Thinking on Tree Time

Deep in Maine’s North Woods, off an unassuming logging road not far from I-95, is a yellow birch who is over 360 years old. This birch endures the winter cold and welcomes returning warblers each spring at Howland Research Forest, a 500-acre preserve that Northeast Wilderness Trust established in 2007 to keep the land from being logged.

There is nothing particularly notable about Howland Forest. It is flat, with only about 200 feet of elevation range throughout the property. The soil is poorly drained and acidic, lacking the richness that would otherwise promote the presence of rare species. Consequently, the trees at Howland are common, mostly red spruce, hemlock, northern white cedar, red maple, and white pine.

The unusual thing about Howland Forest is time. That is, Howland Forest, unlike much of the Northeast, has been provided with the freedom of time—to grow old, complex, and beautiful. Freedom is the defining characteristic of wilderness.

When I first learned about this yellow birch, I was reminded why Northeast Wilderness Trust operates the way we do: our singular focus is to provide natural processes the freedom and time to shape life’s diversity. This is thinking on tree time, and forever-wild conservation is how we do it. Indeed, thinking on tree time is at the root of all the Wilderness Trust’s decision-making.

You see, that yellow birch predates every conservation organization ever to exist. She predates our notions of forest management and “financial maturity” for trees destined for the mill. She predates the passage of the Wilderness Act of 1964 and the creation of the U.S. Forest Service. She predates the founding of this country. She has been witness to seismic shifts in the world around her throughout her life, yet she persists all the same—producing oxygen, storing carbon, and providing shelter for wildlife. She is a tangible reminder of the humility required to protect Nature for Nature’s sake. To trust her. To love her.

Even more miraculous is just how un-miraculous this birch is. Indeed, she is found at Howland’s NASA research plot, one small forest plot that has been studied by the Department of Energy and the University of Maine for decades. Within that same research area are cedars over 250 years old, a hemlock over 230 years old, and countless white pines, red maples, and red spruces all over a century old. Indeed, the average age of a tree at Howland is 125 years.

When I think about Howland, I feel the loss of New England’s vast, structurally diverse, and wildlife-supporting forests that once existed. More hopefully, with a profound sense of optimism, I think about what the future forests of our region could look like if we act now and provide more of them with the freedom to simply be.

That yellow birch at Howland Research Forest is both a messenger from the past and harbinger of the future, suggesting that people and all our relations in the community of life can flourish if we focus on freedom for all in the present.

In 2022, Northeast Wilderness Trust celebrated our 20th Anniversary with the slogan We Are One of Many, championing the idea that we humans do not own Nature. Rather, we share this beautiful place on Earth with myriad other species who are just trying to get by, raise their families, and have some fun along the way—no different than many of us.

The network of supporters who care deeply about Northeast Wilderness Trust’s mission and work continues to grow rapidly and I am ever-grateful for that. In the following pages, you will see why 2022 was our most successful year to date and how with every completed conservation project we are sowing the seeds of the next ancient yellow birch. Thank you for helping us partner with Nature to rewild the Northeast.

For the Wild,

Jon Leibowitz, Executive Director

White pine

tree frog