Age Isn’t Everything
By Northeast Regional Manager, Sarah RobbGrieco
Washington Grove, Monroe County, New York
Have you ever wondered how forests are selected for the Old-Growth Forest Network? Some of our criteria might surprise you. For instance, did you know that to be included in the Network a forest doesn't have to contain old growth or even be old at all in some cases? Or did you know that we require all our Network forests to have marked trails?
Washington Grove, Monroe County, New York
Here’s how our selection process works…
OGFN relies on our volunteer County Coordinators to hike the forests of their own counties and give us their opinions. In general, they are asked, “ Which forest in your county would you send the average family to visit if they wanted to spend half a day having an inspiring "old forest" (or special forest) experience for the first time? Specifically, County Coordinators are asked to consider these criteria:
Age and Quality of the Forest - Older is better, but we also include younger forests that are special or exemplary in some way. (Click here for a good example of a young but special Network forest.)
Protection From Commercial Logging - Some forests already have sufficient protections in place to be included in the Network, but when protections are not quite strong enough, we require forest owners to adopt stronger language or to sign a Memorandum of Agreement.
Open to the Public - This includes a place to park and a marked trail to follow. We do not promote off-trail hiking as old-growth forest ecosystems can be damaged by too much foot traffic.
Accessibility - Trail should be reasonably accessible to the average family with no extreme athleticism required (e.g. moderate difficulty is fine, but no vast rock scrambles or challenging stream crossings, 3-mile hike or less). Trails should also be financially accessible with low or no entrance fees.
Size - Ideally, we are looking for forests that are larger than 20 acres as we don't want our Network forests to be in danger of blowing down in their entirety in a single storm. That said, in one very special circumstance, when the forest was perfect in every other possible way, we pursued a forest as small as 14 acres.
A Feeling of "Wild" - We try to choose forests that will inspire! This intangible quality is vital to our mission and we cannot assess it without talking with someone who has had their feet on the trail. Our volunteer County Coordinators provide an invaluable service to us by telling us how the forest “feels.”
Washington Grove Dedication- 9/16/21
Every county has a different set of forests from which to choose. Some lucky counties may have as many as a dozen different old-growth or ancient forests of varying size, accessibility, and protection for us to assess and compare. Other counties may have no old-growth forests at all. In these cases, we look instead for high-quality forests that are special or exemplary in some way. When we dedicate a special, young forest we think of it as designating and preserving the old growth of our future generations.
Have a forest in mind?
If you know of a forest that might fit the criteria above, we want to know about it. Tell us about it on our “Nominate a Forest” page here.
Want to get involved?
Are you wondering who these lucky volunteers are who get to hike the trails and assess forests for the Old-Growth Forest Network? They are people just like you. Certainly, some are forest experts of one kind or another, but many are birdwatchers, trail runners, and people who simply enjoy walking in the woods. If you think you might like to be a volunteer County Coordinator in your area, we’d love to hear from you! You can sign up on our “Volunteer” page here.
Title image by A. Seager.
