Harvard Forest locates in the central Massachusetts town of Petersham with 1200 ha area, the Forest's varied habitats are typical of those found throughout New England . Since 1907 research and education has been the mission of the Harvard Forest , one of the oldest and most intensively studied forests in North America .

There are four main tracts in Harvard Forest : Prospect Hill tract, Tom Swamp tract, Slab City tract and Simes tract. Our research locates in Prospect Hill tract, which is in northeast of Harvard Forest . Two sites are chosen as the Echidna scanning area. One is Deciduous stand and the other is Hemlock stand. The dominant species include red oak (Quercus rubra), red maple (Acer rubrum), black birch (Betula lenta), white pine (Pinus strobus), and hemlock (Tsuga canadensis).