Photo by Gabe Chapin - The Nature Conservancy(Click image to enlarge)
Life after Fire
Wildfire leaves signs of damage—singed trees, blackened ground, smoky skies—in its wake. But as events this past spring and summer have shown, fire is also one of Mother Nature’s ways to restore and rejuvenate the land.
In April, the largest wildfire in New York State in 13 years and in the Shawangunks in nearly 60 years swept across Minnewaska State Park Preserve, burning 3,100 acres of diverse forest. In the months since, Minnewaska has become an outdoor laboratory, providing an opportunity to study what can happen in a landscape shaped for thousands of years by fire, and where many species need fire to survive. (For example, pitch pine cones release seeds under intense heat, and openings in the forest canopy give oaks space to grow.)
“Green up” is already widespread throughout Minnewaska. Seeds and stumps have resprouted and spring and summer flowers have carpeted the ground. While it may take some years for the most heavily burned places to recover completely, these open areas provide habitat for rare birds such as the Scarlet Tanager and Canada Warbler, along with animals like fishers, porcupines, rattlesnake, bears, and bobcats.
The Shawangunk Ridge Biodiversity Partnership (or SRBP, of which the Preserve is a member) has been studying the recovery of the burned area in Minnewaska. Scientists are monitoring the effects of fire on vegetation and the impacts of browsing by deer on particular trees and shrubs—possible since the animals can be excluded from the enclosed plots and new growth watched literally from the ground up.
The 2008 fire in Minnewaska was an important lesson about what can happen when abundant fuel loads (dead trees, branches, and other vegetation) build up in forests near where people and property must be protected from wildfire. That’s why SRBP is busy developing a ridgewide fire management plan, to address both wildfire and the expanded use of controlled burns at the Mohonk Preserve and other places.
By better understanding fire, we can continue to work to harness the beneficial powers of nature—for the sake of the land and everyone who cares about it.
Lisa's note: for those of you that have never been there the Mohonk Preserve is ~2 hours away and is especially beautiful in the Spring (lots of pink mountain laurel plus streams and waterfalls) and in the Fall (winter is nice too and Awosting Falls at Minnewska is not far to walk down to any time of year).
Located just 90 miles north of New York City, the Mohonk Preserve provides visitors access to over 6,500 acres in the Shawangunk Mountains – including cliffs, forests, fields, ponds, and streams – and to a network of over 100 miles of carriage roads and trails for hiking, running, mountain biking, horseback riding, and cross-country skiing. Also, the internationally renowned “Gunks” cliffs offer over 1,000 technical rock climbing routes.
Main entry point: Mohonk Preserve Visitor Center½ mile west of the intersectionof Route 44/55 and Route 299Gardiner, NY6 miles west of New Paltz. For further information:(845) 255-0919 http://www.mohonkpreserve.org/
Whether you're a newcomer to the Gunks or think you know this place like the back of your hand, these simple, printable (2 sided) PDF maps are a great resource. They feature rudimenary road maps, and our un-biased, un-sponsored reviews of local restaurants, gas stations, retail shops, food markets (including phone numbers). Areas to swim, bike, hike...oh yeah, and climb. You're sure to discover something.
Map Front (New Paltz town)
Map Back (Mohonk & Minnewaska)
Farms & Vineyards
- Jenkins - Lueken Orchards (www.jlorchards.com)69 Yankee Folly Rd., New Platz, NY 12561
- Phillies Bridge Farm Project (www.philliesbridge.org)45 Phillies Bridge Road, New Paltz, NY 12561
- Whitecliff Vineyard & Winery (www.whitecliffwine.com)331 McKinstry Road, Gardiner, NY 12525
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