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Moulton Hill is a thriving young forest teaming with wildlife
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Forests are always changing through natural as well as human induced disturbances. This process, called succession, is the natural progression of plants replacing other plants over time.
Early Successional ForestsWhen an opening occurs in a forest, whether from fire, wind, or human activity, sunlight can reach the forest floor. Pioneer plants such as gray birch, pin-cherry, paper birch, and aspen are the first to enter the opening as they need full sunlight to germinate. This early successional stage provides an abundance of low vegetation, dense cover and food for wildlife.
Grasslands and early successional forests host a variety of vegetation and wildlife not sustainable in more aged forests. Biologists are concerned about the need for large blocks of grasslands and young growth. According to Geoffrey Jones, the director of land management at the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, there is a critical shortage of early successional forests in New Hampshire, and throughout the Northeast. [ref:Yorke] Today, Moulton Hill Forest is an early successional forest.
In an early successional forest, the density of new tree growth can be a phenomenal one million trees per acre, amounting to something like 500 million new trees growing in the Moulton Hill Forest! Naturally, these seedlings, some now over 10 feet tall and one inch thick, begin to competed and thin out as they grow. Click here to read about Mid and Late Successional Forests.
WildlifeAmong the species that prefer grasslands and early successional forests are New England cottontail rabbit, woodcock, bobolink and many birds that nest in New Hampshire and winter in the tropics.
The abundance of berries and low land vegetation attracts moose, deer, and bear. "It's like salad to them" says the forester. Our first moose sighting was at midnight. We've heard the splashing before, coming from the other side of the pond and marsh. This time I investigated the sound, and spotted Mr. Moose wading at the far side of the pond. His eyes shone in the flashlight beam, but he didn't flinch. In fact, he didn't do anything, just continued about his business. After about 20 minutes, he wandered back through the trees and presumably back up into the hills.
One afternoon we were walking along a trail, and a fawn (baby deer) streaked past us, Sammy in hot pursuit. But Sammy was no match for the graceful animal. No doubt, the mother doe was hiding in the trees behind us. The beaver ponds are a fascinating work of engineering. They create serious walls that block the stream, flooding large areas up to several feet deep. The beaver lodge is a large rounded hut, an island in the pond. Beavers enter by diving under water and swim up through a hole in the floor.
Insects... Off! We'll say no more. But they make great food for the frogs, crickets, grasshoppers, etc etc.
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Related Stories-------
======= Coming Soon Our nature artifact collection -------
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Frogs
and salamanders inhabit the pond too. Toads hop along the trails. Killdeer birds nest in
the meadows. Eagles and hawks circle in the sky. 