oren presenting at the Five Pines Study site.

Accessibility: The Research Tour will take place within Duke Forest Gate 12 and will include walking on foot on unpaved surfaces, through forested plots, and on gravel roads. Some stretches of walking between research sites will include short uphill and downhill sections. No bathrooms are available (the nearest bathroom is a hike away at the Gate F picnic shelter). Parking is available and will be directed by Duke Forest staff.

Meeting details will be sent to all registrants two days prior.

*Please note: Participants will receive staff-guided access to the Duke Forest during its annual closure for the Deer Herd Reduction Program. During this time, the Duke Forest is closed to public access Monday-Friday through December 16, 2022.

Back to the Event Calendar