Visions of the Landscape Journal:: A Trip Through Centennial Woods:

Our First Trip into the Field...

Was certainly a chilly experience. Not only in the fact that it was a cold day, but a kind of brisk reawakening to the power of our landscape. Centennial Woods, to the naked eye, seems like just another recreational bit of land, but it holds many secrets awaiting to be unraveled. It is hard to imagine the 65 acres of sandy soil being something other than a mixed hardwood forest, but nature does a excellent job covering up the scars of human degradation.

The trees tell most of the story in Centennial Woods. Tall white pines scatter throughout the landscape and seem to dominate the canopy. A rough estimate of the age of these white pines can be inferred upon a closer inspection. Based on the calculations and guess work of our class we were able to decipher that these trees were only thirty to forty years old. Considerably young when considering the lifespan of a white pine. Wouldn't it seem to make more sense that these trees were in their seventy to eighty year age? What could have been here prior that would have caused a rather large springing up of young white pines? The answer was beneath our feet.

Centennial Woods, prior to being wooded, was comprised of many small agriculture based farms, some containing small herds of cattle. The extensive erosion and degradation of the soil left behind a sandy and relatively dry climate - perfect for fast growing pines. But with time comes transformation and a small hint of the future came into our heads as we ruffled our feet over the landscape. Thousands, probably hundreds of thousands, of Oak leaves dominated the forest floor, awaiting their chance to rise to the canopy. Be it old age or the white pine weevil, the pines will soon be out competed by the Oak, creating a new story in Centennial Woods.

Going Deeper...

Beyond the fresh White Pines holds yet another story. The woods opens up briefly into a small marsh. The cold months of winter have changed the once lush vegetation into a graveyard of cattails and other weeds. No frogs croak in the frigid twenty degree climate this time of year. The marsh seems lifeless, frozen in time, awaiting the warm months to revive it from its slumber.

As I crouched down here and there to capture my photos I couldn't help but imagine this place in the warmer months to come. The repopulation and growth of all that lays dormant currently and the colors. The stream rushing with the melting snow, the birds chirping and the wild animals hunting for their next meal. But I will have to wait for this moment, and continue to enjoy its current frozen state, finding new beauty among the tundra.

Extra Photos:

I have attached some extra photos of the trip through Centennial Woods, trying my hardest to capture everything the woods had to offer. Enjoy the browsing, and please let me know if you would like any of the prints. I would be more than willing to have some printed and sent your direction, wherever that may be!

See you next Sunday!