• Led by: Nancy Patch and Joan Maloof
• Hike difficulty:  Easy. 2 miles, 100ft elevation change.
• Time: 11:45 a.m.; plan for 2-3 hours.
• Meeting location: Krusch Nature Preserve parking lot, 316 North Cambridge Rd., Cambridge, VT

We will compare a younger forest, Approximately 100-120 years old, to the 300 year old pines. The area is 56 miles from Bread Loaf, a 1.5 hour drive north. The walk is 2 miles round trip, easy walking. This is a unique opportunity to see these forests side by side and discuss old forests and their restoration, while enjoying the beauty both offer. The 22-acre Cambridge Pines State Natural Area is one of Vermont’s finest groves of old white pine and hemlock. On this steep, sandy hill, white pines reach 54 inches in diameter and the biggest hemlock is estimated to be more than 300 years old. The big hemlocks are old growth while the white pines may be second growth, having grown up on a meadow in the 1800s. Other ancient species include sugar maple, yellow birch and American beech. Formerly there was no public access to Cambridge Pines, but in 2020 the Town of Cambridge acquired the 51-acre Peter A Krusch Nature Preserve. The land had been owned and stewarded for 60 years by Peter A Krusch. A three-year cooperative effort between the Town of Cambridge, the Cambridge Conservation Commission, the Vermont Land Trust, and Sally Laughlin (Peter’s widow) resulted in the creation of the preserve in his memory.

• Led by: Ali Kosiba

• Hike difficulty:  Easy. 2 miles on and off trail with minimal elevation change.

• Time: 11:00 a.m.; plan for 2-3 hours.

• Parking: Park on east side of Rt 100 at the Kent Pond parking lot.  

• Meeting location:  Outside of Gifford Woods State Park Visitor Center (across Rt 100 from the parking area)

Join Dr. Ali Kosiba, a forest ecologist at UVM Extension, for a walk through one of the only easily accessible old-growth Northern Hardwood forests in Vermont. We’ll start walking on the Old Growth Interpretative Trail that leaves from the Gifford Woods Visitor’s Center and follows an easy quarter mile path. We may venture off trail to explore. We’ll then cross Rt. 100 to enter at patch of old growth that does not contain trails. We’ll talk about what we know about this forest from long-term monitoring, the ecology and functions of old-growth forests, and anything else that we see.

• Led by: Andy Cortese

• Hike difficulty: Easy. 2 miles on and off trail with minimal elevation change.

• Time: 12:00 p.m.; plan for 2 hours.

• Meeting location: Trailhead and parking next to the Pack Forest Office 

Join Dr. Andy Cortese, Ecologist for the New York Natural Heritage Program, for a tour through a 50 acre old-growth forest at the SUNY ESF Pack Demonstration Forest in Chestertown, NY. This forest contains examples of impressive eastern hemlock and white pine as well as other old-growth forest characteristics including a mosaic of different tree age classes, coarse woody debris, and epiphytic bryophytes and lichens. We will discuss old growth characteristics and ecology in the context of global change, and anything else of interest that we may find on the way.

• Led by: Steve Blackmer

• Hike difficulty: Easy. 1.5 miles with 100ft elevation change.

• Time: 10:15 a.m.; plan for 2 hours.

• Meeting location: Spirit In Nature trailhead, 2.6 miles of the Bread Loaf campus. 

Spirit in Nature maintains a 70-acre interfaith path sanctuary nestled in the foothills of the Green Mountains. This trail network features 14 short paths, each representing a different spiritual tradition. The trails range in length from 0.5 to 1.5 miles; the longest loop is the Interfaith Path, which travels along a high bluff of the Middlebury River South Branch and provides access to Cobble Bars by the river. Hemlock up to 300 years old occurs at the eastern end of the Interfaith Path.

• Led by: Sarah Robb-Grieco

• Hike difficulty: Easy. 2 miles with 200ft elevation change.

• Time: 1 p.m.; plan for 2 hours.

• Meeting location: Corner of Basin Rd and Town Forest Rd in Vernon, VT

Come experience the Vernon Black Gum Swamp Complex in the J. Maynard Miller Town Forest, home of one of the largest black gum (Nyssa sylvatica) stands in New England, with some trees over 400 years old. This is an extremely rare natural community in Vermont as black gum reaches its northern range limit here. The J. Maynard Miller Town Forest is 120 miles from the Breadloaf campus, a 2 hour and 15 minute drive to the south, right off of Route 91 at the border of Vermont and Massachusetts. The hike is two miles roundtrip, easy walking.

• Led by: David Govatski

• Hike difficulty: Easy. 1.2 miles with 26ft elevation change.

• Time: 11:00 a.m.; plan for 2 hours

• Meeting location: Charlotte Park & Ride 

Williams Woods is one of the best remaining mature mesic clayplain forests in the Champlain Valley of Vermont. This forest type was once common but is now a rare natural community. The forest consists of white, red, bur, and swamp white oak; sugar maple, basswood, beech, and hemlock. Some of the oak trees are 300+ years old. The Nature Conservancy Vermont Chapter manages this property.

• Led by: Charlie Cogbill

• Hike difficulty: Moderate. 2 miles off-trail hiking, 100ft elevation change.

• Time: 12:00 p.m.; plan for 4 hours.

• Parking/carpool location: Twinfield School

Join Ecologist Charlie Cogbill on an exploration to the Lord's Hill big tree lot in Groton State Forest. This impressive forest is a State Natural Area, and it may be the best studied old forest in the state. We'll explore the large trees, forest dynamics, and past and present land uses, and we’ll learn about recent efforts to resample tagged trees. This trip will be almost entirely off trail on rugged terrain. Access will require a high-clearance vehicle, so participants should be willing to carpool from Twinfield School to the site and back.

• Led by: Bob Zaino

• Hike difficulty: Moderate. 2+ miles on and off trail, 200-300ft elevation change.

• Time: Meet at 11 a.m.; plan for 3-4 hours.

• Meeting location: Barnard General Store 

Explore one of Vermont's finest old forests. Located in the Northern Piedmont Region of Vermont, this old forest is unusual because it is found on fertile soils and not located in steep, inaccessible mountain terrain. We'll take a two-to-three mile ramble through this forest, walking amidst large trees, seeing evidence of natural disturbance processes, finding rich-site natural community indicators, and — as a bonus — visiting a globally-rare Rich Fen natural community.

• Led by: Suzanne Gifford

• Hike difficulty: Moderate.  2+ miles on and off trail, 200ft elevation change.

• Time: 10:15 a.m.; plan for 2-3 hours.

• Meeting location: Texas Falls Picnic Area

Join US Forest Service Ecologist Suzanne Gifford for an exploration of an old hemlock forest near the Texas Falls Nature Trail. The hike will include a portion of the Texas Falls trail and continue off-trail. We will note old forest features, wildlife sign, and discuss the significance of this site within the context of Green Mountain National Forest.

• Led by: Marc Lapin

• Hike difficulty: Moderate. 2+ miles on and off trail with 500ft elevation change.

• Time: 10:45 a.m.; plan for 3 hours.

• Parking/carpool: Because parking is very limited at the trailhead, we will meet at a parking area on the corner of Route 125 and East St. in Bridport, VT, and we'll carpool the several miles from there to the trailhead parking.

• Meeting location: Corner of Rt 125 and East St (diagonal NW of Backwoods Guns and Tackle).

Snake Mountain is a prominent Champlain thrust fault feature with a variety of natural communities and forest conditions. Before climbing onto the mountain, the western trail travels through TNC's Willmarth Woods Natural Area, where we'll meander off trail and explore a fine example of older, mesic transition hardwood forest. We'll climb short steep slopes and then be in a maturing forest with plenty of large trees, including impressive red oak and hemlock in a multi-layered canopy. Observations and discussions of disturbances, old-growth characteristics, flora and soils, and speculating on forest trajectories will keep us entertained.

• Led by: Rob Terry, Tim Duclos, and Cory Creagan

• Hike difficulty: Challenging. 4 miles with 1800ft elevation change.

• Time: 11:45 a.m.; plan for 4 hours.

• Meeting location:  Merck Forest Visitor Center 

Join Rob Terry of Merck Forest & Farmland Center (MFFC) for a guided exploration of MFFC’s 3,500-acre forest in the Taconic Mountains of southwestern Vermont. This field trip will highlight Merck’s efforts to engage the public in climate-informed forest stewardship, with an emphasis on ecological forestry and long-term resilience. Merck Forest’s management approach blends science-based silviculture, biodiversity conservation, and public engagement. 

The tour will visit the oldest forest stands on the property, where a high abundance of trees older than 225 years — and the associated structural diversity — suggest remnants of original forest. These stands offer a valuable lens on legacy biodiversity and natural forest dynamics.

Throughout the tour, Rob will share insights into:

• The ecological and cultural history of the land
• Forest health challenges in the Taconic region
• MFFC’s evolving approach to public engagement, including how ecological literacy and hands-on experiences can shape public perceptions of forest management

Additional points of interest include: 

1. A 2024 timber harvest site, implemented following the recommendations of Restoring Old-Growth Characteristics to New England’s and New York’s Forests, coauthored by Tony D’Amato (UVM) and Paul Catanzaro (UMass). This harvest illustrates efforts to accelerate the development of old-growth attributes within a managed forest context, and 

2. The Timber Shop, a facility built entirely from wood grown, harvested, and milled on-site. This educational hub serves as a venue for experiential learning, showcasing the connection between ecological forestry, local materials, and regional sustainability.

This immersive visit will offer a nuanced look at how a working forest can serve as a platform for ecological restoration, and community connection.

• Led by: Brett Engstrom

• Hike difficulty: Challenging. 2 miles on and off trail with 700ft elevation change.

• Time: 10:30 a.m.; plan for 4 hours.

• Location: Trailhead is 11 mi. and 17 minutes from Bread Loaf campus. From campus head west on Rt. 125 for 6.7 mi.; turn right on to Rt. 110 (Case St.) and drive 4.3 mi. north on Rt. 110 Abbey Pond Rd on your right. Drive 0.4 mi. on AP Rd to trailhead parking. 

The ~40 ha Battell Biological Preserve is a remnant uncut forest of hemlock, red pines, and white pines, interspersed with a variety of northern hardwood species, located on the Cheshire quartzite escarpment defining the eastern border of the Champlain Valley in Addison County. It has rich forest and fire histories dating back to the 15th century that have been documented by Mann, Engstrom, & Bubier (Quaternary Research 42: 206-215, 1994). Come prepared to hike in this steep, rocky terrain to see how the effects of past major fires, and other natural disturbance factors, such as windstorms, have shaped this old forest.