Download HARVARD FOREST

14)FIRE:Thisareaistheeasternedgeofaforest irethatburned78
acresofHarvardForestandasimilarexpanseofneighboring
propertyin1957.The irewasstoppedattheswampbehindyou.
Sincethe ire,theforesthasgrownupsubstantially.Itcontains
many“pioneerspecies”--suchaswhiteandgraybirchtrees--as
wellasredoak,redmaple,beech,Americanchestnutandwitch
hazel.
HARVARDFOREST
FRENCHROADTRAIL
The irescarsatthebaseoftheredpinestoyourleftarea
reminderofthe1957forest ireandtheremarkableresilienceof
trees.
15)HEMLOCK:Theevergreentreeonyourrightisauniquebut
threatenedspeciesinourforest.Easternhemlocksareremarkable
fortheirdense,shadycanopies,providingwintershelterfordeer,
nestingsitesformigratingwarblers,andcoldforeststreamsfor
trout.Thehemlockwoollyadelgid,anaphid-likeinsectaccidentally
introducedfromAsiainthe1950s,arrivedattheHarvardForestin
2002andmanyhemlocktreeshavebeguntodieasaresult.Butthe
forestwillcontinue.Inourregion,wherehemlocksarelosttothe
adelgid,youngblackbirchtreesfollow.
16)SWAMP:Asyoufollowtheboardwalk,youwillbewalkingthrough
mixedswampforestcharacterizedbyblackgumtrees,redspruce,
hemlock,redmapleandwhitepine.Somecommonshrubsinclude
winterberryandhighbushblueberry.Cinnamonfern,goldthread,
andSphagnummossescovertheforest loor.
H ARVARD F OREST
SphagnumMoss
CinnamonFern
Goldthread
17)BLACKGUM:Theblackgumortupelotree(Nyssasylvatica)isa
long-liveddeciduoustreetypicallycon inedtoswamps,hereatthe
northernlimitofitsrange.Blackgumsaretheoldesttreesinthe
Northeast.Thosesurroundingyouareover300yearsold.They’re
notablefortheirunusual90-degreebranchingpatternand
spectacularredfoliageinautumn.Theirscalybarkresembles
alligatorskin.Thehard,heavywoodoftheblackgumtreehas
interlockinggrainthatisnearlyimpossibletosplit.Blackgums—
alsoknownasbeetlebungtrees—wereusedduringthecolonial
periodtomakemalletheads(“beetles”)andbarrelstoppers
(“bungs”).Abitfurtheralongthetrailandwithinreachofthe
boardwalkontherighthandside,isalargeblackgumthatisover
420yearsold—theoldestlivingtreeatHarvardForest.
HARVARD UNIVERSITY
324 North Main Street
Petersham, MA
U.S.A. 01366-9504
Phone (978) 724-3302
Fax (978) 724-3595
http://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/
@HarvardForest theharvardforest TheFrenchRoadTrailisa2.5-mileloopwith17numberedstations
atpointsofinterestalongtheway.Thispamphletcontains
informationcorrespondingtothenumberedstations.Fromthe
FisherMuseum,walknorth,paralleltoRoute32andfollowthe
yellowarrowstostayonthetrail.
Pleasenote:HarvardForestisoneoftheoldestandmostintensively
studiedresearchforestsinNorthAmerica.Throughoutyourwalk,
youwillseeevidenceofactiveresearch,suchas laggingtapeand
taggedtrees.Pleasehelpourstudyeffortsbynotdisturbingthis
equipment.
Youmayalsobeinterestedinthequarter-mileNaturalHistoryTrail
throughJohnSanderson’sfarm(mapsavailable)whichbegins
behindtheFisherMuseum.
1) THENANDNOW:Thisstonewallmarksacroplandborder
withina50-acrefarmestablishedin1763byJonathanandMolly
Sanderson.Alongthistrailyouwillseemanystonewalls,mostof
themhistoricallyusedtomarkpropertyboundariesandde ine
theedgesofpastures.
Today,thehousesyouseeoneithersideoftheroad,includingthe
originalSandersonfarmhousebehindyou(nowcalledCommunity
House),theRaupHousetoyourleft,andtheFisherHouseupthe
road,aredormitoriesforvisitingstudents,scientists,and
conferencegroups.Aherdofcattlekeepsthepasturesclearof
trees.Inthepasturetoyourright,theFisherMeteorological
Stationrecordscontinuousweatherdata,oneofseveralhundred
datasetspubliclyavailableontheHarvardForestwebsite.
2) SUGARMAPLES:Thesugarmapletreesliningthisroadwere
historicallyusedtoproducemaplesyrup.Todaytheyarepartofa
long-termresearchstudyofhowsugarmaplesuseandstore
energythroughouttheyear.Ourresearchshowsthatwhena
sugarmapleproducesahighnumberofseedsinautumn,thereis
lesssugarinitssapthefollowingspring.
NOTE:Tostayonthetrail,continueupthehill,throughthelawn
betweentheSchoolhouseandtheFisherHouse.Youwillpassbythe
sugarhouseinsteadofturningrightwiththeroad.
3)TREEDIVERSITY:Thetreessurroundingthissignaretypicalof
sitesinthisregionthathavereforestedfollowingtwocenturiesof
colonialagriculture.Oak,redmaple,beech,birch,andother
hardwoodspecieshavebecomeprevalent.Shade-tolerant
hemlocktreesgrowintheunderstoryandwhitepinespopulate
thesunnyopenings.Somewhitepineshavemultiplecrooked
trunks—thelegacyofthewhitepineweevil,anativeinsectthat
wasveryactiveattheturnofthe20thcentury,onpinesgrowing
intheopensunlightofabandonedpastures.
4) LAND‐USELEGACIES:Everylandscapehasastory.Farming,
logging, ire,andwindstormsoverthepastseveralcenturieshave
shapedthesoil,plants,trees,andwildlifethatexistheretoday.
DifferentpartsoftheHarvardForesthavedifferenthuman
histories,aswell,includingcultivated ields,pasture,andwoodlot.
Intheresearchareaontherighthandsideoftheroad,Harvard
Forestscientistsaretrackingthelong-termimpactsofcolonial
farmingontoday’sforest.
AlegacyoftheGreatHurricaneof1938isalsovisiblehere:the
largewhitepinewithacurvedtrunk(toyourright)wasyoung
whenthehurricanetippedit,butthematuringtreehasrighted
itselfverticallyasithasgrown.
5)DISTURBANCE:Twotypesofforest“disturbance”—another
wordforsuddenchangeinanecosystem—areevidenthere.On
bothsidesofthetrail,snappedanduprootedtreesshowthe
footprintofamicroburststorm’disturbance’thatblewthrough
theforestin2014.Eventually,thechaosoftheseuprootedtrees
will lattentosmallmoundsanddipsontheforest loor.
Ontherighthandsideoftheroad,aredpineplantationplanted
byHarvardForeststudentsinthe1920swasharvestedin2008
toallownativeforesttoregenerate.Becausemooseanddeerare
drawntorecently“disturbed”forestsforfood,wearestudying
howtheirpresenceshapestheregeneratingtreecommunity.
6)EARTHWORMS:Theforestaroundyouisdominatedbysugar
mapleandwhiteash—anunusualforesttypefoundonricher
soilsattheHarvardForest.Ontheleftsideoftheroadisoneof
thefewareasonourpropertythatcontainsearthworms.
Althoughwelcomeingardens,earthwormsarenotnativetothis
partofNorthAmerica.Theyactasforestpestsbysimplifyingthe
complexsoillayersthatmanyorganismsdependon,andaltering
the lowofwaterthroughsoil.
7)COLONIALRESTSTOP:Thestonefoundationyouseehereisa
remnantoftheFrenchRoadInn,builtasaprosperousfarmhouse
in1764byElishaWard,brotherofArtemasWard,the irst
commander-in-chiefoftheAmericanRevolution.Theinn,
purchasedbyAlmondFrenchin1846,waswellusedby
travelers,asitwaslocatedalongthemainroadbetweenAthol
andPetersham.Historicalaccountstellusthatrowsofhollowed
outlogsneartheinnservedastroughsforvisitingcattleand
horses.
8)STREAMandSTONEWORKS:Thestoneworkaroundthis
streamisrathermysterious.Water lowwouldhavebeen
insuf icientforamill.
Vernalpools,likethemossy,wetareabehindthestonework,are
seasonalpoolsthatprovidespringhabitatforspeci icplantsand
animals,someofwhichareendangered.Becausevernalpools
aretypicallydryforpartoftheyear,theydonotsupport
populationsof ish.Without ishpredationorcompetition,fairy
shrimp,molesalamanders,andwoodfrogsalllaytheireggsin
vernalpools.
9)SNAG:Dyingordeadtreesthathavenotyetfallenarereferredto
assnags.Thesnagsyouseeonbothsidesofthetrailare
importantsourcesoffoodandshelterformanyanimals,
includingwoodpeckers,owls,smallmammals,andraccoons.
Smallroundholesinasnagindicatefeedingactivitybysmaller
woodpeckers,whilelargerectangularholesaremadebypileated
woodpeckers,thelargestwoodpeckersinNorthAmerica.
NOTE:Attheforkahead,stayrightfortheHarvardForesttrail.
10)STRIPEDMAPLE:Allalongthisstretchofroadare
stripedmapletrees(Acerpensylvanicum),anorthern,
understoryspeciesalsoknownasmoosewoodor
goosefootmaple.Thegreenishbark—moreobviousin
theyoungsaplings—containschloroplasts,whichallow
thetreetocarryoutphotosynthesisevenafterthetree
losesitsleavesinthefall,andbeforenewleavesgrowinthespring.
11)FORESTPLANTS:Asyoucontinueonthetrail,takenoticeof
theplantsnearby.Thefollowingplantsareoftenfoundin
shady,moistareas.
Hobblebush
(atwaistheight)
Partridgeberry
(onforest loor)
Wintergreen
(onforest loor)
12) AMERICANCHESTNUT:Thetreesaplingwithtoothedleavesand
multipletrunksinfrontofyou(andseveralmoreonyourleftalong
thepath)isanAmericanchestnut(Castaneadentata).Beforethe
Americanchestnutwasdevastatedbythechestnutblightacrossits
rangeintheearly1900s,itwasanimportanttreeintheNortheast
forposts,lumberandfuel.Chestnutswereanimportantfood
sourceformanywildlifespeciesincludingbears,deer,wild
turkeys,andpassengerpigeons,andpeopletreasuredtheirsweet,
starchytaste.Theblightcanbedetectedonchestnuttreestodayas
orange-redsporesvisiblealongcracksinthebark.
NOTE:Turnrightatthegatetostayonthetrail.
12) PLANTATIONS:ItiscommonacrossMassachusettstoseelarge
areasplantedwithonetypeoftree,liketheredpineplantationto
yourright,plantedinthelate1920sbyHarvardForeststudents.At
thattime,forestrywasarelativelynewscience,andmore
emphasiswasplacedonplantingandweedingtoproduceasingle
species,oftenanon-nativeconifer.TodayinMassachusetts,
forestrypracticesemphasizeworkingwithnaturalprocessesand
nativespecies.In2007,webeganloggingourplantationforeststo
restoreadiversityofnativetreespeciestothesesites.
NOTE:ContinueonthemainroadtoreturntotheFisherMuseum.Or,
turnlefttofollowashortlooptrailandboardwalktoexplorestations
14through17.Theloopwillbringyoubacktothispoint.