Stockbridge goes on offensive against what s bugging old-growth trees in Ice Glen berkshireeagle.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from berkshireeagle.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The natural beauty of the Berkshires landscape is the pride of our fair county. What do we do when a precious part of that ecological sublimity is systematically threatened?
Unfortunately, Stockbridge now faces that tough question. The hemlocks of Ice Glen, the natural sentinels of a sublime slice of New England woodland, are dying. The town awaits an official report from a forestry expert on the critical damage sustained by the trees â and what can be done to save them.
Last month, Ken Gooch, the retired head of forestry for the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, led local residents and officials on a walk through the glen for an informal assessment of the situation â and it doesnât look good. As Mr. Gooch simply put it, âthese trees are hurting.â
STOCKBRIDGE â A guru of old-growth forests, Robert T. Leverett recalls first stepping into Ice Glen back in the early 1990s and thinking to himself, âOh, my God. This is the real deal.â
He declared it one of the most spectacular woodland stands in New England. But, today, he speaks with the funereal gloom of this misty-cloaked cleft just south of the village.
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âItâs sad when an icon of the Northeast forest is lost. Thatâs whatâs at stake here.â
â Robert T. Leverett, Florence-based co-founder of the Native Tree Society and co-author of âThe Sierra Club Guide to the Ancient Forests of the Northeastâ
Get Growing: Why crabapple trees are looking sad this year, and what to do about it
An afflicted crabapple tree. Courtesy photo
Modified: 10/18/2019 2:15:03 PM
Crabapple trees are one of my favorite ornamental spring trees. A mainstay of the New England landscape, they offer three seasons of interest, plus a handsome branching habit that looks good all winter long, especially when decked with freshly fallen snow or a sparkling coat of ice. Crabapples are typically low maintenance and drought tolerant. Their lovely dark pink or red buds open to a wide variety of shades, from white to magenta. They can have single, double, or semi-double blossoms as well as cupped or fringed blossoms. Some are deliciously fragrant. The fruits vary too, from yellow to orange and red. Birds love them. Crabapples also offer colorful fall foliage.