Forest Forensics with Tom Wessels

On Saturday, May 1st, author Tom Wessels (Reading the Forested Landscape; a Natural History of New England and Forest Forensics: A Field Guide to Reading the Forested Landscape) gave a presentation showing us how to unlock the mysteries of a New England woodland. First, he described how to look at a forest in order to discover what clues are lurking amongst the trees and stone walls. Why does this particular woodland look like it does at present? What did it look like in the recent past? The CCT presented photos of Cornwall forests for Tom’s interpretation. What could Tom tell us about the history of the forest from the visible cues?
Tom Wessels is a terrestrial ecologist and professor emeritus at Antioch University New England where he founded the master’s degree program in Conservation Biology. With interests in forest, desert, arctic, and alpine ecosystems, plus geomorphology, evolutionary ecology, complex systems science, and the interface of landscape and culture, Tom considers himself a generalist. He has conducted workshops on ecology and sustainability throughout the country for over three decades. He is the author of numerous books, his latest is Granite, Fire, and Fog: The Natural and Cultural History of Acadia.
This event was co-sponsored by the Cornwall Library and the Cornwall Conservation Trust.