Forest History Lecture And Walk At Highstead

REDDING — Edward Faison, a forest ecologist at Highstead Arboretum and fellow at the Harvard Forest, will discuss forest change in southern New England over the past 18,000 years with a slide presentation Saturday, September 27, at 2 pm, at Highstead Arboretum.

In “From Mastodons To Maples: Southern New England Through A Long-Term Lens,” Mr Faison will offer a visual tour of the region since the last ice age and discuss how geological forces, climate change, and human beings have shaped vegetation and wildlife populations through time.

Drawing on his ecology experience from the Green Mountains of Vermont, the oak-pine forests of Massachusetts, and the hardwood forests of southwestern Connecticut, Mr Faison will discuss the importance of looking at local forests from a number of different perspectives and time periods and how this approach may change the way forested landscapes are thought about today. The presentation will be followed by a brief field walk in Highstead’s woodland.

Mr Faison holds a bachelor’s degree in zoology from Connecticut College and master’s degrees in natural history and forest ecology from the University of Vermont and Harvard University. He is the author or coauthor of several scientific papers on paleo and animal ecology.

There is no charge for the program.

Highstead Arboretum, at 127 Lonetown Road (Route 107), can be reached for additional information at 938-8809.

Highstead is a nonprofit conservation organization with a mission to inspire curiosity and build knowledge about plants and wooded landscapes in order to enhance life, preserve nature, and advance sound stewardship practices.