New Initiatives for Synthesis and Collaboration in Ecosystem Science in the Northeast
This project provided support for the Northeastern Ecosystem Research Cooperative (NERC), the principal scientific organization connecting ecosystem scientists studying forests and streams in the Northern Forest region. For the last 15 years, NERC has facilitated regional collaboration and synthesis of information on ecosystem science as applied to environmental issues (pollution, climate change, biomass energy production) in the northeastern U.S. and southeastern Canada. NERC activities include transmission of scientific knowledge on ecosystem function among scientists and to policy makers and land managers, support for young scientists, support of environmental monitoring programs, and interaction with policy makers and land managers in the Northern Forest.
To broaden collaborative research within NERC, NSRC/NERC researchers first compiled and integrated datasets from several NERC synthesis projects and made the data available on the NERC website and accessible through a national ecological data registry. Second, they held the 2013 and 2015 NERC biennial research conferences. NERC conferences have become premier locations for scientific interactions, information exchange, and a source of new ideas among ecosystem scientists studying forests and streams in the Northeast. For land managers and policy makers, NERC meetings provide a concise summary of new and emerging research on forests and streams of the region.
Third, the group provided enhanced opportunities for young scientists (graduate and undergraduate students) to attend the conferences, as well as other regional conferences and workshops. Encouraging young scientists to become part of the scientific network will help provide the foundation for future collaborative relationships among ecosystem scientists and a sense of regional identity.