Young Forest Radio Program
Oh, to be young again. For most people, youth is a time of energy and activity, a stage of life that’s vibrant and full of possibility. The same is true for forests.
A young forest is a light-filled place rich with quickly growing trees, shrubs, wildflowers, and other plants. It may look like an unorganized tangle, but it provides life-giving food and shelter for an amazing range of wild creatures, including many whose numbers have declined in recent decades.
In times past, wildfires and floods created patches of young forest by scouring off areas of woods, leaving them fresh for new growth. Today, because we have largely controlled those natural processes in the Northeast, the responsibility falls on us to make enough new young forest so that all wildlife can thrive.
When carefully planned and carried out, timber harvests, prescribed fires, and mowing can help breathe new life into middle-aged woods by making them younger and more dynamic – the kinds of places that more than 80 species of dwindling wildlife need to survive, including the American woodcock, an iconic game bird, numerous colorful songbirds, and a surprising array of bees and butterflies. Other types of wildlife abound, including more common animals that usually use the older forest, butseek out young forestsfor the abundant food and cover they provide.
Although timber harvests can look drastic and messy at first, almost overnight stumps and tree roots begin sending up thousands of new little trees. Light reaching the forest floor spurs the growth of shrubs and leafy plants. As it quickly regrows and greens up, the resulting young forest becomes home to a wide range of birds small mammals, and the predators that hunt them to survive.
Uncommon and imperiled creatures such as golden-winged warblers and whip-poor-wills share those dense hideaways with more-abundant wildlife such as ruffed grouse, wild turkeys, black bears, and songbirds.
You can do your part by supporting young-forest projects on public and private lands. Become a well-informed wildlife advocate. Young forest is a natural and needed component of a healthy complex woods. As with many things in life, we are seeking a balance, a balance of ages within the woods, some old, some middle-aged, and some young forest, creating a dynamic forest landscape for all those that depend on it, both for us and the wild creatures.
This message brought to you by (sponsor) and the Young Forest Project – growing wildlife habitat together. To learn more, visit us at youngforest.org. That’s young forest dot O-R-G. Together, we can make a better tomorrow.