Have you noticed the new orange surveyor flags as you hike through the woods surrounding Stonehurst? With the blessing of the Conservation Commission, Brandeis University students are marking plots to study four different forest types within the larger woodlands.

Professor Olson's Field Biology Class is assessing and mapping the existing conditions of the forest, with the intention of returning in future years to track its evolution. As Professor Olson describes in his attached letter, mapping distinctive areas of the forest helps us understand the forest age, species present, tree growth and mortality, arrival and spread of invasives and forest recovery following storms.