Woods, yes, but as before, no
Though the transformation of farm fields into forests over the past century amounts to a New England conservation victory, a Harvard forest expert said Thursday that turning back the environmental clock and “restoring” pre-colonial woodlands is an impossible goal. Peter Del Tredici, senior research scientist at Harvard’s Arnold Arboretum, said that New England’s forests grow differently from pre-colonial woodlands. They’re missing towering, iconic trees such as chestnuts and mature elms. They’re peppered with invasive species and decimated by introduced pests and diseases. They’re fragmented by ongoing human impact and still affected by past farming practices that altered the soil. Watersheds have been changed too, with dams built on rivers and streams. Many of these changes are permanent, said Del Tredici. Some native trees, for example, can only grow in the natural, layered soil laid down over centuries by decomposing organic matter in the forest. These species, Del Tredici said, will never grow...