Blandy Experimental Farm NEON - United States of America

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Basic Information
Site Name
Blandy Experimental Farm NEON
Short name
BLAN
Country
United States of America
Web Address
https://www.neonscience.org/field-sites/blan
Site Manager
Ty Lindberg
Site Description
The Blandy Experimental Farm (BLAN) is a terrestrial NEON field site located in Clarke County, Virginia, approximately 60 miles west of Washington, D.C. BLAN is subdivided between two locations, with 2.7 km2 (667 acres) at Blandy Experimental Farm and 3 km2 (741 acres) at Casey Tree Farm. The site includes a mix of land use types including woodland, hay fields, and tree nurseries. The surrounding region is characterized by general land use types including successional fields, pastures, woodlands, and small ponds. This site is located within NEON's Mid-Atlantic Domain (D02), a densely populated region bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east and stretching down the Eastern Seaboard from southern New Jersey to northern Georgia. The Mid-Atlantic Domain includes two other terrestrial sites and two aquatic sites. BLAN is located near the Lewis Run aquatic site.
Last modified
2025-09-19 09:31:47

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General Characteristics and Status
Site Status
Operational
Year Established
2015
Observed properties
Affiliation and Network Specific Information
Affiliation
GERI✔This site is a verified "GERI" member.
NEON✔ (BLAN)This site is a verified "NEON" member.
Photos
BLAN Boardwalk
BLAN Boardwalk
BLAN Tower
BLAN Tower
Geographic
View in site map
Centroid/Representative Coordinates

Latitude: 39.094908 Longitude: -77.979278

Size
ca. 269.00ha
Elevation (average)
183.00msl
Elevation (min)
119.00msl
Elevation (max)
193.00msl
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Site information [.json]

Centroid/representative coordinates [.shp] [.kml] [.geojson]
Bounding Box [.shp] [.kml] [.geojson]
GEO-BON Biome
Terrestrial
Biome
Deciduous Forest
Ecosystem Type
Forest
Deciduous Forest
Air Temperature: Average Annual
12.10°C
Precipitation Annual
983.00mm
Geology
The Blandy Experimental Farm consists of limestone and dolostone of the Conocoheague Formation, while the Casey Tree Farm consists of limestone, dolostone, and shale.
Vegetation
The Blandy Experimental Farm is predominantly a fallow scrubland consisting primarily of hay crops and goldenrod (Solidago altissima), though the site is surrounded by fragmented secondary forests and successional shrubs. Casey Tree Farm, as the name suggests, is a tree nursery with hay fields encompassed by deciduous woodlands of black oak (Quercus velutina), tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera), and pawpaw (Asimina triloba). NEON plots are distributed throughout Deciduous Forest and Pasture Hay NLCD classes, and these monitor and provide presence and absence data for over 100 plant species, including goldenrod (Solidago altissima), buckthorn (Rhamnus davurica), and Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii).
Soils
Soils are deep and well-drained with varying amounts of rock fragments. In general, Blandy and Casey Tree Farm soils lack organic horizons, though they are considered moderately to highly fertile. The elevated soil pH present across these sites presents an environment rich in biological activity. Soil types are predominantly Poplimento and Thurmont formed from shale, limestone, siltstone, and sandstone residual. The soil subgroup at the site are Ultic Hapludalfs.
Hydrology
Groundwater aquifers are recharged by precipitation, which percolates through fractures in carbonate rock and is sometimes facilitated by geologic structures such as sinkholes or sinking streams. This water is eventually discharged to streams in the form of spring discharge.
Site Type
Non-stationary land-based site
Design of Experimentation
mainly experimentation
Scale of Experimentation
beyond catchment scale
Design of Observation
mainly observation
Scale of Observation
beyond catchment
Permanent Power Supply
No
Accessible All Year
Yes
Permanent Operation
No