April 9, 2012

At Simsbury, Ct.

The ancient Granby Oak suffered considerable damage in the October snowstorm. Click to enlarge.

Along with the tens of thousands of trees damaged last year by Hurricane Irene and the freak October snowstorm, dozens and perhaps hundreds of the state’s most notable and historic trees were seriously damaged.

Members of the Notable Trees Committee of the Connecticut Botanical Society are still learning of the status of many of the several thousand important trees that they have documented in Connecticut in recent decades.

What they know so far is that some special trees, including an enormous black oak in East Granby, escaped with little or no damage. But others, like the famous Granby Oak, a massive, ancient white oak that is celebrated on the town seal, suffered considerable damage. Some major limbs were lost entirely, others are cracked and may yet be lost.

The Pinchot Sycamore in Simsbury lost 35 percent of its canopy in the snowstorm last fall. Click to enlarge.

In Simsbury, the Pinchot sycamore, the largest known tree in Connecticut and named for the Simsbury native who became the first chief of the U. S. Forest Service, lost 35 percent of its canopy in the snowstorm. Crews were forced to cut off 20- to 40-foot sections of some limbs. Other limbs were lost entirely.

It was a natural event, of course, one that forests will adjust to in time, but the impact on these notable trees, some of them in open settings, was often dramatic. The largest known paper birch in the state, on the park-like grounds of the Institute of Living in Hartford, was so  damaged that what remained of the tree was cut to the ground.

My story on the storm damage to notable trees, with more detail, appears in  The Hartford Courant print editions today.

March 19, 2012

At Farmington, Ct.

Storm debris blocks a section of the Shepaug River in Washington. Click to enlarge

While the debris from Hurricane Irene and the freak October snowstorm largely is cleared from Connecticut’s streets, highways and front lawns, tree trunks and long, leafy branches still block parts of hiking trails and streams in much of the state.

Hikers and paddlers should be especially careful this spring.

Along many Connecticut streams, especially in the northern half of the state, fallen trees or large broken branches block or hinder canoe and kayak passage in places. Sweepers, as these fallen trees are known, can be dangerous, especially for novice paddlers who come upon them unexpectedly. It is important to scout streams as much as possible this spring before paddling. I walked along a section of the Shepaug River above Bee Brook in Washington Friday and saw numerous sweepers.

Fallen limbs block a section of the Metacomet Trail in West Hartford. Click to enlarge

In the spring of 1974, after the devastating Ice Storm of ‘73 in Connecticut, I came upon many smaller rivers that were blocked by fallen trees or limbs, making passage difficult or dangerous – or impossible. You pull the canoe or kayak out of the water and portage around. It can get tiresome fast. Be prepared.

My outdoors column  for The Hartford Courant, looking at the situation on trails and streams, is posted on the paper’s website today, and appears in the print edition tomorrow, March 20.

Great progress has been made clearing trails. The Connecticut Forest & Park Association, which manages the state’s major hiking trails, the 825-mile, blue-blazed system, says it has cleared about 80 percent of its trails. Parking lots, picnic areas and campgrounds in the state park are in good shape, but trails in more remote areas still have blockages from fallen limbs.

When hiking, walk around trees blocking a trail. Avoid climbing over or squeezing under fallen trees – they may be unstable. For novice canoeists and kayakers, traveling with an experienced paddler or paddlers is always a good idea, particularly this spring. Life jackets are imperative.

Volunteers have spent th0usands of hours working on the trails already. If you are interested in helping maintain and clean-up trails, contact the Connecticut Forest & Park Association for information at Ctwoodlands.org.

March 17, 2012

At Farmington, Ct

An eastern phoebe along the Mill River, New Haven, April, 2011. Click to enlarge.

An extraordinarily mild winter that lately seems more like late spring has the natural world on fast-forward mode. Many bird species are returning from wintering habitats to the south weeks early. Tree swallows showed up over the Connecticut River almost a month ago, easily two weeks early.

American oystercatchers, eastern phoebes, fish crows, palm warblers and lesser yellowlegs are among the many species pouring into Connecticut ahead of schedule. A phoebe was building a nest along the Shepaug River yesterday.

Trees and shrubs got the message, too. “It looks like we are three weeks to four weeks ahead of schedule” with trees and shrubs, said Sharon M. Douglas, chief scientist in the plant pathology and ecology department at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in New Haven.

There are risks for these plants and animals. An severe early spring cold snap – not expected this year – could increase mortality among bird species, notably any early nestlings. Tender new tissue growth on plants could be zapped.

My story with details on the early avian arrivals appears today on the front page of The Hartford Courant.

My outdoors column will appear in The Courant early next week, looking at the impact of Hurricane Irene and the October snowstorm on trails and streams.