WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST?
Been talking quite a bit about fire in the forest recently on CFA’s radio show program–FROM THE FOREST. The remnants or legacy of fire–though dwindling–can still be seen today in some forests of the Catskills, especially near the Escarpment or front range, where the mountains meet the larger valleys. The forest depicted here in this photo is a remnant of this ancient pyrogenic forest. It is dominated by fire-dependent trees like chestnut oak, pitch pine (which are farther up the hill & cannot be seen), lowbush blueberry and grasses. Notice how open & grassy this forest is. It is probably much denser that it was 150-plus years ago. You could imagine what those “oak savannas” created by fire once looked like by peering into this forest type. It’s just so much more open than the denser forests we have today. Cool to see.
May the Forest Be with You,
Ryan Trapani
Director of Forest Services
Catskill Forest Association