Centennial Woods

Now that it has been warm for a while, Centennial Woods seems a little bit brighter and more lively. Squirrels and chipmunks are hopping around, there seems to be more birds here now than all semester, and beautiful green moss has covered the longs and trees in the area. There does seem to be more fallen trees in the woods, probably due to storms. It’s nice to visit Centennial Woods again before finals week, because I do feel like a part of my phenology spot now. Throughout the months, I have seen Centennial in all its stages. I feel as though I know the land and that I am just wandering around with the animals, not one destructing or causing any irruption to life in Centennial.

At my final visit for the semester at centennial, I saw an owl flying around the woods. I couldn’t get a really good picture because it blends in with the trees and the surrounding woods so well. I also went to a vernal pool with a friend in a different part of the forest. It was a much longer trip to Centennial than usual, as we were spent a lot of time looking around for pools, but when I ended up alone at my spot, I think I was in a really good mindset to think about the place.

Nature and culture intertwine at Centennial because there is a lot of human interaction at these woods throughout time. These have been deforested, replanted, and protected. In the past, humans used the land for agricultural and timber reasons. Now we tend to use the land more recreationally. There are hiking trails throughout, and visiters to Centennial tend to take care of and appreciate the nature.

 

Although it may sound like spring has arrived in Centennial Woods due to the incredible amount of chirping birds, the chilly temps and icy forest floor tells a different story. Despite the somewhat warmer temps Burlington has been experiencing since spring break, the weather has done a total 180. As I’m walking through the woods, my snow boots crunch through the icy snow and sleet built up on the ground. Animals’ paths can be traced from their paw prints. An unidentified bird chirped loudly from a tree right above my head, and from the prints in the snow, it was clear a dog and his owner visited my spot. Broken wood litters the ground from the past storms. Unfortunately I saw no flowering or amphibians.

My phenology spot is not too far from where the edge, but I would say it is deep enough within centennial woods to be in the center. I’m not certain but I would think the edge effect would occur from around the police station to a little before where the water runs through Centennial. My spot is about a 5-6 minute walk past the stream and I would think houses forest interior species. American Beech for example is a very shade tolerant tree, and it is also found quite commonly in my phenology spot. Eastern Hemlock is another very shade tolerant tree. These trees suggest that this is an interior portion of the forest as there is much more sun on the edges of woods.

     

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The forests around Laconia are much more evergreen then Centennial Woods, but surprisingly, it is more similar to the Burlington woods than I thought it would be. Due to a pretty intense snowstorm, everything was covered in a heavy layer of white. I did my picture taking on Friday afternoon after the sun managed to come out and melt a little snow off the trees. In addition to all the evergreens, there were a large portion of birches. I went to Laconia with my family to ski and while on the mountain, I spotted some mountain birch and hobblebush. We talked about these two things in the lab where we snowshoed in the Bolton Backcountry.

I did not see or hear very much bird activity. I think it was due to the heavy snow, single digit temperatures, and intense wind. The birds must have been hiding away, and the wind was the only thing to be heard outside. When leaving Burlington for spring break, it looked like spring was coming soon. Laconia on the other hand looked as though it had not seen any warmth in months. I did spot one little galloper. It was hard to identify who it may be in the deep powder, but my best guess is a squirrel by going off size. That was all the wildlife activity I saw in the area.

    

Centennial Woods’ has a younger forest habitat. Since it was cleared back in the 1800’s for land use for farms, the oldest pines started growing back in about 1860. The species within the woods is still quite diverse, but it is not quite an old-growth forest yet. The soils of Centennial Woods is slightly acidic, due to the abundance of pines, and the soil type varies throughout. Centennial Woods is quite hilly, so down where streams run through, the soil is very moist. On the other hand, my phenology spot is up on top of a hill, and it has slightly better drained soils. This would explain why there are more Red Oaks and American Beeches in this section of the woods.

The last couple weeks has been an interesting mix of weather. Lots of rain, lots of sun, and a couple big and small snowstorms mixed in. The snow melt and rain has brought a lot of water running through the soils. During my visit, there was the slightest covering of snow on the forest floor. As I was walking to the forest, big flakes of snow were falling from the sky. Walking to my phenology spot there was a lot of mud and mush, but climbing up the hills of Centennial brought be to slightly drier and sturdier soils. Standing there, I could not see any forms of animal life. However, I did hear a lot of bird calls during my time in the woods. These bird calls were the first I’ve heard in the last few visits, meaning the birds are finally coming home.

Looking at BioFinder, I saw that Centennial Woods is partly a wetland site. It also is habitat for rare animal species and is classified as a rare upland natural community.

For the first time when visiting Centennial, it is incredibly clear that winter has arrived. Due to moderate snowfall throughout Sunday and Sunday night, the forest had a fresh blanket when I visited. It was quite the voyage trying to get to my phenology spot because it was at the top of a steep hill, and the trailing a slick ice sheet under the fresh pow. It was totally worth the struggle of getting there as my phenology spot was a perfectly peaceful snowy landscape.

    

My tracks in the snow were the only human ones to be seen. I found what I thought to be the tracks of a gray squirrel scampering across the top of the hill. There was a second bounder jumping around the site, but it was hard to identify due to the deep snow. It looked as though there were only three tracks. My guess is a second squirrel. There was also a pacer that wandered into the area, but I could also not identify who it may have been.

I identified two trees by their twigs while I was out in Centennial, and found a third twig of a plant that I couldn’t figure out. The first was the American Beech. A dead giveaway for the Beech was the browny-yellow leaves it still held onto. The second was the twig of a Red Oak that I sketched out. The third twig was of one that I couldn’t identify. They were quite common, but I couldn’t match it up with anything on the sheets we were given in class to use as guides.

 

There is a lot that goes on in Centennial Woods and has gone on through the years. Currently the 70 acres of preserved forests are one of nine natural areas managed by the UVM Environmental Program. There are trails winding through the mix of trees, steams, wetlands, and fields which the public enjoy for running, exploring, and hiking. In the past, Centennial Woods has been cleared for agricultural purposes and perhaps the trees were used for logging or timber. The forest is definitely second growth and I believe it is important for it to stay protected and managed, but for the woods to still be a public resource.

For my most recent visit to Centennial Woods the trees were more bare then ever before, and there was light snow in patches throughout the woods due to the most recent snowfall. It has become clear that the beginnings of winter has reached the forest. Unlike past trips, my feet against the dead leaves was the only sound I could find here, until one squirrel scampered across the path. The flora of the forest was about the same, the only differences being more leaves and sticks on the forest floor, most likely aftermath of the more recent storm and wind.

 

Source:

UVM Libraries Research Guides: Centennial Woods Natural Area: Home. (n.d.). Retrieved December 06, 2017, from http://researchguides.uvm.edu/centennialwoods

Shank Park is a place that holds many memories for me, and others for the community. From soccer fields to playgrounds to walking trails, there is something for everyone here. In past years, I spent many summers on the field with soccer teams and running through the trails of the woods. Currently my personal favorite spot would be a large section of pines within the park. It’s a little ways from the fields, and set between a few trails on a hill so it doesn’t get too much traffic either. It is a stark difference from the rest of the park, where there is mostly open fields or a mixture of dense woods surrounding the rest of the trails. The park in general has something for everyone; miles of trails, fields for all sports, and the peaceful woods filled with birds.  The trees perfectly spaced out for hammocking. You can sit for hours, listening to the squirrels running around and breath in the pine scent, over a carpet of red-brown needles. There always seems to be a few inches of needles on the ground making the ground soft. The squirrels and birds in the area seem to love the trees as much as I do.

There is a lot less diversity in Shank Park in comparison to Centennial woods. At this place in Shank Park, there seems to be only two types of trees. Those that are keep their needles all year round, and another type that has already shed its, despite the mid 50 degree weather Central PA is having for for late fall this year. The trees keeping their needles grow on the edges of the pine area while the needle-less trees reside inside the fence created by the needled trees. There are very few other organisms living in the area. Birds and squirrels can be heard but not quite as many as Centennial. Squirrels are running through the needles and up the trees but stay hidden, as well as the birds. In comparison to Centennial Woods, the underbrush is bare. A few odd shaped white mushrooms take shelter within the dead pine needles. Centennial has much more diversity in all aspects. There are many more types of trees, and on the ground wherever there are not trees growing out of the ground, there are various other plants. There are families of chipmunks and squirrels running across the ground and up the sides of trees. Although quite different both places are beautiful and have unique characteristics making them special.

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Since fall has hit Burlington full force at this point, as well as a few pretty big storms recently, there are quite a few changes to note. Almost all the foliage has fallen. The canopy is quite clear, and the ground is littered with leaf piles and many fallen branches. The ground is soggy with the recent storming. Here is a Haiku inspired from my last visit.

Winter is coming

Wind and rain rush through the air

Refreshing and cool

 

Here is a sketch of my phenology place and a key for my symbols. It slopes down pretty heavily, and I included some of the more notable, larger trees in the area. There are also a quite a few dead trees. Two of which I am using as borders of my area of the woods. The lowest section of this area has quite a few dead trees as well, but there is the most ground coverage with little ferns and many small American Beeches growing. There may have been a disturbance in this part of Centennial which would explain the dead trees in the area, but the open canopy here is allowing the smaller trees to grow.

There are not many changes to my phenology space, aside from the leaves starting to turn. There is a heavier covering of dead leaves on the forest floor.

 

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