As you walk the loop trails in the Yankee Woodlot, check out our new interpretive signs! On each sign, you'll learn a little more about the Yankee Woodlot timber harvest project. Be sure to also check out these informational videos featuring some of the stars of the Yankee Woodlot project, which can be accessed using the QR codes found on each of the four signs on the trail. You can also view and read the transcripts for the videos below.

Home Sweet Home: Susan Bickford, Natural Resource Specialist at the Wells Reserve

Transcript

"Welcome home! Not only does this forest provide products for us to build our houses with, but it is also a home for many species of animals and plants.

"Before the Wells Reserves forest management plan was developed for this piece of land, it was a bit of a rundown neighborhood. This forest was previously an abandoned field so that when the pine trees grew in, they were all the same age. Through the years, as they all grew at the same time they shaded out competing trees. Diversity was low, the quality of the trees was poor and the ability of a variety of species to make a home here was reduced.

"But recent forest management practices have rejuvenated the neighborhood. By opening up the canopy and letting in more sunlight, other species of trees have been given a chance to prosper. And being good neighbors, we were very careful in considering the areas to cut and the areas to keep. Buffers were established around the cut areas so that we did not cause damage to adjoining river and wetlands habitats. Shelter wood trees were left standing to provide some shade and wind protection to the new young trees. Trimmed branches were stacked into brushpiles to provide temporary or even permanent housing for forest floor dwellers. Care was given to ensure the equipment used for the harvest did not compact the forest floor or cause erosion of the soil.

"The new neighborhood is a lot brighter and more welcoming to a larger variety of inhabitants, and at the same time it is growing quality trees for our future use. As you walk through this neighborhood, look for places where wildlife might live. And please come back and visit again soon."