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| An actual tree farm. |
Friends brought us to the
Magness Memorial Tree Farm for the first time recently. A friend tipped me off that this was a great spot for kids to explore a creek. I've hesitated to visit it in the past because it's owned by the World Forestry Center, which I suspect has an ulterior motive for referring to it as a "tree farm". Years ago I visited the World Forestry Center and was really disturbed by its lack of environmental focus. I discovered an emphasis on the usefulness of trees, a glamorization of logging and logging equipment, and no mention of the devastating effects of deforestation or even the positive effects of recycling. It is sponsored by the timber and paper industries, and while I definitely love wood and paper, I also love forests. Trees are a renewable resource, but forests are not. I don't have a problem with tree farms as a crop, but tree farms are not forests. If you've ever walked through a commercial tree farm, the first thing you notice is the barrenness of the forest floor. Trees are typically planted so close together that sunlight cannot filter down to the ground, and nothing grows except maybe mushrooms. I don't think it's right to confuse the issue.
At the Magness Memorial Tree Farm, what you will find is a lovely forest. The kids immediately ran into the creek and began happily searching for creek critters, which we peeked at through a microscope. We were soon greeted warmly by the manager, who enthusiastically told us about the property and answered all sorts of questions. We took a trail that followed the stream and lingered in the woods. It was a wonderful school day!
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| A caddis fly larva peeks out of its shell, which it has constructed from small pebbles. |
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| Caddis flies. |
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| Damselfly larva. |
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| A crawdad. |
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| Buttercup. |
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| Millipede. |
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| The maple trees are in bloom. |
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