Pisgah Old-Growth Field Tour with the Forest Guild

The Forest Guild is a national forestry organization comprised of varied members from government, private, academic, and non-profit backgrounds. The Guild's mission, in short, is to promote and practice excellent forestry. Part of the process of practicing excellent forestry is to spend time with fellow professionals in the field observing some of what nature does without human influence. To this end, New Hampshire and Massachusetts Forest Guild members convened at Pisgah State Park in southwestern New Hampshire to see first-hand relict old-growth oak, pine, and hemlock stands that survived the immense hurricane of 1938. Leaders Amber Fields and Joe Trudeau took the small but dedicated group on a 7 mile hike through mature forest patches, and ultimately, to visit the notorious "Harvard Tract". This ~25 acre parcel, owned by Harvard University, was in 1938 an old-growth pine forest that established in the mid 1600's. The hurricane blew down most of the stand, and a hemlock-hardwood forest now grows there. Several remaining 400 year old white pines and hemlocks still stand, which were the highlight of a day filled with good conversation, great insights into natural disturbance, and camaraderie among peers of many generations.