Start Date
09/29/2023
End Date
09/29/2023
Description
Field and Forest: Observation, Analysis, and Action
Walk 1 will visit and analyze several woodland habitats where we will discuss how their varied environmental conditions and disturbance histories have affected their current vegetative composition. These will include a rocky, upland forest where Oaks comprise most of the canopy; while witch hazel, Canada mayflower, Pennsylvania sedge, mountain laurel, and a host of native herbs dominate the understory. Little to no invasive species are present here. We’ll also visit an adjacent lowland forest where invasive species abound, but with occasional novel species like rattlesnake plantain and large whorled pogonia. We’ll wrap up the walk by visiting a beaver pond where a living forest has been replaced with a sunny wetland community.
Walk 2 will contain visits to multiple meadows with varying compositions and histories. We will start at an establishing native meadow that was planted in 2021. Here we’ll find warm season grasses and short-lived species like black-eyed Susan and partridge pea. Directly adjacent is an older meadow dominated by cool season pasture grasses and many of the broadleaf forbes that commonly associate with them. The walk will continue past a wet meadow managed by periodic mowing, with a large population of native forbs and shrubs. Finally, we’ll visit a vernal pool overrun by various invasive species. The overarching goal for Walks 1 and 2 is learning to recognize the conditions that determine the absence or abundance of native or exotic species; and use that understanding to more effectively enhance the landscapes we plant and manage.
Location
Boylston, MA
Distance Learning
No
Course Equivalency
No
Subjects
Horticulture / Plants
Residential Design
Health, Safety and Welfare
Yes
Hours
6.0
Learning Outcomes
1. Examine how the varied environmental conditions and disturbance histories of several Southern New England woodland habitats have affected their current vegetative composition.
2. Examine how the varied environmental conditions and disturbance histories of several Southern New England meadow habitats have affected their current vegetative composition.
3. Recognize the conditions that determine the absence or abundance of native or exotic species; and use that understanding to more effectively enhance the landscapes we plant and manage.
Instructors
Ted Elliman, Uli Lorimer, Mark Richardson, and Larry Weaner, FAPLD
Course Codes
Provider
New Directions in the American Landscape