Taghkanic Talks Presents: Not All Forests are Created Equal

A Closer Look at Our Forest Habitats and Their Biodiversity

Presented by Claudia Knab-Vispo, Conrad Vispo, and Kyle Bradford.

The presenters will introduce their book “From the Hudson to the Taconics: An Ecological and Cultural Field Guide to the Habitats of Columbia County, New York” and describe how it can be used to recognize a variety of forest habitats, including various types of upland forests, as well as floodplain and swamp forest; highlight some of the plants and animals found in these different forest types; introduce the concept of “ancient” forest (which is not equivalent with “old growth” forest) and their recently completed map of the potentially ancient forest remnants in Columbia County; share some thoughts about how land use history has shaped our forests, as well as some results from recent biodiversity inventories comparing ancient and post-agricultural forests in Columbia County.