A Windy Winter in Williams Woods

Williams Woods: February 27th, 2012

Williams Woods was our class right before Spring Break.  It was yet again another cold day.  Although this 63-acre site will probably be one of the smallest natural areas we visit this year, it provided some of the most interesting photo opportunities.  The rich hardwoods contrasted greatly with the clay-plain farm land that surrounded the landscape. It was like this natural area was just a little pocket of protected woods that seemed to be forgotten about when agricultural clear cutting was underway during early Vermont settlement.  

I kept finding myself amazed at the small details of the forest.  I brought my 50mm fixed macro lens on this trip, by accident actually, but with a little patience I was able to capture some pretty neat photos.  It was nice that there was still a little snow on the ground to contrast nicely with the sprouting signs of life throughout the woods.

Another interesting piece of Williams Woods was the natural disturbances that could be seen throughout the forest.  Because Williams Woods sits unprotected on a very flat piece of land, overlooking Lake Champlain, it can easily fall victim to harsh winds.  These winds can rip down these older trees quite easily.  As we walked around the natural area it was quite clear that Williams Woods was home to some pretty high wind gusts, due to the large number of old growth trees on the forest floor.  Some of these trees fell during Hurricane Irene, but some fell victim to an atmospheric anomaly called a microburst.  This is where a large pocket of air shoots downward at high gusts causing instant damage to the epicenter.  These bursts leave a irregular damage pattern that makes them quite recognizable.  Because of their direct downward gust the trees fall in a circular outward motion.  The video below shows the dynamic of a microburst.