Just down the hill, the water rushed quickly, fueled by the melting snows of a warm winter afternoon. It is days like these that make me think of how global warming is causing winter temperatures are growing by 1.3 degrees fahrenheit per decade (Johnson and Govatski, 2013). The pools seemed unbelievably transparent and crisp, like the water that flows out of the tap. This medium-sized watershed in Moosalamoo national forest is administered by the forest service and was established in 2007 by New England Wilderness Protection Act. The forest has multiple uses including skiing, camping, hiking, biking, snowshoeing and swimming. When I sat along that creek, the thoughts of “loving green mountain national forest to death” and habitat fragmentation never crossed my mind. The babbling brook took my mind off the prospect of how the density of housing on privately owned forestland is skyrocketing.
I sit next to a yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis) with very peely bark, yet these trees are few and far between. The forest is dominated with shade-tolerant eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis), both large and small. Eastern hemlock are often lichen and moss free and contain large amounts of tannin in their bark making the species the most rot-resistant in New England. One of the most noticeable parts of this forest is the enormous amount of windsweep that has taken place. Trees that have fallen across the trail display clear cut saw marks. By examining these trees, I can make out the distinct line between heartwood and sapwood. A sliver of wood has degraded around the outside of the sapwood signaling that most of these trees are conifers. Towards the ending half of the hike the dominant species in the forest changed from the eastern hemlock to the american beech (Fagus grandifolia) and dense shade gave away to sunlight. As my hike concluded I reflect on how perfect this winter has been for observation.