The Nature Conservancy: March @ Mashomack – Trails Open | Summer Programs Registration …

Celebrating 45 Years of Conservation
45 Years of Stewarding our Forests

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Forests are tremendously important. They provide clean air and water, support biodiversity, help regulate climate and temperature, prevent soil erosion, offer recreation opportunities and provide economic and social benefits to people. Many trees live to be over 200 years old, but in recent decades new and modern threats risk the long-term health and survival of forests.
 
Mashomack’s forest is no exception. For 45 years The Nature Conservancy has stewarded Mashomack’s nearly 1,700 acres of forest to be resilient in the face of change. In the 1980s spongy (formerly known as gypsy) moths defoliated large swaths of oak trees. In the early 2000s, recognizing that forest regeneration was a problem, we partnered with Penn State University to identify white-tailed deer as the main culprit. Beech leaf disease is killing stands of one of our major canopy trees and climate change is impacting our forest in ways yet unknown. But, through our commitment to research, monitoring and ecological management we face these challenges head on to ensure that Mashomack’s forest can thrive and survive in the face of change and will continue to be a resource for generations to come.