Forest Society Annual Meeting Field Trips 2019
Enjoy photos from our 2019 Annual Meeting. Members and guest enjoyed summit views from Pine Mountain to a pontoon ride with the Forest Society's new President, Jack Savage.
The pontoon boat tour arrives at Rattlesnake Island on Lake Winnipesaukee. The boat was captained by new Forest Society President, Jack Savage. Guest enjoyed a ride around Bear Island where the Forest Society's 154 acre Bear Island Forest Reservation protects the interior forests of this second largest island on the lake which is 3 miles in length with about 8.5 miles of shoreline.
The visit to Bear Island included a tour of a historic summer chapel maintained by the Bear Island residents association. The non-demoninational church was established in 1927, built around a then 25-year-old observation tower.
Mycologist, Rick VandePoll led a tour to collect and identify the mushrooms in forests surrounding the Gunstock Recreation Area, site of the Forest Society's 118th Annual Meeting.
Rick shares information about "Beech drops" a saprophyte, a plant with no chlorophyll which grows in dense shade beneath a canopy of American beech trees by tapping into the root to obtain sugars.
A "honey mushroom" amallaria arborea, a common mushroom that parasitizes otherwise healthy trees. Some people eat this mushroom while others have an adverse reaction. There are much safer - and more delicious mushrooms but this autumn has had a slow start due to the dry weather conditions in the September woods.
Welcome to the Forest Society's 457 acre Morse Preseve in Alton. Our field trip hiked a loop trail that includes spectacular views of the Belknap Range and Lake Winnepesaukee.
The view of the Belknaps is always the highlight of a visit to Morse. A great spot for a picnic lunch.
Along the trail, we shared information on NH land use history, forest and wildlife ecology and the story of Mary Jane Morse Greenwood worked to protect her family's land in Alton which had once been a commercial blueberry farm. The property is named in honor of her parents, Evelyn H Morse and Albert D. Morse Sr. This property contains 70 acres of former blueberry barrens and old fields that continue to be managed to provide early successional habitat for the specialized wildlife which require young forests for feeding, nesting and cover.