THE ANCIENT FOREST OF LANDIS ARBORETUM

The Landis Arboretum’s most recent land acquisition, which more than doubled the size of the Arboretum, contains a horticultural treasure. One parcel of land near the Montgomery County line contains one of the oldest forests in the area.  This ancient forest is approximately 30 acres in size and is located in the northeast corner of the Arboretum.

On August 20, a team of old growth forest experts surveyed the site and found various species of trees ranging from 150 to 350 years in age.  “This is a forest that has been untouched since the Revolutionary War,” said Bruce Kershner, an ancient forest authority and author of The Sierra Club Guide to Ancient Forests of the Northeast.  

A fairly diverse range of species comprises the old growth forest. The dominant trees are American beech, sugar maple, hemlock, yellow birch, black birch, and red oak.  Other species include striped maple, basswood, black cherry, paper birch, bitternut hickory, American elm, and a few massive grape vines that are hundreds of years old and over 85 feet tall.  Several stands of large American beech make this forest even more unique. Big beech trees growing in the wild are uncommon today due to a fungus disease known as the beech bark complex, which often kills off beech trees before they can attain their mature size. 

Why has this forest been overlooked by loggers and developers over the years? The main reason is that topography – the trees are growing on a very steep hillside – helped to protect the site over the past 250 years.A new trail overlooking the ravine will give visitors a chance to see what our forests looked like hundreds of years ago.  The old growth forest is accessible to patrons by walking the Great Oak/Woodland Trail, starting in the corner of the field behind the greenhouse to the Great Oak. From there follow the Acorn Trail until you come to the bottom of the hill.  You will take a left at the T intersection and follow the signs to the Ancient Forest Overlook Trail.  It is approximately 3 miles round trip from the parking lot to the old growth and back.

 The newly acquired ancient forest and the smaller stand of old growth located near the Great Oak make Landis Arboretum an old growth forest headquarters. In fact, according to Mr. Kershner, Landis Arboretum has now become one of three arboreta in eastern North America that have old growth forests.  The other two are the New York Botanical Garden and Rutgers University.