Three weeks have passed since my last visit to Centennial. After finding the Paper Birch in the same southeastern area, I observed that the most significant changes were in snowcover and ground softness, but not much had changed with the tree itself. The Birch still was not showing any signs of budding, which was the same across all wooded vegetation in the forest. Despite some warm days here and there, temperatures have still been a little too cold and inconsistent for any kind of budding to happen. In terms of the tree’s health, it also appeared to be in the same state as last time. A good amount of peeling bark and decent branch presence; not thriving but certainly not in poor health either. The tree’s close proximity to a highway likely keeps it from reaching its full potential. Snowmelt is noticeably less than my last visit and the ground is starting to thaw, leading to muddy conditions. Even though mud is abundant and skies are gray, these conditions are still the first signs of spring in New England and I look forward to seeing the trees bud and create a canopy of green soon enough.