There’s a stand of oak trees in Marshfield that dates back 9 thousand years. Along the banks of many rivers, box elders dominate; yet they weren’t here several hundred years ago. The history of Vermont’s forests is a mixture of change and constancy.
We talk with forest ecologist Charlie Cogbill about the work he’s done to document that history and how tree species in Vermont have ebbed and flowed as a result of human activity, climate and some factors we simply don’t understand. Listen
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Also, whither Peter Cottontail? The New England Cottontail (as distinguished from the non-native Eastern Cottontail) hasn’t been seen in Vermont since 1971 – and there are only a small number of them left in New Hampshire and Maine.
We talk with UVM biologist Bill Kilpatrick about what’s behind the decline in NE Cottontails and efforts to reintroduce them. Listen