Based off of the information found in Wetland, Woodland, and Wildland, my phenology site can be classified as an old growth forest. Although the forest is historically known to be young and therefore not as complex as it may become in the future, several hints lead me to believe the forest is entering an old-growth, second succession stage. For instance, my site contains many birch trees who are now dying due to their shorter longevity. These trees were likely from the prior stem-exlucsion forest stage but now are blocked sunlight by the dominating Eastern White Pines. Additionally, although not currently, I know in the warmer months that my site has a very strong, dense understory. This further supports the complexity of an old growth forest.

Beyond the disappearance of understory vegetation since my first visit to my site, I have recently noticed lots of dying tree decay during the cold winter months. The area in general is much more sparse. The brook that flows within my site is more turbulent than past visits as it is full of run off and precipitation. Additionally it seems that erosion along the edges of the brook has left sand and rocky sediments to mix into the turbulent water flow.