‘Wolf’ trees grow on MLT land

#Middlebury

Connecticut Certified Forester Ian Branson holds an acorn while surrounded by a batch of baby oak trees. The baby trees are a result of last year’s mast crop of acorns, all fallen from the mature oak behind him. (Janine Sullivan-Wiley photo)

By JANINE SULLIVAN-WILEY

Many Middlebury Land Trust (MLT) properties are forested land enhanced by streams, ponds and lakes. This month, we take a look at the forests.

Forests are more than just a bunch of trees. They are great living ecosystems, each with its own history. You might be surprised to find that much, if not most, of the forest you see now is only about 100 years old. Old photographs illustrate a town of open vistas where fields abound and one could easily see distant ridges and land features, a result of early settlers clearing the land for farming.

Left to its own, however, open land does not persist. In this part of the world, in the absence of fire or clearing, small brush, small trees, and then larger trees begin to take hold over time. What grows will change. As the forest canopy develops, maple and beech can still get started; oaks cannot – they need more sun. They were more common when there were more fields, and when there were periodic fires, which oaks can tolerate better than the maples, beech, or birch.

The Property Management Plans developed for the MLT by specialists such as Ian Branson, professional forester, are filled with information on the trees and forests of the MLT properties. Branson has completed over a dozen of these plans for the MLT, including one for the Moniot property featured last month.

Branson said, “One of the most interesting things you find are what are called ‘wolf trees,’ ancient trees that were growing out in the open when the land was largely field. Now the forest has grown up around them. They may be hundreds of years old, just like the stone walls found in the middle of woods.”

He also reflected on wolf trees’ value to the environment. “They tell a story but are also very important ecologically because they are so old, they have lots of hollows for wildlife to live and nest in, and produce large amounts of seed and nuts,” he said. Often hickory or oak, they are important food sources.

Oaks have a fascinating pattern of acorn production. Last year was one of the incredibly heavy years of acorn production – called a mast year – when there were so many acorns they piled up on the ground. All of the oak trees do this at the same time; no one knows how they communicate or coordinate this. But that overabundance last year is why we have the huge population of chipmunks this year.

This year’s abundance of small mammals means that next year we probably will see more hawks and other predators, bringing down the numbers of chipmunks in the great ecological cycle of life … all anchored by the mighty oaks. They also are one of the most important native trees for their abundance of leaves and rough bark, which support a wide variety and abundance of insects, which in turn support many birds. And yet, these mighty oaks are vulnerable with the modern dearth of fast burning fires and open land in which to again develop.

The Crutcher Preserve, with its rocky, rugged terrain, was never disturbed by farming and has huge blocks of undisturbed forest with chestnut oak, white and red oak, hemlock and a lot of mountain laurel. It is a hard to traverse but interesting habitat. Enjoy your next exploration, and maybe you’ll spot a wolf tree!

You can contact this writer at jswspotlight@gmail.com. Visit the MLT on Facebook or the website at middleburylandtrust.org.