Episode 98: Old Growth Forests (Part 1)

Do you “talk tree”?Have you ever wondered how old the beautiful trees in your woodlands or in New York State forests are? Then this episode is for you.

Fred Breglia joins Nature Calls: Conversations from the Hudson Valley in a multi-faceted discussion about Old Growth Forests. Fred is the executive director of Landis Arboretum located in Esperance, N.Y. Lan­dis is an arbore­tum and pub­lic gar­den incor­po­rat­ing 300 acres and 10 miles of hiking trails in Schoharie and Mont­gomery coun­ties in New York State. The grounds are open from dawn to dusk every day. Fred is also an award-winning certified arborist with decades of experience in the green industry. He is also a frequent speaker and educator. Capital District residents may know him as the “Tree Man,” a regular guest on WAMC’s Vox Pop Radio Show.

An old-growth forest (also known as a primary forest, virgin forest, or mature forest) is one that has attained great age without significant disturbance, and thus exhibits unique ecological features, and might be classified as a climax community. There are a small number of old-growth forests in New York state, whose assemblage of trees have co-evolved to a majestic state of maturity with a biological complexity of soils, habitat,s and species. Old-growth forests have a great capacity to improve air and water quality, sequester carbon, and help mitigate climate change. However, fewer than one percent of our original forests remain in the eastern United States.

The oldest trees are not necessarily the largest ones. They are ones that have successfully used their available resources efficiently. Did you know that the oldest white pine in New York State is 470 years old? There’s a lot more to learn in this episode. Enjoy!

Hosts:Tim Kennelty and Jean Thomas

Guest:Fred Breglia

Photo by: Teresa Golden

Production Support:Linda Aydlett, Deven Connelly, Teresa Golden, Xandra Powers, Annie Scibienski