Naomi and I live on four and a half acres of woodland in central Maine. Spring is a wonderful time. The green of the new foliage is radiant. A slight breeze sets the entire forest dancing from the floor to the canopy—a long-exposure photograph can reveal this. Click on the image for a larger view.

Like most forest in Maine, ours is second growth, having been cut down for agricultural use at some point in its history. A study on woodland regrowth in New York state shows that the forest that grows up from a clearcut is not the same as the one that was cut down, even after a hounded years. The species of plants and trees differ in type and distribution. A neighboring old-growth forest has no influence on a regenerating woodland.