Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute NEON - United States of America

Basic Information
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Site Name
Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute NEON
Short name
SCBI
Country
United States of America
Web Address
https://www.neonscience.org/field-sites/scbi
Site Manager
Ty Lindberg
Site Description
Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) is a terrestrial field site located on the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Front Royal, Virginia. The 12 km2 (2966 acre) NEON field site is located within and hosted by the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, a research and education institution run by the Smithsonian Institution. The site is dominated by mature and secondary hardwood forest. 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. SCBI is colocated with the POSE aquatic site.
Relationships to other sites
This site groups with:
Last modified
2025-09-18 15:09:56

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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✔ (SCBI)This site is a verified "NEON" member.
Photos
DSC05727
DSC05727
Geographic
View in site map
Centroid/Representative Coordinates

Latitude: 38.89292 Longitude: -78.1395

Size
ca. 1200.00ha
Elevation (average)
361.00msl
Elevation (min)
251.00msl
Elevation (max)
571.00msl
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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
Evergreen Forest
Air Temperature: Average Annual
11.00°C
Precipitation Annual
1126.00mm
Geology
SCBI is located on the Catoctin Formation. The parent materials at the site are residuum, colluvium and local alluvium derived from Cambrian age crystalline rocks, including meta-basalt, greenstone, and gabbro.
Vegetation
The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute is primarily dominated by deciduous hardwood forests. These consist of both mature (>100 years) forest and young (<40 years) secondary forest. The mature forests are primarily oak (Quercus spp.), hickory (Carya spp.), ash (Fraxinus spp.), and tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) while the young forests consist primarily of white ash (Fraxinus americana), black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia), and dogwood (Cornus spp.).
Soils
The main soil series found at SCBI include Myersville, Hawksbill, Lew, Montalto, Catoctin, and Thurmont soils. From soils sampled at the SCBI site, the most abundant soil series was found to be Myersville soil on residual ridgetops and side slopes. The second most abundant soil series was found to be Lew soil on colluvial side slopes.
Hydrology
SCBI is located within the Potomac-Shenandoah watershed. Major tributaries of this watershed include the Potomac River, South Fork Shenandoah, and North Fork Shenandoah tributaries. The Potomac-Shenandoah watershed drains into the Chesapeake Bay.
Site Type
Platform
Design of Experimentation
mainly experimentation
Scale of Experimentation
beyond catchment scale
Design of Observation
mainly observation
Scale of Observation
beyond catchment
Permanent Power Supply
Yes
Accessible All Year
Yes
Permanent Operation
Yes