I chose to visit the woods behind my house and walk to the powerline clearing there. As a kid, we called it “Blueberry Paradise”, because the clearing provided conditions that allowed a huge field of wild blueberries to thrive. This place is personally special to me because I have a lot of childhood memories exploring the area and learning about the nature around me.
There is an old stone wall right alongside the trail, indicating that like many areas we visited in NR1, land was previously cleared and used for farmland. The forest was composed primarily of Northern Red Oaks. There were some red maples and younger eastern white pines as well. Since there are only a few young white pines, and the forest is dominated by hardwoods, it is likely that this area had another cutting event to harvest the eastern white pines.
Like Burlington, there is evidence of the affects of the Laurentide Ice sheet. There are lots of random rocks and cliffs. The picture below shows a steep rocky hillside at Blueberry Paradise. That is a nice place to chill and look at the woods.
Clearing the land for the powerlines reduces the amount of forested land, but it does provide an opportunity for lots of blueberries to grow, which are a food source for birds and squirrels.
There is a retreat center uphill from the spot. There is a parking lot and large building. Pollution from construction and runoff from the impervious surfaces of the Holy Cross Contemplative center, roads, and highway impact the site. Benefits of the retreat center is that the college made a new trail, and the center allows people to experience nature.
The highway is right near my spot, and very noticeable. The highway is a source of noise pollution, air pollution, and water pollution. It also segments habitats and kills animals that try to cross it.
Although my area is very ecologically similar to Burlington, it is in a less densely populated area. There is less human impact from stormwater pollution, and my area is much less trafficked my people than Centennial woods is. My area is also larger than centennial woods.
In addition, being located further south than Burlington means that it has a milder climate and more daylight. Fall phenology happenings, such as leaves turning and geese migrations, occur a little later in the year than in Burlington. Spring events, such as trees budding out and flowering, occur earlier than trees in Burlington.
Instead of draining into Lake Champlain, my area is located in the Wachusett Watershed and drains into the Wachusett Reservoir, which provides water to millions of people. The forest helps slow down the passage of water and filter out pollutants, helping to ensure access to clean water.
The forest slowing down water is very important to my house. The people who made our house diverted a seasonal creek with a concrete basin and pipes, but the water still naturally wants to flow into our basement. The basement floods from time to time, but if the trees on the hill above us were to be clear cut, our house could be destroyed during the spring rains.
