History. It’s what keeps generations of New Hampshirites connected to those who came before. It’s also what helps us move forward, learning from mistakes of the past and making improvements for the future. One of the best storytellers is mother nature. Showing us ancient lands and lakes, she’s always reminding us why it’s important to look after our land and wildlife. A great way to see just how far back New Hampshire goes is by turning to mother nature and this natural area with some of the oldest trees in the country.
Old Growth Forests are located throughout the United States, representing a wooded area that’s been untouched for hundreds of year. Helping to keep them intact is their location - many are difficult to access, which has made sure that they’re able to grow unbothered.
nicholas_t / Flickr
One of the best examples, Sheldrick Forest, is located right here in Wilton, New Hampshire.
Punita Koustubhan / Google
This incredible forest area is over 227-acres of wooded, forest with trees that date back far longer than any of us have been alive.
nicholas_t / Flickr
Hiking through the forest on the winding paths provides a pretty good sense of what things here looked like prior to settlement by the Europeans. Things changed drastically by the mid-1800s when much of the forested land in the state was cleared for timber or pasture.
The Nature Conservancy in New Hampshire / Facebook
Today, the Sheldrick Forest Preserve has white pines that are 50-feet tall, as well stately hemlocks, and beautiful oaks.
Dan McShane via Sheldrick Forest Preserve / Facebook
The diameter of some of the trees has reached 30 inches. That’s what happens when trees are able to grow without being bothered by humans and development.
Dan McShane via Sheldrick Forest Preserve / Facebook
Hiking there also means exploring a truly unique forested area. It’s home to a truly wild preserve, complete with a ravine and rambling, secret streams.
Connie Jo Lawson / Google Protected areas like this one offer much needed habitats for breeding birds like wood thrushes, ovenbirds and scarlet tanagers.
It also offers a way to experience what untouched land feels like, hopefully compelling future generations to continue to protect and preserve these important forests.
To get to Sheldrick Forest Preserve from the town of Milford, head west on Route 101 past the center of Wilton. Make a left on Temple Road just after Gary’s Harvest Restaurant. Continue on Temple Road for just over a quarter of a mile before bearing left to cross a bridge. You’ll then turn left onto Town Farm Road. Drive for another 3/4 of a mile and you’ll reach the preserve entrance. You’ll find parking is in a small field on the left.
nicholas_t / Flickr
Punita Koustubhan / Google
The Nature Conservancy in New Hampshire / Facebook
Dan McShane via Sheldrick Forest Preserve / Facebook
Connie Jo Lawson / Google
Protected areas like this one offer much needed habitats for breeding birds like wood thrushes, ovenbirds and scarlet tanagers.
It also offers a way to experience what untouched land feels like, hopefully compelling future generations to continue to protect and preserve these important forests.
You can learn more about the preserve through their informational brochure.
You can see New Hampshire’s great outdoors in another way with this miniature train ride through the forest. Check it out and book yourself a place for their opening.
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