Forest Giants

No truer friend of the Forest ever wandered these woods than David Leff, a former trustee of the organization who had helped create the conservation easement that established GMF under the Forest Legacy Program. David left behind a manuscript about his explorations of the forest, the first three chapters of which were recently published in Appalachia Journal. Through the generosity of David’s estate, excerpts of other chapters will appear in GMF newsletters, linked to the full pieces on the website. The second of these appears below, an outing taken by David and GMF Forester Emeritus Jody Bronson to a spot near Bigelow Pond. What follows is an excerpt from the chapter titled “Forest Giants.” Click this link to read the whole chapter. 

I looked into the crowns; patches of blue sky barely visible. Some trees showed wear and tear from centuries of ice, wind, insects and disease. Super-focused, gazing along the trunks, it was hard to disengage, as if I were under enchantment. Dizzy, disoriented, I struggled to regain a horizontal view. The bark was brownish-gray and deeply furrowed. Touching it was like reaching for something sacred. It was as if we’d stumbled onto a lost world of dinosaurs that were both powerful and placid. A piliated woodpecker banging away for insects on some hollow tree not far distant echoed through the grove, sound bouncing off the huge trunks like a pinball. The spell was broken.

Tanneries turn animal skins into leather by permanently altering the protein structure of the hide, leaving it more durable, flexible, less liable to putrefy. Soaking hides in an astringent solution of plant tannins for weeks and sometimes months, was a critical part of the process. Hemlock bark was prized for its high, 10 to 12% tannin content, and gave leather a rich reddish-brown color.

Several small tanneries were operating in Norfolk by 1830, consuming at least 1,600 cords of hemlock bark annually, according to Winer. Their legacy is memorialized in the name Tannery Pond, just beyond the GMF boundary to the north of Old Meekertown Road. Nearby Winsted became a center for tanning, and its largest company used over 6,700 tons of hemlock bark in 1872 at their Winsted and West Norfolk operations, requiring cutting at least 300 acres of old growth. Since bark is bulky and hides more easily transported, tanneries tended to locate near the hemlocks. 

Ian Montgomery-Gehrt

I am a senior at Paul Smith's College, majoring in Forest Ecological Management and minoring in Botany. After graduation, I am excited to start a career in Forestry in the Northeast. I am grateful for the experience of working as an intern as part of the summer crew at Great Mountain Forest. I appreciate the opportunity to learn and discuss the history and use of the land while traveling around the forest, connecting stories to the land. I had many favorite parts of the program. Still, some of the standout experiences included learning to treat the diseased hemlock trees by releasing beetles to control the disease and the days measuring forest plots. I am thankful to Matt, Jody, and Russel for sharing their wealth of knowledge and excitement about forestry with us.

Kyle Joray

My name is Kyle Joray; I am from Goshen, Connecticut. I was first introduced to forestry at Wamogo Regional High School in the Agriscience program, where I majored in Natural Resources. It was here that I decided to continue my education after graduation in the forestry profession. I am entering my junior year at Paul Smith’s College in Upstate New York, studying Ecological Forest Management with a minor in Geographical Information Systems and Wild-Land Firefighting. When I was looking for internships this summer I just stumbled upon Great Mountain Forest, to me it looked like a great way to spend my summer learning and doing forestry. Talking to my professor at school, he said it would be a great opportunity for me to get out in the woods and use what I learned from school and build on it. My goal after graduation is to obtain my forester's license in the state of Connecticut, and work as a forester for a private company. Then I would like to own my own consulting business later on in life. 

Daniel Semmel

At the time of my internship with GMF, I am an undergraduate student at the University of Connecticut. I am in the Natural Resources Program with a concentration in Forestry, and GMF has been an enriching experience since I first arrived! GMF has given me opportunities to develop my skills in deeper ways than a classroom provides. I’ve seen forestry in practice on a large scale and even in forests managed by other groups in the area. This interconnected experience has shown me how forestry is an evolving practice, and working with other people who care about it allows us all to learn more and better serve the forests. In addition, I’ve been able to operate a sawmill and see a sneak peek into the entire process of the forest products industry, from cutting down a tree to transporting it out of the forest to then milling it into boards on the sawmill and finally working in the woodshop to assemble a finished product. All of these experiences have helped me to gain a greater sense of confidence in my forestry skills and myself. I have learned more about working in a team and the importance of learning from others, especially those from different backgrounds within forestry. Keeping an open mind, constantly learning, and putting in the hard work are just some of the skills the GMF internship has shown me, and I will keep those with me in college and as I step into a career in forestry.