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Fire,
Weather, Disease,
Firewood, Agriculture
The Shaping
of the Forests
Fire:
It is said that the local Native Americans maintained a park
like appearance amongst the thick forests of Redding and it's
surrounding areas by burning the underbrush each autumn to
encourage the growth of berries and deer browse. The burning
also served as a primitive form of game management.
The tactics employed
by our native predecessors brought forth an open terrain that
a man on horseback could easily pass through, with canopy
ceilings of chestnut, oak, hickory and red maples.
Carbon 14 dating has placed Native American Indians in the
area as early as 8, 000 years ago, along with these records
are the estimates of approximately one half million Native
Americans in and about Southern New England by the time the
European settlers reached Massachusetts. Using this base of
information investigators have theorized that the burning
of undergrowth may have at some point in their history caused
forest fires that in turn shaped the modern forests we see
today.
Many of the trees and shrubs present in our area today are
species that thrive within post-fire environments. American
Chestnut, oak, hickory and red maples are of this group which
also includes:pine cherry, grey birch, pitch pine, huckleberry,
sweet ferns and sheep laurel. Further indications of fire
bred tree growth is marked by the presence of trees having
multiple trunks. This type of growth is caused by the sprouts
that spring from the fire damaged trunk of the original tree.
Without much effort you will find many of the trees and shrubs
mentioned above in the forests of Redding with the exception
of the American Chestnut which fell victim to the chestnut
blight caused by an introduced fungus (this disease began
in New York City in 1904, spread rapidly, and within 40 years
had virtually wiped out this once abundant species). Fire-sensitive
trees: hemlock, red & sugar maple, beech, dogwood, tulip,
white ash,black and yellow birch also common to the area pose
an interesting question, do they reside in locations spared
of Indian and/or natural fires or did they instead prosper
in the colonial period, and continue on until today? It may
be little of both, certain landscapes: north-facing slopes,
ravines, moist locations all of which are found throughtout
Redding offer some natural fire protection, and the time that
has past since the colonial period is more than ample for
the resurgence of a fire-sensitive species.
Weather, Disease, Insects, Agriculture and Firewood:
Fire is not solely responsible for the shaping of our forests.
Weather, agriculture,disease, insects and the colonial thirst
for firewood all played their part in forming the landscape
we see today.
Storms
in New England are at times brutal. Lightning, ice, snow and
wind all can alter the forest canopy. Many species are able
to monopolize sections of forests, forming communities if
you will, by shading out other species that require sunlight.
Without the ability to migrate, seeds not receiving the light
they require are forced to wait for their optimum conditions.
These conditions can occur if: lightning strikes, ice and/or
snow accumulates, and/or wind storms hit hard enough to knock
down trees and/or branches, thereby altering the canopy, freeing
up the skies and allowing the dormant seeds to germinate.
Forests can diversify quickly in hurricanes and de-forestation
as a large section of the canopy opens to allow multiple species
to sprout into fruition. Both have occurred in our area, destructive
hurricanes struck the region in 1815 and 1938, following a
pattern that has accounted for one every 150 years. Blizzard
of 1888 History
For
the trees that survived the fires and storms there were and
are still battles to be fought. The chestnuts fell victim
to borer early on this century, gypsy moths are a continued
threat to the oaks, and bark fungus attacks the beech trees.
Without
the modern heating systems we enjoy today, forests were depleted
of hardwoods during colonial times up until the earlier part
of the century as large sections were cut down for firewood
and fuel. Neil Jorgensen in 'Sierra Club Naturalist's Guide-Southern
New England' p.112 writes: "During the height of the
agricultural boom, about 25% of New England(land was too poor
or too steep for pasture and crop)remained as woodland. At
that time the coal industry had not yet become established,
and wood was the primary fuel for cooking and heating. As
a result, the remaining woodlands were cut over again and
again for firewood, to the point that a serious wood shortage
developed in much of the region." He also states that
"Prior to the use of coke, the iron-smelting industry
consumed vast amounts of hardwood charcoal. Since every stick
of hardwood could be reduced to charcoal, woodlands near iron
smelters were clear-cut time and again. So great was the demand
for charcoal in some areas that farmers are reputed to have
sold their wooden fences." The fact that there were several
iron smelting operations in town opens the possiblility of
such practices in Redding. This coupled with the possibility
that the Gilbert and Bennett factory used wood to fuel its
operations, points out a large loss of hardwood in Redding's
history. Such clearing may have allowed smaller trees to stake
their claim to the land, shaping much of what we see today.
The
colonists brought not only their customs and cultures to the
area, they brought their agriculture as well. Apple and pear
trees were introduced shortly after colonization. Small
orchards like the one on Diamond Hill Road were likely abundant
in the area. A passage in 'The Story of the Little Red School
House' by Dell C. Sturges mentions them in the following passage:
"The playground was the street; the neighbor's orchards
and fields..." Early records indicate that town officers
were so concerned with the amount of farms being created in
early settlement that they petitioned the General Court of
Fairfield. They stated that if proper provision not be taken
to set aside lands for roads, parishes, schools, and the like,
the town would in affect be paralyzed by private farms. The
petition prompted the acknowledgment of Redding as a parish
in 1729.
Unfortunately, the abundance of farms has been reduced to
a meager two: Warrups Farm across from the country club off
Lonetown Road, and New Pond Farm on the corner of Umpawaug
and Merchant Road. Fortunately, remnants of farmland can be
found throughout Redding. See "Farms"
for examples.
Wildlife Reserves:
A walk through many of the Wildlife Reserves will help to
conjure visions of the pristine beauty once enjoyed by the
settlers. A personal favorite of mine is the open land owned
by the Bridgeport Hydraulic Company. The forests there are
teemed with multiple species of trees and underbrush, that
due to the BHC's ownership have remained very close in condition
to the state they have maintained for centuries. Hemlocks,
maples, beech, tulip, oaks, and mountain laurel grace the
Reservoir Trail where from the ridge exceptional panoramic
views of the reservoir can be observed through the pines.
Devil's den, The Ravine Trail, and The Great Ledge are equally
beautiful and enriched by their diverse population of trees
and vegetation.
The Reservoir is one example, Redding currently owns 1,256
acres of land through its Open Land, Inc. (ROLI), The Redding
Land Trust and The Conservation Commission. Thanks to the
efforts of Mary Anne Guitar, Henry Merritt, Eugene Connolly,
Ola D'Aulaire, Mark Hinkley, Joan Ensor, Phyllis Kroll, John
G. Mitchell, Joan Rolnick, Merle Brown, Virginia Coigney,
Robert Durkee, James Edwards, Richard Emerson, Michael Erlanger,
Samuel E. Hill, Robert P. Knapp, Jr., Carmen Mathews, Saul
Poliak, Alvin Ruml, Linda Berger, Robert Campbell, Victor
DeMasi, Jeffrey Jaslow, Gerald Rolnick, and countless others,
the people of Redding are free to explore the lands of their
forefathers, and envision for themselves the way things were.
Click below
to continue on reading about the landscape:
Farms
Bodies of Water
Geologic
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