Forest Health Walk, Stop 14

Another Sign of the Past

The stone wall that hugs the trail reveals another bit of history of Massachusetts's forests. A stone wall indicates that this land was once used as pasture, most likely for sheep.

In the early 1800s, much of New England's forests were cleared for sheep pastures, and these stone walls were built to contain them. Later in the century, local farming declined as agriculture shifted to states in the midwestern part of the country.  

The abandoned fields filled in with saplings of white pine and other plants that grow quickly and provide high-quality timber. As a result, during the early 1900s, the forests were cleared again by logging operations. Our forests have been, and continue to be, shaped as much by people as by natural ecological processes. 

Continue walking along the stone wall. The trail will take you back to the utility right-of-way. Finish the forest health walk at the same post at which you started.

We hope you enjoyed this walk and that it expanded your knowledge of our local forests.

The topics of this walk are also covered in a Forest Health booklet that SVT produced in cooperation with the Metrowest Conservation Alliance. Download a  PDF.