This spring break I took a break from a day of fantastic skiing at Stowe to make some observations in a secluded glade on Mt. Mansfield. This location is different from Cassavant in loads of ways. The alpine terrain means that my glade features a very different tree species composition. Cassavant was full of beeches and maples; the Stowe glade had more birches and some spruces. Another major difference was the human impacts on my two sites. At Cassavant, the only major visible human impact on the natural world is the cleared walking path. In my glade, the forest was thinned to allow for recreating skiers and boarders. Their tracks crisscross down the slopes, and there are some broken branches from an out-of-control skier or rider.
People have been skiing on Mount Mansfield for over 100 years, but the first actual trails were cut in the 1930s. More and more people came to the mountain throughout the end of the 20th century as the sport gained popularity and more lifts were built as the mountain. Today, Stowe is one of the biggest mountains in New England, drawing thousands of people per year.
I didn’t see any signs of wildlife, other than a few crows. The tree composition of the forest was mostly paper birch and spruces. The trees were fairly widely spaced due to people cutting glades. Some of the trees had broken branches, especially the spruces because of their multiple low-hanging branches. In addition, some branches were felled in the most recent heavy storms. Other than that, most of the trees seemed to be thriving, despite the cold temperatures.
