The Forest in the Trees

With only a pair of binoculars and a notebook, ecologist John O'Keefe has walked the same trail through the woods for more than three decades – carefully recording seasonal changes. His humble mode of observation harkens back to Henry David Thoreau and the practices of Indigenous cultures for thousands of years. 

What started as a pet project has transformed into a landmark dataset – providing scientists with unparalleled data on how New England forests respond to climate change. Beyond his data, John's patient, persistent approach yields much needed wisdom during a moment of climate anxiety and a society out of sync with the natural world. 

Even as satellite imagery and machine learning revolutionize ecological observation, researchers increasingly depend on John’s intimate observations for a unique, on-the-ground perspective.

But John is not sure how much longer he can walk the trail and gather his observations. As a devoted chronicler of his local environment, he grapples with the fate of this remarkable project – will the study continue? What more might we learn about a changing climate? And what, ultimately, will be the legacy of a career spent investigating this forest?