The Understory Morning Coffee Webinar

Ancient Forests of Columbia County, NY: Perspectives from Ants, Plants, and Fungi

Join Kyle to hear the latest on our ancient forest research. While not necessarily “old-growth,” ancient forests have never been completely cleared for agriculture or had their soils homogenized by the plow. In a largely forested landscape, it is not always easy to distinguish between an ancient forest and a younger, post-agricultural forest, making our oldest forests susceptible to logging, development, and loss. As a first step in ancient forest conservation, the Hawthorne Valley Farmscape Ecology Program has mapped ancient forest in Columbia County. Over the last two years, we have been studying the biodiversity and forest characteristics of ancient forests and post-agricultural forests. This talk will give an update on what we have found and discuss the potential conservation benefits of ancient forests and how you can be involved in their protection. Please register for the event here.