Forest-bound

This past week, the cohort took a field trip to Clemson University's experimental forest during our designated lab time. The forest, located just away from Clemson's main campus, is an attempt at taking an area that was heavily logged and desecrated by development once and reestablishing it as a healthy, biodiverse forest. While some parts of the forest were farther along in recovery than others, the general format was apparent: alternating, spacious stands of pines and hardwoods. Most of the trees were mast-bearing (releasing acorns or some other form of casting) to allow the forest to fill out faster. Other features of the forest included simulated wetlands to allow amphibians to flourish, uncut dead trees to serve as food and homes for woodpecker species, as well as areas prescribed for burning in the winter to prevent the undergrowth from becoming too thick. These control burns may seem destructive, but they are done according to a strict science that has been practiced and has been an important part of the ecosystem since the time of the Native Americans. In fact, the disappearance of controlled burns has led to the decline of animal species and tree species in certain areas, like the gopher tortoise and the longleaf pine tree whose cones only open in the presence of fire. After stopping in the forest for a lecture on features of the forest and some analysis of statistical forestry data, we took a trip to the large beaver-made pond present at the site. Here I got to see some of the species unique to the area, including some introduced, endangered longleaf pines, Virginia pines, red cedars, and large red and white oaks. The pond also apparently sports a healthy wood duck population, which really reminded me of home, back on the Ocmulgee River in Georgia where we had wood ducks nesting in the trees around our house. Then again, nature being out and about, seeing nature makes me feel at home no matter where I'm at.