Journal Entry 3

Journal Entry #3


11/15/2020


It seems like I’m able now to actually understand what I’m looking at when looking at the soil of forests! I recall covering in class relatively recently that there are certain ways to identify new forests from old forests; this is also, quite often, and indicator of not only age but how recently natural forest fires may have happened.

In my last entry, I made note that the soil of the wheeling trail seems very compact, and I found as I examined my area more that this was kind of a consistent feature of this tiny bit of landscape. The soil wasn’t all that loose, it seemed very compact in most areas; even the hollows around this spot, all the way to the banks of the Ashuelot, aren’t that dense with underbrush.

I think I have to conclude, essentially, that I am again seeing a major sign of constant human interaction in this area. I would assume natural fires might be the cause for the lack of “swishy” soil, or that perhaps the area is young, but I know the area isn’t that young; all of Keene, after all, is essentially a relatively old flood plain. Instead, it’s possible I’m still seeing the remnants of old fires from colonial and revolutionary eras, and the contemporary residents are simply utilizing it in a different fashion!


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Journal Entry #2

  Journal Entry #2 11/3/20 I’ve attempted to investigate a bit more of the human signs I see in my spot. So far, it seems like I’ve already seen everything. There is, though, a spot where it seems like four wheelers are taken pretty often. I can consistently see the tire tracks of a small vehicle in the soil.  One would imagine that packed soil would be optimal for driving these four-wheelers! The path certainly seems to be man-made. I wonder, though, if the soil was always like this? Or if it is made like this by the activity that happens here?
Read more

Journal Entry 1 / Journal Paper

Image
  The spot that I have chosen is one that is a relatively nice mix of a few geographical features. My spot is located down the Ashuelot hiking trail, about a 20 or so minute from the college campus. I don’t know where, exactly, in Keene it is located, but I know there is some private property within a few stone’s throws of the spot, and that the spot is essentially on the banks of the river.  The actual topography of my spot includes not only a few offshoot trails, but also nice patches of open air in an otherwise densely wooded area. The trees are a bit sparse, allowing for some nice walking room between them. There are rocks that line the area are also particularly large; it makes one wonder if there used to be an old New England-style rock wall there. There’s a field that stretches out forward towards the property and towards the river, where it eventually expands out into a larger patch of sparse forest. Due to the presence of the rocks, it also makes one wonder if logging...
Read more