When tasked with researching Centennial Woods human history, I discovered a long history of human impact on the site.
I first came across this:
This is a map that shows when Centennial Woods was marked as a natural area, showing that the site was not always left for nature. The leftover walls and barbed wire at the site lead me to believe that before Centennial Woods became a natural area managed by the Environmental Program it was a farm. It is clear from the difference in the understory versus the overstay at Centennial woods that this site was disturbed as well. In class we learned about the great cutover and this patch of forest has many signs. The trees are not that old and it is mainly a hardwood forest. These indicate that the trees did not exist there very long. The presence of paper birch in the forest indicates disturbance as well. Next to that, my site has a bridge running over the creek; a clear marker that humans have been there.
Further research of mine showed that the land that is Centennial Woods natural area was once owned by the Ainsworth family and Fred Fiske (“Three Ecosystems.”) They used this land for farming, as my reading of the landscape predicted. The Ainsworth’s sold their land to UVM in 1904.
Today my site is in the center of the trail so humans visit often. While it once was used for agriculture, only traces of that remain. It is still visited by humans often, with sneaker tracks to prove, the land is so different than what it was in the past. It exists by and for nature, with little human impact compared to the days of clear cutting.
Citations:
Natural Areas, University of Vermont: a resolution of the Board of Trustees [PDF].University of Vermont Natural Areas. University of Vermont Environmental Program, http://www.uvm.edu/~uvmsc/Centennial%20Woods/UVM_Natural_Areas_1974001.pdf
“Three Ecosystems and Their Organisms.” Woodland, Wildland, and Wetland Sites. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Dec. 2015.