Pitch Pine Study Plot
Forest CommunityDue to the presence of pitch pine, this is one of the rarest forest communities in Vermont, known only from the deltaic sandplains of Colchester and this stand in Salisbury. Students at Middlebury College have been describing the forest composition and population structure of this stand, and addressing questions about its disturbance history and the probable fate of the pitch pines. Results suggest that pitch pines have not reproduced in this part of the stand for many decades, and that many of the large pitch pines are dying. GeomorphologyThe parent material for the droughty, acid soils is a 13,600 year old deposit of sand and gravel that is about 20 m deep here. This is the same deltaic surface that is being quarried near the town landfill. GigaPanThis panorama is made from 200 images taken on October 16, 2009. It covers a field of view of 187 degrees. |
HistoryMost of the pitch pines are about 80-90 years old and might have established after a disturbance in the early 20th century. Martha Sullivan recounts that she played in this pine forest as a child, and remembers that so many pines were blown down in the 1950 Thanksgiving storm that she never played there again. Important Species
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