Popular Walking Trail at Williams Woods Reopens

Natural Disturbance Benefits Trees and Woodland Creatures

CHARLOTTE, VT — January 11, 2008: Bright yellow trail markers and tell-tale snowshoe tracks will guide first-time and returning visitors on the new trail route at The Nature Conservancy’s Williams Woods Natural Area in Charlotte. With the help of a crew from the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps, undeterred by December’s record snowfall, and the efforts of Alex LaBerge an Eagle Scout from Charlotte, this popular natural area now boasts a small parking area and a new trail head.

A freak weather event, known as a micro-burst, brought down a number of trees at the start of the trail last June, creating a potentially hazardous situation. Some of the fallen trees, favorites among visitors to the preserve, were estimated to be between 200 and 300 years old. Natural areas like Williams Woods provide a glimpse into the clayplain forests European settlers would have encountered blanketing the Champlain Valley from shore to mountain slope. Valley clayplain forests, with a rich mix of species and nut bearing trees essential to wildlife, now exist on just 10% of their historic range.

“Safety concerns and the opportunity to study how the forest regenerates prompted us to reroute the trail,” said Emily Seifert, Stewardship Manager for the Vermont chapter of The Nature Conservancy. “Many downed and living trees would have had to be removed to make the old trail safe for visitors. By rerouting the trail and leaving the snags and downed trees where they fell we have an opportunity to study how quickly they decay, how woodland creatures use this disturbed habitat, and how quickly the trees regenerate.”

Luckily most of the woods remain untouched, a characteristic of this type of weather event. The new trail route takes walkers safely around the edge of the major blow-down while providing a clear view of the debris created by the disturbance. Throughout the preserve undulations in the trail pinpoint where other trees have fallen over the years, and provide evidence of at least three major natural disturbances in the last century - the Great Hurricane of 1938, the ice storm of 1997 and Hurricane Floyd in 1999.

Opportunities to study mature woods are rare in New England, and the Conservancy was quickly joined last year by Professor Bill Keeton from UVM, Middlebury Professor Marc Lapin and Harvard Fellow Charlie Cogbill. Stakes, metal tree markers and ribbons mark active research plots in the woods and should not be disturbed. Building on data collected over the last two decades and with the help of these regional experts, the Conservancy is formulating long-term research plans.

Healthy forests provide habitat for a host of woodland creatures that need downed trees and standing snags. Woodpeckers begin the process by drilling holes in the dying and dead trees, creating nest holes that are then used by many other creatures. Insects and fungi break down the fallen logs and over time replenish nutrients in the soil, feeding the next generation of trees. Fungi and insects provide food for many animals in the forest, including flying squirrels. These primarily nocturnal animals with charismatic, large black eyes appear to glide effortlessly from tree to tree.

The preserve is located on Greenbush Road 2 1/2 miles south of the village of Charlotte and 6 miles north of Ferrisburg. With a loop trail just under a mile in length the preserve is easily accessible for families and nature watchers. For a trail map and more information visit nature.org/Vermont.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.