For Thanksgiving, I went back home to Massachusetts. The new phenology place that I chose is behind my neighborhood in Carlstrom Memorial Forest. I grew up exploring these woods and was eager to visit again. Due to Vermont and Massachusetts being close to one another, the ecology and phenology are similar. All the leaves in my new place for this week have tuned and fallen to the ground, just like my spot in Centennial Woods. The area is very hilly and right as you enter the woods from behind my house, the area primary consists of oak, maple, and beech trees. As you go further out, you come across a copious amount of eastern white pines. This is due to land clearing in the past and the quick growing nature of the eastern white pine. On the topic of land clearing, there is a network of stone walls in these woods. These marked land boundaries and still serve that purpose today. They also imply a land use history involving agriculture and or livestock grazing. From the lack of small stones on top, it was likely that it was just used for livestock and not farming. I can also add that the soil is very much degraded and not fertile. My place is also incredibly rocky, yet it was not always this way, most of the rocks came from the construction of I-290 which is nearby.
I chose this place not just because it’s close to my house, but because it reminds me of my childhood, something I miss very much while at college. My best friend lived on the other side of Carlstrom Memorial Forest, and we would travel through the woods to get to each other’s houses. Though she has passed away, I still see her parents often and the woods is dotted with memories of her. Before she passed, she enjoyed painting rocks and spreading them across town to bring joy to others. When she passed, her parents, friends, and I continued doing this in her memory. Check out @Zoesrocks on Instagram, https://celebratezoe.com/, or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvZ5donT29s for more information about Zoe and her legacy! Though I did not bring a gift to leave in connection to Honorable Harvest, I will always be grateful for the memories that these woods allowed me to create. I have left rocks as gifts in the past and here are some rocks I found during my walk through the woods today!
