From the Station Director
Despite the rain, the 2023 Macfarlane Research Greenhouse open house on April 1 was a great success, showcasing the science and scientists who are leading the development of innovations that will enable resilient and sustainable food production in New England. It was great seeing community members engaging directly with NHAES researchers and getting sneak previews of new knowledge, meeting prospective students—who were visiting UNH on the same day—as they envisioned their involvement in undergraduate research, and hearing NHAES scientists and our Extension partners helping visitors to answer questions and continuing being active lifelong learners—key components of UNH's land-grant mission.
Station researcher Dr. Anna Wallingford talking
to a budding agricultural scientist at the
2023 Research Greenhouse Open House.
Thank you for all who were able to join us! And if you weren't able to come to this event, we will have more opportunities for you to engage with NHAES science and scientists throughout the summer, both at the UNH campus and around the state. Coming up soon, we'll be at the NH Fruit Growers Association's meeting and the New England Apple Association's Spring Cider Social at Butternut Farm.

Lastly, I'd like to congratulate Nate Merrill and Steve Wood—two members of our joint NHAES/Extension advisory committee—for being recognized by their alma mater, the St. Paul's School, in their work to advance innovative, sustainable agricultural practices in New Hampshire. In their capacity as members on our advisory committee, Nate and Steve continue to help steward our state's food systems into the future through research and lifelong learning.

And thank you for supporting our efforts to improve the lives of our state and region!
A photo of NHAES director Anton Bekkerman
Director, NH Agricultural Experiment Station
Latest NHAES News

A UNH research team has proposed the Environmental Responsibility 5-R Framework (ER5F) to help scientists reduce the environmental impact of their research. The framework is centered around five Rs: Recognition, Refinement, Reduction, Replacement and Restoration. By introducing this framework, the authors hope to promote enhanced awareness across the entire scientific community and encourage researchers to identify and mitigate the environmental impacts of their research. Explore the research framework.

In fall 2022, Arthur Mathieson, professor emeritus of biology, phycologist and former head of the UNH Jackson Estuarine Laboratory, passed away, leaving behind a legacy of publications on marine botany and a collection of nearly 80,000 herbarium specimens. In collaboration with his wife Myla Mathieson and University Archivist and Interim Special Collections Librarian Elizabeth Slomba, Erin Sigel, manager of the Albion R. Hodgdon Herbarium, has permanently transferred Mathieson’s research notebooks to the UNH Archives. Learn more about what's on display at the Hodgdon Herbarium.

The population of New Hampshire grew by 7,700 (0.55 percent) to 1,395,000 between July of 2021 and July of 2022, according to new Census Bureau estimates. New Hampshire’s population gain was the second largest in New England and was entirely due to migration. In all, 10,200 more people moved into New Hampshire than left between July of 2021 and July of 2022. This migration gain was large enough to offset a natural loss of 2,000 people when deaths exceeded births in New Hampshire in the past year. Discover Granite State demographic trends.

New Hampshire has the second-highest proportion of land in forest in the U.S. (behind only Maine), with approximately 80 percent (4.68 million acres) in forest cover, according to the U.S. Forest Service. Cost-effective ways to assess the health and composition of the state’s significant forestland are necessary for supporting long-term management and economic needs. This research considers whether new technologies such as unpiloted aerial systems (UAS) can help overcome the limitations of traditional assessment methods and provide more informative characterizations of northeastern forests. Read about the future of forest inventorying.
More Station News & Notes
Butternut Farm of Farmington, N.H., is teaming up with the New England Apple Association, other New Hampshire cider houses, local vendors and food trucks for its first ever Spring Cider Social, and the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station will be there! The event will take place Saturday, May 13, from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Presale tickets will be available on the Butternut Farms website. If you attend, make sure to swing by the NHAES booth and say!
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