This fall, the Griswold High School science department is participating in one of Harvard Forest’s Schoolyard Ecology programs, “Our Changing Forests: How do Forests Grow and Change Over Time?” Harvard Forest is Harvard University’s 4,000-acre laboratory and classroom that offers a variety of programs to local and regional schools.

Led by Griswold High School science teacher Tiffany DellaVentura, 41 students in grades 11 and 12 will contribute to Harvard Forest’s online database by capturing data from a long-term forest study plot in the woods surrounding Griswold Public Schools. Middle and high school classrooms around New England have been contributing field data for Harvard Forest’s Our Changing Forests Program since 2013.

On Oct. 21, ecologist Katherine Bennett from Harvard Forest visited Griswold to work with DellaVentura’s two Environmental Studies classes.

“Students will collect data on the growth and biodiversity of trees, forest carbon storage, and the many drivers of change – such as wildlife, human activity, and more – affecting their study plot,” noted Clarisse Hart, director of outreach and education at Harvard Forest, in a release.

“This research project will provide students with real-world applications of what scientists actually do in the field,” said DellaVentura. “Students will be collecting scientific data that will be entered into a database that scientists all over the world will have access to. This data is imperative to witness the changes of forests year after year – not just here on our campus, but ... globally!”

Ecological studies have long been integrated into Griswold Public School’s curriculum. In 1985, a Nature Trail was created by high school science and woodshop classes and members of the greater-Griswold community. The Nature Trail and three interconnecting campus trails have since been utilized by classes and local families to explore wildlife and vegetation along the Quinebaug River.

“Here at GHS, we are so incredibly lucky to have access to a variety of natural resources that we can explore and study, including the Quinebaug River located behind our campus,” DellaVentura noted. “By having students be a part of this project, I hope to instill a sense of place and ownership to protect, connect, and value our natural resources. Students can then teach others of the diversity within our area and become engaged citizens and environmental stewards.”