Almost exactly a year after our first visit to the Uhler Tract, I returned to the property for some follow-up impressions. The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay is working with Bowie State University and Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources (each of whom own a part of the forested property) to develop a forest management plan. Our first trip in May of 2024 was an outing aimed at data collection, and three Alliance teams spent three days in the woods sampling 158 plots across 255 acres. Plot sampling lends itself to a very focused manner of walking through the woods: while we covered the entire area thoroughly, we were navigating to particular points and then assessing in great detail what we found, recording details like tree diameter and height, seedling and sapling counts, invasive species presence, and herbaceous plants. In the time since that first visit, I have been working on the back end: processing the raw data (using the US Forest Service’s SILVAH software), mapping invasive species, and considering the potential applications of our collected information.

After spending so much time looking at this forest “by the numbers,” I wanted to get back out to Uhler Tract with a different mindset. In writing the plan, I wanted to not only be able to look at the data but also at a holistic and personal view of the forest. In contrast to the first plot-focused visit, this change in approach allowed me to walk through the woods and gather impressions, see the gradual changes in forest composition, and notice what I think of as “broader details”.

I certainly don’t mean to disparage data-based management. There is enormous value to knowing what is in a forest- and being able to quantify those findings- and I would never write a management plan without conducting this sort of sampling. However, it is necessarily a bit myopic. We pay attention to islands of data (albeit statistically significant islands), which are extrapolated to represent the entire area. By taking what we have learned from that data and using it to guide a stroll through the woods, I gained a better understanding and deeper appreciation for the forest as a whole, and I have no doubt that the plan we end up with will be better for it. Below is a collection of photos from this visit.

A pool in the northern part of the property. There were dozens of small areas like this, and they offered an excellent vantage to see different habitat types and critters.

The picture doesn’t do it justice, but this tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) was by far the largest tree (by diameter) that I saw. The crown was dying, but due to its size it will be an incredible resource for wildlife after it becomes a snag (standing dead tree).

I am always excited to run into willow oak (Quercus phellos). Named for their less than oaky looking leaves, these trees produce good crops of acorns (mast) nearly every year, making them a valuable wildlife resource.

The picture doesn’t do it justice, but this tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) was by far the largest tree (by diameter) that I saw. The crown was dying, but due to its size it will be an incredible resource for wildlife after it becomes a snag (standing dead tree).

I had been listening to bullfrogs all day, and was excited to get close enough for a photo before this one got scared away. Big for a frog, but seems small to make that much noise!

Pawpaw (Asimina triloba) is another favorite of mine, in large part because of the delicious fruits they produce in late summer/early fall. More thoughts on pawpaw and other edible species in the blog post from our first visit (linked above).

I think this is a green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica), but my ability to distinguish between ash trees (especially in smaller size classes) is a bit limited. Emerald Ash Borer has caused an enormous decline in ash populations, which in turn means these trees are far less common than they once were. In addition to being ecologically tragic, this has limited my ID practice.

Invasive species often thrive in gaps in a forest’s canopy. Here, you can (kind of) see this phenomenon. On the right, the canopy was more open and the invasive Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima) was dominant. On the left, among a more closed canopy, are native tulip poplar and pawpaw trees.