The Gardeners of Simsbury will host Jeffrey S. Ward, Ph.D., Chief Scientist-Department of Forestry and Horticulture at The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (jeffrey.ward@ct.gov). Dr. Ward will present "A Short History of the Connecticut Forest":
Viewed across the landscape, the forests covering our hillsides and valleys seem as though they have always been there. A different story emerges, however, when you walk along a trail and discover evidence of human impact on the land from earlier generations: overgrown stone walls, a charcoal mound, or a sunken cellar. The resilient Connecticut forest has undergone dramatic changes over the past 400 years and earlier. How we, and the trees, response to the modern challenges of exotic insects (EAB, ALB), diseases (oak wilt), invasive plants (bittersweet), deer, and a changing climate will determine the forest known to future generations. This talk will cover the changes in our forests since the ice age, and what the future forest may look like.
This event is cosponsored by the Gardeners of Simsbury and the Simsbury Public Library.