Walkers check out an enormous burl, a benign tumor-like growth, on a tree.
Photo: Connie Garber
By Connie Garber and Lawrence Furbish
On Sunday, Feb. 15, around 35 winter-hardy people joined retired arborist Kurt Woltersdorf for a guided walk on snow-packed trails at the Virginia Morin Preserve in Sanford. Along the walk, trekkers learned about the identities of native trees, where they thrive, and what pests have impacted their survival.
Wilmersdorf, who earned a degree in natural resource management from Rutgers University, answered questions about everything from identifying deer tracks in the snow to his opinion on what caused multiple trees to come down in one particular area. The preserve has a number of interesting features including extensive groves of large hemlock and white pine, stands of white and red oak, and several wetlands.
The Virginia Morin Preserve off outer School Street is the result of a 2022 donation from Mrs. Morin’s estate and totals about 100 acres of undisturbed woodland dedicated to remaining undeveloped. The existing trails on the property have been extended with two new loop sections. The trails now total a little less than two miles in length.
This walk, co-sponsored by the Mousam Way Land Trust and the Sweat-Morin Homestead, is the first of what will be several guided walks highlighting different seasons of the year at the Virginia Morin Preserve and Sweat-Morin Homestead.
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