Double-click it! Drag it! Roll the mouse wheel! Explore!


Chestnut OakMany chestnut oaks grow among the hemlocks in this stand.

White OakThe size and deeply furrowed bark of this white oak suggest that it could be two centuries old.

Forest FloorPin cushion moss (Leucobryum glaucum) has little competition from other forest floor plants. Leaves of red oak, white oak, chestnut oak, red maple, and hemlock twigs surround the moss.

PhylliteThis boulder is downhill from an outcrop of this dark metamorphic Moosalamoo phyllite.

<<< Hover over the captions, click the snapshots.

Hemlock Forest
Forest Community

Eastern hemlocks are responsible for more than 75% of both tree density and canopy cover in this stand. The few hardwoods scattered among the hemlocks include three species of oak. The dark forest floor supports little more than mosses.

Geomorphology

Soils here are derived from glacial till. Soils are thin near outcrops of Cheshire quartzite and Moosalamoo phyllite, but are deeper elsewhere. The topography is determined by the surface of the underlying bedrock.

GigaPan

This panorama is made from 230 images taken on October 29, 2009. It covers a field of view of 206 degrees.

History

Many of the trees here are about 200 years old, making it the oldest stand in the Salisbury Town Forest. A few trees are 300 years old, including two hemlocks and possibly the white oak near the center of this scene. Logging has occurred here (cut stumps are present in the stand) but it has been less thorough than most places in Salisbury and Vermont.

Important Species
  • Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis)
  • Red oak (Quercus rubra)
  • white oak (Q. alba)
  • Chestnut oak (Q. prinus)
  • Red maple (Acer rubrum)

Have a comment or story about this place? Share it here.

Click anywhere outside to close this window.