Old Growth Trees in Fairyland

Venerable roots

Deep in the protected hollows of Fairyland, in the heart of Concord's Town Forest, grows a venerable, old-growth pine.  It measures some 15' in circumference (5' in diameter at breast height), towering above the forest floor with the top of its crown barely visible from the ground.  I was reminded of this ancient and secluded corner of Fairyland today by a friend's Facebook post of her recent visit there.

Old growth pine's towering crown

This grandmother tree likely was a sapling some 150-200 years ago, when Thoreau and Emerson walked these woods, her large rooty toes now providing a sturdy anchor to her enormous size.  No doubt, it weathered the 1938 hurricane thanks to the protection provided by the steep glacial kame of Brister's Hill that rises steeply to the southeast.

Yellow birch with powdery blue lichen

On this glacial slope, not far away, stand numerous large old yellow birch trees whose shimmering bark are given a touch of added color from a powdery blue lichen.

Skunk cabbage and Canada mayflower carpet

The wet bottomland of this forest, fed by the outflow stream from Fairlyland Pond, supports a lush growth of skunk cabbage, Canada mayflower, ferns, mosses, and mushrooms that in warmer months further accentuate the primeval atmosphere of this special place.