natural community ~classification~

I’ve been working on a classification for my natural area! I usually connote the term “woodland” synonymously with forest, but I recently learned that geographers use the term to describe a forested area with an open canopy. The canopy is the highest layer of foliage in a forest, made up of the tops of trees. An open canopy allows full sunlight to enter the woodland, limiting shade and moisture. Woodlands are super important as they often act as transition zones between different ecosystems, such as grasslands, true forests, and even desserts.

Given that working definition and understanding that I’ve established, the idea that my phenological location can be classified as a woodland makes sense given the amount of direct sun seen throughout the wooded area. The area is very ecologically sound and diverse, there is a stream really close by to me, and there’s definitely space for development and growth within the current tree and wildlife populations.

Following the snow and rain from winter I noticed that the soil was really wet when I visited and I was able to see that the topsoil appeared to be a sandy loam type. Although it looked flooded because of the mass amounts of precipitation, I was surprised to see that the area surrounding the stream maintaining its shape even with the slight flooding occuring.

check out Vermont!!