As many of my friends and family know, Edward is attending college enrolled in the Forestry Management program. It's a very interesting field with a lot of different applications. His days are filled with short lectures and very extensive labs. He spends so much time outdoors for his classes that it makes me jealous!
The bright side of this (for me) is that he knows so many excellent trail locations in the Pisgah forest and surrounding areas. Recently his class has been working directly with the North Carolina State Wildlife Commission to help restore the habitat for one of North Carolina's rare species: the Northern Flying Squirrel. Apparently these squirrels live solely in areas populated with the beautiful red spruce tree, whose roots are host to some delightful truffle that is the staple of their diet. I know, it sounds like an excerpt from "fantastic beasts and where to find them."
On a recent weekend, Ed declared that he needed to visit the plots associated with this project to gather some GPS data. He and his professor are working together to create a map of the research area. We hiked about a mile in and then diverted from the trail to visit the plots. Small blue flags dotted the forest floor, marking the locations where students had carefully planted the tiny saplings.
Ed explained that the larger reforestation area was dotted with small "plots." The plots served as statistical samples to monitor the overall health and growth in the area. We hiked into each of the eight plots and marked the co-ordinance on his map.
On a side note, Ed has his smartphone set up to use satellites to find the co-ordinance and mark them on a mapping software called "Avenza." He can then upload these maps to GIS software and share them with his professor.
Within the plots, the saplings were marked with blue flags and tagged with names like "5-A" (tree A in plot 5).
While hiking in the area, we discovered the primary research coordinater with the wildlife commission, assisting Warren Wilson College's forestry students in some similar research. We saw many familiar faces in their group, who we had the pleasure of meeting once before at the John D. Palmer Woodsmen's Meet.
They were using a boring tool to take a core sample of certain trees and measure their age. The sample was small enough to fit inside a plastic drinking straw, and that's exactly what they stored them in before marking each one and depositing it in a protective case. The Wildlife coordinator explained that they were trying to learn more about the history of the area. We learned that two large fires had burned here within the past hundred years.
After marking the plot points, entrances to the research area, and taking measurements of certain trees within the plot points, Ed and I headed back to the trail and discovered from a passing hiker that it was only about a four mile loop back to the parking lot. We wolfed down some walnuts, cheese, and trail mix and marched on, determined to get some good miles in before heading home. It was beautiful day with a lovely mixture between thick, cool clouds, and patches of warm sunshine.
We enjoyed the beauty of the area, but mostly we enjoyed spending the day together: chatting about anything and everything, and laughing about our different fashions of crossing streams on the trail. I wished we could pitch a tent and stay for a couple of days, but I don't think the cat would appreciate our absence.
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