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Legitimate_Proof t1_iytjyf7 wrote

Reply to comment by mycophdstudent in Curious to know what folks think about this messaging? by Johnny9Toes

It's not just tree age:

>Old growth forests can be defined as forested ecosystems which have developed somewhat independently over a long time, usually at least several centuries. https://vtcommunityforestry.org/news/events/old-growth-forests

That long because old growth forests are characterized by a lot of fallen trees that create habitat and openings for different types trees to grow. So these are much older than the forests we see around most of Vermont that have trees that are mostly similar size and only a few downed ones.

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mycophdstudent t1_iytpjjm wrote

Life is resilient so wouldn't that same ecosystem rehabilitate around 50 year old forest? I own land which was cleared for farming in the early 1800's which fell fallow so the forest encroached and there's living fossil neolectica irregularis mushrooms growing from the soil. All sorts of diversity.

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