Station 16: Stumps and Sprouts

Hardwoods like the paper birch and red maple here sprout vigorously from their stumps when they are cut or damaged. Some of these multiple stems will die as more vigorous sprout stems shade them out.

Conifer (red pine) stumps you see will never sprout. As the stumps decay, they eventually become a moist and fertile seedbed for shrub and tree seeds. As you walk to the next station, notice how many sprouts and stumps you see in this forest to the right of the road.

Another clue to the land use of the area can be seen with the conifer stumps, remnants of the red pine plantation, which occur in straight lines nearly perpendicular to the road.