Vegetation

The 2011 tornado not only caused tree canopy loss, but led to a legacy of logging roads, and ultimately a different human relationship with the landscape.

v ege T a T ion T y P es

The majority of land cover at Flynt Park and the Keep Homestead Museum is vegetated. Prominent vegetation types include deciduous forest, early successional forest, turf grass, and farm fields.

Mature deciduous trees are found along the most northern sections of Flynt Park. On the northwest side of Flynt Park, one of the trails has a triving plant understory that includes patches of ferns, while the northeast side has a bare understory that might be resulting from a heavier disc golf course usage. The western, center, and southern areas of Flynt Park are largely covered in early successional fores. Observed early stuccessional forest species include aspen, beech, birch, cherry and maple.

Though there is a western section at the Keep Homestead that is also covered in mostly early successional forest with a similar vegetation makeup of the Flynt Park early successional forest area, a large portion is covered in mature deciduous trees with some evergreen trees. Additionally, the Keep Homestead Museum building is adjacent to farm fields on the southern and western edges that are managed by a local farmer for hay, and a small section of this land is used as public community garden.

The visitor experience through some segments of the trails is negatively impacted by early successional forest vegetation branches hanging over parts of the trails. Long patches of grassland on some of the logging road trails at Flynt Park can also limit accessibility and the comfort of visitors particularly during spring and summer months when ticks are prevalent in the area.

Establishing trails that bring people through these various vegetation types can provide a diverse trail experience for visitors. Addtionally, meeting accessibility guidelines for an all-persons trail can improve visitor experience along areas that are currently grassy or have branches that hanging over trails through removing these.

T he a M eri C an C hes T nu T and T he M onson C hes T nu T P roje CT

The American chestnut tree (Castanea dentata) was once commonly found throughout the eastern forests of the United States, and served as an important source of timber and food. However, in the early 1900s a pathogen was observed on these trees, and by the 1950s, the chestnut blight, an air-borne fungus, had decimated the great American chestnut tree. Today, some chestnut trees resprout from the blighted root systems but they do not reach full maturity.

After the 2011 tornado, a discovery of American chestnut trees at Flynt Park led to the creation of the Monson Chestnut Project with the hopes of bringing back this once mighty giant. The Monson Parks and Recreation Commission granted five acres for this project with additional assistance being provided by the Replanting Monson Tree Committee.

In collaboration with the Tantasqua Chestnut Project, the Monson Chestnut Project planted the five acres of land at Flynt Park with hybrid chestnut trees provided by The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF). In addition, the Monson Chestnut Project cross-bred native American chestnuts found at Flynt Park with blight resistant hybrid from TACF to create regionally adapted trees that are blight resistant. The intention of the project is to breed American chestnut trees that are able to compete within New England forest communities, and to attempt to bring back the American chestnut.

A new trail alignment or an all-persons trail might intersect the current areas of the Monson Chestnut Project. Educational signs can be integrated along the Monson Chestnut Project on the American chestnut tree.

d rainage P a TT erns

Water on the northeastern side of Flynt Park drains to a ditch along Park Road which is directed to the Chicopee Brook. On the western side of Flynt Park, water drains to a wetland that also connects to this brook. On the southern side of Flynt Park, water drains east down the slope of Mount Ella into the Keep Homestead property. The drainage then makes its way to a wetland, and an intermittent brook that bisects the Keep Homestead Museum property from south to north. Water from the most eastern and southern parts of the Keep Homestead Museum site also drains into this wetland, and intermittent brook, which eventually flows off-site on the northeast side of the Keep Homestead Museum property. The water from this intermittent brook also flows to the Chicopee Brook.

The Chicopee Brook drains to the Quaboag River. The Quaboag River then merges with the Swift and Ware Rivers and joins the Chicopee River, which is a Connecticut River tributary. Collectively, Flynt Park and Keep Homestead Museum, along with many private and public properties, form part of the Chicopee Watershed.

Information about the hydrology of the site can help visitors better understand the connection with the Chicopee Watershed.

s P rings , v ernal P ools & w e T lands

Combined, Flynt Park and the Keep Homestead Museum have three springs, two certified vernal pools and two wetlands. The three springs are located on the norheast side of Flynt Park, and serve as a local cultural value. One certified vernal pool is near the high point of Mount Ella, and the other one is located on the southwest side of the Keep Homestead Museum. Vernal pools serve as a unique environment for certain species including wood frogs (Rana sylvatica) and fairy shrimp (Eubranchipus vernalis). Disturbances to vegetation and soils near vernal pools impact animal mortality, and habitat health. To protect the health of springs, vernal pools and wetlands, and to reduce human impact near these sites, trails need clear trail delineation, educational signs, and potentially boardwalks.

a n a T ural d isas T er h ydrology

After the 2011 tornado, Flynt Park installed three separate drainage ditches on the western sides of each of the playing fields to help mitigate their wetness. According to the Parks and Recreation Director, Timothy Pascale, the playing fields had been historically dry, but after the tornado removed an extensive portion of the tree canopy on the slopes of Mount Ella, the fields began to experience wetness. The ditches along the two northern playing fields drain to a ditch alongside Park Road that is directed to the Chicopee Brook. The ditch alongside the southern playing field drains to the south, creates pooling that slowly flows through mostly shrub vegetation, and makes its way to the intermittent brook at Keep Homestead Museum.

The tornado left behind a legacy of significant tree canopy loss and, after the salvage operation that followed, a series of logging roads. Currently, approximately 25 percent of the land cover at Flynt Park and the Keep Homestead Museum is early successional forest that resulted from the impact of the tornado. While some of the logging roads have created depressions where water shed from Mount Ella pools, others in steep areas are less water permeable due to a combination of steepness, lack of vegetation, and exposed bedrock. This is potentially contributing to a greater percentage of water that is not being absorbed on site by the younger vegetation.

Visitor use of the former logging road trails is impaired, particularly after it rains, due to water pooling on the trails. Trails through young forest areas are particularly impacted by sections of intermittent wet spots, which create an uncomfortable walking experience for visitors.

For an improved visitor experience, some wet areas along trails might need grading or boardwalks, some trails sections might need to be rerouted, and some trails might need to be closed off.