I found from research the the 65 acres of woods at Centennial was previously used as an area for grazing farm animals, just like much of Vermont. The switch to academic studied preservation land was made by the university in an attempt to conserve your environment and teach young minds about its importance at the same time. I believe that the soil may have been affected by farm animal feces making it more nutrient rich and better for growing a forest than it would have been had no farm animals ever grazed their.