VEGETATION

The vegetation in Bliss and Laurel Parks reflects historical land use and is impacted by invasive species pressure from surrounding residential properties. An understanding of the site’s successional trajectory can inform decisions made to reduce invasive species, restore native vegetation, and manage ecosystem characteristics.

Bliss and Laurel Parks are a forested refuge within the highly developed town of Longmeadow. According to a 2023 community survey, residents feel the parks are a place to connect with nature and exchange suburban life for a more “wild” or “natural” experience. The site is characterized by transitional hardwood forests, with a diversity of plant communities influenced by the gradient of topography crossing the stream channel, by soil conditions, and by past land use.

laurel Park

In Laurel Park, early successional secondary growth is most abundant in the canopy, a result of historical clearing in the early twentieth century. Black locust, black birch, black cherry, red maple and white pine are most abundant with associated species of red oak, black oak, and white oak. Sugar maple and American beech are present, but less frequent. The topography creates a tapestry of soil conditions; low-lying flat areas along the stream host emergent marsh wetlands in saturated soils and the gullied, sandy slopes create mesic, or moderate moisture, conditions ideal for upland tree species. A dense understory of invasive species limits the view of and access to the stream. Chocolate vine and Asiatic bittersweet drape the branches and trunks of trees while burning bush, multiflora rose, and Japanese barberry create a nearly impenetrable shrub layer beneath.

BlIss Park

Bliss Park is characterized by more mature secondary growth. The canopy is abundant with larger diameter white pine, white oak, red oak, and American beech, suggesting Bliss Park experienced less intense forest clearing. The active recreation area is covered with turf punctuated by ornamental and introduced species like Bradford pear, Austrian pine, and Norway maple.

Transitional Hardwood/Introduced Spp. Early Successional Secondary Growth

Transitional Hardwood Early Successional Secondary Growth

aggressIve non-natIve sPecIes

The aggressive, introduced species are a challenge for the Town, given its limited maintenance capacity. Construction for stream rehabilitation may be an opportunity to remove invasive species, but disturbance can create an opening required for many of these species to recolonize in force. Efforts to alter the stream and eliminate invasive species should be paired with thoughtful planting decisions and active maintenance during establishment. Reducing mowing would cut down maintenance to help distribute efforts and resources for managing the invasive species. A thriving native forest could be sustained by planting competitive native shrub species, managing the spread of invasives after removal, and replicating a mid-successional forest type beyond the stream channel.

Habitat

The parks are home to a diversity of wildlife; improvement to habitat should be species-specific and more research is necessary to determine what species will benefit most from habitat restoration.

BioMap3 identifies core habitat, critical natural landscape, and regional rare species habitat within the Connecticut River area; aquatic and wetland core habitat in Forest Park; and rare species habitat in Turner Park following the Longmeadow Brook. The mapped core habitat creeps up Cooley Brook from the Connecticut River but ends at Elmwood Avenue, where the stream flows through a more developed residential area, under a culvert, and cascades down a sandstone bedrock escarpment. The escarpment represents a significant change in elevation for the stream; the stream drops around 25 feet vertically over a 210-foot distance. The escarpment and culvert may make it harder for fish to travel upstream, though more research is required to make a conclusive determination.

Though not mapped by BioMap, the parks do host a diversity of wildlife habitat. Dace, a cold water fisheries species, were observed in the stream, painted turtles rest on downed trees in Laurel Pond, great blue heron fish the marsh on the pond’s east end, red-shouldered hawks soar overhead, and neighbors report regular sightings of coyote and fox.

While wildlife are visible within the parks, their habitat is impacted by the water quality in Cooley Brook, particularly for aquatic species. Sediment deposition behind the dams increases the turbidity of the water. This limits the amount of light available for photosynthesis by beneficial aquatic plants, in turn reducing dissolved oxygen levels in the system (Henley et al. 2008). Many fish and invertebrates rely on abundant dissolved oxygen in the water to sustain life. Additionally, sediment deposition behind the dams fills small gaps between the more coarse stream bed material. Many invertebrates rely on these small gaps, where the relatively still water at the stream bottom provides ideal habitat for species that have specialized to spend their larval stage here (Mass DEP, 2007). Removing the dams in Cooley Brook may increase habitat for certain species, and decrease it for others. If increasing habitat is a priority in this system, decisions should reflect a species-specific approach.