Tom Wessels: Reading the Forested Landscape, Part 2

Tom Wessels is a terrestrial ecologist and Antioch University New England professor emeritus. He has authored a number of books. If you've read "Reading the Forested Landscape" and "Forest Forensics", you know how skilled he is at interpreting the past land use history clues abounding in central New England's changing forests. Learning to apply the knowledge you gained from those books can be time consuming, however, and you probably find yourself returning to the books often.

In this 3-part series, you'll go into the woods with Tom as he covers many of the topics in detail, providing another opportunity for you to enhance your own "forest forensics" skills.

Some of the topics covered in the three parts: New England's stone walls; pillows and cradles; merino sheep craze ("sheep fever"); forests arising on abandoned agricultural land (past hay field vs crop field vs pasture); signs of past wind, logging and fire damage; reading tree stumps; white pine weevils and multi-trunked pines .

Here in Part 2, Tom teaches us how to understand past logging evidence; he discusses the American chestnut blight; and reveals what a rotting old tree stump can tell us.

And be sure to watch "The Ecology of Coevolved Species", featuring Tom, at

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[NewEnglandForests]

Please note: you are encouraged to comment and welcome to ask questions, but Tom does not monitor these posts and probably will not personally respond. -Ray

[vonhammar]

I love how he makes you see that everything is interesting in its own way

[bluwtrgypsy]

As a New Englander, I just love and appreciate the information shared here. It's so clearly and well explained. Just enjoyable. Would love to walk the woods with Tom. With much gratitude.

[jameshartsfield]

Thanks for a very instructive video, and for the good news on the chestnut!

[brocktoon]

Thank you SO MUCH for sharing your incredible wisdom!

[AdroitJake]

You are awesome! Knowledge is beautiful. Passing that knowledge better! Thank you

[MrChipBryant]

Oh my, you are very smart and I'm so glad I've found you as a resource. Thank you for what you're doing. How refreshing to find this topic and to start a new learning experience!

[MrKing]

Wow. Awesome. Feel like I just saw an interview with Tree Beard himself. Subscribed!

[balmora]

I would hang out with this guy any day

[markcantemail]

Tom Thank you for the video . at 4 minutes you show trees growing over nurse Stumps . They can leave amusing shapes when the stump or log is gone . See " Creepy trees 2012 Stills and moving " . I always enjoyed seeing them in the Woods that I Hunt . There is also a few Castenea dentata videos .

[ianwilkinson]

You should be taking small groups out with you to teach them this, im sure alot of ppl would pay 20 bucks to spend the afternoon out there learning this. I would.

[columlynch]

Brilliant and that is why there is no waste in nature. If humans would cooperate rather than compete then we wouldn't have waste. Or at least a lot less of it.

[melgal]

Wow I am really enjoying the info. It is really interesting and you deliver it very well. I wonder what you think of English Ivy’s affect on trees. I hear that it kills then and others say no?

[douglasedwards]

The largest American chestnut, i personally remember was in strafford vt.

[woodlymarcello]

Tom Wessels….a living American Treasure.

[pastafest]

Hoping for the return of the American chestnut. Still see some sprouts from time to time. Up at the University of Vermont we have a few American chestnuts growing with the spliced genes that will maybe resist the blight

[kinger]

Do you only see this in New England or is it visible in Ontario Canada as well? The land around here was all cleared around the 1840s we don't have a lot of old growth

[andrewbrown]

I would have thought the 360* hemlock was a guide tree as we have those here (out west).

I know my area fairly well and keep thinking about trees and features i now have to question my conclusions about. Lol

I've thought to myself at times 'i can't wait to ne old enough to understand the cycles through observation' but somehow i think you found another route.

1: Do you offer courses OR have a book/course list?

2: Could someone buy a dvd set of your works?

[DooleyBFR]

I know of three stands of American Chestnut! A couple of good sized say !5 inches thru! Also the govt. Has replanted a 99% American with 1% chinese chestnut! There are 2 20 acre plots doing well and producing!