Trees are the dominant plant type of New England, with forests covering most of the land area. This six session New England Wild Flower Society and Arnold Arboretum survey course beginning Tuesday, September 28, taught by Karen Sebastian, addresses identification and natural history of individual species as well as forest ecology. Since understanding today’s forests requires familiarity with their history, we will review the changing landscape from the Ice Age through European settlement. Students learn to identify native New England trees and their habitats, to recognize different aged stands (pioneer, second growth, and other growth) and become familiar with forest communities of the northeastern temperate region. We’ll consider the natural conditions and human disturbance factors that produce different forest associations. Weekend field trips take us to a variety of forest types off-site. Bring a bag lunch and water for the field trips. The fee is $176 for members of NEWFS or the Arboretum, and $204 for nonmembers. For the complete schedule, log on to www.newfs.org.
