Hello again!
So as my second week comes to a close, I’m beginning to get a better grasp on my role here in Connecticut. On Tuesday I met with John Anderson at Aton Forest to get a detailed look at my research site. It’s only a short hike behind the main office and is primarily dominated by hemlock with a few other species mixed in (white pine, red maple, birch, beech and one very random Tulip Poplar which reminded me of home 
). There are several fallen Chestnut logs resting on the forest floor which were probably felled by the blight—somewhere in the early 1920s. It’s incredible how well preserved these logs are. Logs of other species would have undoubtedly rotted by now, leaving barely a trace. Instead these Chestnut logs are in fairly good shape. All have begun decomposing, but many are hard enough to saw through—hence why Sara, Fred, John and Bill were able to take cookie samples back in April. More on the cookie details later.
Thats my research site in Aton...the steep guy right at the top, like a little thumbprint. There's a ravine dividing my site with a larger, plateau to the west.
A more detailed view...the west-southwest slope of the mountain in the top-center. Thanks to my brother-in-law for his trails.com subscription! That's how I was able to get these maps
Anyway, the Aton site is going to be a bit of a challenge, as I’m going to have to practice my “walking up the side of a very steep mountain” skills. Perhaps I can call in Spider Man for a little lesson. Nevertheless, I will figure something out because the research must be completed. Speaking of research, I have a few more details on the gist of the project. On the Harvard Forest site (Prospect Hill tract), there is a “halo” of chestnut sprouts surrounding a dense hemlock grove that was once dominated by Chestnuts. These Chestnut trees were obviously successful at recruitment since the fruits (no pun intended) of their pollination labor germinated on the surrounding abandoned pasture land—aka optimal chestnut habitat. The sprouts seen today are a result of this successful recruitment. The Aton site, on the other hand, is lacking this “halo” outside of the hemlock grove. It is surrounded by a similar habitat (abandoned pasture land currently in late succesional stages), but there are no sprouts anywhere! Perhaps this indicates that recruitment in these Aton Chestnuts was severely lacking.
Now that I see this project is more about historical recruitment, I have changed many of the ecological variables I will be testing. Originally I thought such variables as basal area, light availability, understory competition, etc would be important. However, since forests are dynamic systems, the current state of these conditions will actually tell us very later about how the forest was a century ago. Alas, I have a new list. I’m sticking to identifying species, determining geology, soil samples, hydrologic flow, ecosystem zonation, climate, and most importantly, land use history. More specifically, I will form a grid of each site concentrating 10m radius subplots around Chestnut logs. In these subplots, I will take soil samples and core neighboring trees to determine release dates and disturbance history.
Now this all sounds fairly simple, I’m sure. But I’m planning for the inevitable wandering and remarking of gridlines. Not to mention, the inescapable hilarity of tangled measuring tapes and my (lack of) brawns attempting to core a very defiant oak tree. And this will all undoubtedly occur as I’m tumbling down the side of a mountain. I’ll be sure to NOT capture those moments digitally…
Leaving my research project for a bit, I’m sure you’re all well aware of the upcoming pollination frenzy. Gayle has been working long and hard on organizing the pollination mess this year, and I must say, she seems to be doing a pretty admirable job. I believe this year’s pollination load is slightly larger than last year’s attempts, making the job harder and more complex. I myself will be helping out with a few trees here in Northwestern Connecticut. As the events get closer and details more forthcoming, I will be sure to share them. As for now, I’m looking forward to learning the ropes from Kendra when we meet in New Haven for a crash course in pollination.
Male and female catkins of a rare mature tree. Photo courtesy of www.duke.edu/~cwcook/trees/cade.html
Just a fun little story that has absolutely nothing to do with Chestnuts (Lets be real here. We all need a break every now and again). Yesterday I was simply fed up with the rain and glum, so I put on my raincoat and my best hiking boots and went out for a much needed break. I walked along the lake behind my pleasant little cabin (Tobey Pond, I believe) and explored the world around me. For starters, I was extremely pleased to see that the boathouse down by lake was open for business and the floating dock was peacefully awaiting some warm summer sun. Yet today, obviously, was not the day. So I continued my walk around the lake—there’s a nice little trail that runs through the hemlocks and I’m sure goes all the way around (I wasn’t feeling quite that ambitious). Anyway, as I was taking my little stroll in the deadly quiet woods, I heard a startling “plop” in the water below. Thinking that this could only be some sort of Connecticut lake monster, I changed from a careless tread to walking in my very best “toe to heel” Indian imitation stride. Read: I might have been a little scared. Immediately straining my eyes to see what thing could have possibly made this sound, I caught sight of a little brown blob, bobbing up and down. On closer inspection, I noticed the signature tail and face of a beaver. Sure, I’ve seen my share of lodges and dams, but I’ve yet to actually see the little guys swimming around. And that’s just what he was doing. Frolicking in the water as if it were a summer swim in the Hamptons. I sat and watched him for awhile and then eventually headed back because the rain was getting to be a little too much. I guess it just goes to show you that you find the coolest things when you least expect them. Hopefully I’ll have more run-ins like these
A representation of my neighbor Photo courtesy of http://ecolibrary.cs.brandeis.edu/display.php?id=Beaver_swimming_DP584
And I leave a final parting query to all my faithful readers: is the sun ever going to shine in Norfolk again?
