Ware River Nature Club will hold its Fourth Annual Meeting & Silent Auction on Sunday February 25th 2018 12:30 – 4:30 p.m. at Hartman’s Herb Farm, Barre. At this year’s meeting we’ll learn about the ecology of the beautiful forests in our own backyard of central Massachusetts. Please plan to join us! Rsvp to warerivernatureclub@yahoo.com
Robert Askins, Professor of Biology at Connecticut College, will present PRESERVING THE BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY OF EASTERN FORESTS, a talk about the major threats to deciduous forests in eastern North America. The biological diversity of our forests is threatened by habitat fragmentation, increasing homogeneity of the vegetation, and the loss of top predators. Understanding the history and ecology of deciduous forests is critical for sustaining productive forests and preventing the loss of biological diversity. This presentation is based on a book that Professor Askins recently published on the ecology and conservation of deciduous forests on three continents.
In a complementary presentation, Owen Sholes, Professor of Biology at Assumption College, will talk about the effects of the severe ice storm of December, 2008 on tree growth, based on tree rings and other factors. The focus of much of Professor Sholes’ research has been on tree growth and survival.
