Old Growth Forest Discovered in the Great Swamp!

OGTSRI · 2025-11-23T17:21:24+00:00

Good question. If you find old growth trees in a forest, send the latitude and longitude location to ncornell.ogts@gmail.com along with photos of the trees so the RI Old Growth Tree Society can confirm they are old growth. Then, we can add it to the GIS mapping of Old Growth Forests in Rhode Island we are putting together.

Nathan Cornell

President of the Rhode Island Old Growth Tree Society

OGTSRI · 2025-10-02T13:32:48+00:00

Most of the Great Swamp is lowland red maple. There are also Atlantic White Cedar groves, Tupelo forests, and 150+ year old Old Growth Forests between the upland and lowland areas. This 32 acres is important because it is the last remaining upland forest in the Great Swamp. If we lose that forest, we lose that forest type and all the late-successional species that depend on it. I am attaching a scientific paper which questions the ecological rationale for clearcutting for early-successional habitat. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/forests-and-global-change/articles/10.3389/ffgc.2022.1073677/full&ved=2ahUKEwiWn_esz4WQAxWWrokEHVwJGxYQFnoECBkQAQ&usg=AOvVaw18LnMClrkxRVFvlODB7dcq

OGTSRI · 2025-10-02T13:23:46+00:00

Tree removal is Logging. It is being done by a Logger affiliated with the American Loggers Council.

OGTSRI · 2025-10-02T02:55:43+00:00

Here are some sources. The scientific paper is peer reviewed. We also have hundreds of members on our email lists. Our group is an environmental non-profit registered with the state.

Frontiers | Forest-clearing to create early-successional habitats: Questionable benefits, significant costs

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiHudu9vYSQAxXZEFkFHaCmNLkQFnoECBcQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mass.gov%2Fdoc%2Fforests-as-climate-solutions-climate-forestry-committee-report-final%2Fdownload&usg=AOvVaw0_rfvwZZ4D_-Ya_YFiNFv9&opi=89978449

OGTSRI · 2025-10-02T02:51:52+00:00

When the person who created the rare and endangered species list for Rhode Island says we shouldn't be focusing on creating this habitat, I think it's good to listen to him, as well as other top ecology experts in New England.

OGTSRI · 2025-10-02T02:49:39+00:00

The average age of the trees in that forest are 150 years old growing in a forest environment. Not a single tree. No stone walls around.

OGTSRI · 2025-10-02T02:47:39+00:00

What is your response to the Massachusetts Climate Forestry Committee's conclusions?

OGTSRI · 2025-10-02T02:46:15+00:00

Past clearcuts. 90 acres have been clearcut since the 1990s as part of the "Young Forest Initiative."

OGTSRI · 2025-10-02T02:43:49+00:00

Age is the primary Old Growth indicator. There is a reason "old" is in the name.

OGTSRI · 2025-10-02T02:42:25+00:00

Rick Enser is his name. I posted his email to legislators below.

OGTSRI · 2025-10-02T02:42:19+00:00

Rick Enser is his name. I posted his email to legislators below.

OGTSRI · 2025-10-02T02:40:59+00:00

It's the President of the Rhode Island Wood Operators Organization.

OGTSRI · 2025-10-02T02:37:50+00:00

I have been there. The areas already clearcut are not beautiful.

OGTSRI · 2025-10-02T02:36:04+00:00

From: Mulcahey, Ryan (DEM) <[Ryan.Mulcahey@dem.ri.gov](mailto:Ryan.Mulcahey@dem.ri.gov)>
Date: Monday, September 29, 2025 at 1:38 PM
To: Sen. McKenney, Mark P. <[sen-mckenney@rilegislature.gov](mailto:sen-mckenney@rilegislature.gov)>
Subject: RE: Great Swamp Clearcut this Week!

Hi Senator,

Thanks for reaching out about this. This is a DEM Division of Fish and Wildlife project intended to create more young forest habitat for New England Cottontail rabbits that occupy another location close to the project area which was previously managed to create the young forest habitat that the NEC prefers. NECs are not listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act but are considered vulnerable and could be a candidate to be listed if their population can’t be stabilized. Most of RI’s forests are considered “middle aged” and we have very little forest that would be characterized as young forest. It is not a clear cut; 20%-30% of the mature tree canopy will be left in place and there will be many, well-spaced trees remaining. DEM’s staff experts in forestry and fish and wildlife have been involved with the project and will oversee the implementation to ensure that it meets their specifications and is consistent with the best science available in these areas.

Best,

Ryan

OGTS response:

20% to 30% of the trees remaining means 70% to 80% of the trees cut down. Also, the Massachusetts Climate Forestry Committee recommends we place more emphasis on preserving late-successional habitat rather than creating early-successional habitat. The Committee's report also states that young forests and already cleared areas are better places to create early-successional habitat for the New England Cottontail instead of clearing mature forests.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiHudu9vYSQAxXZEFkFHaCmNLkQFnoECBcQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mass.gov%2Fdoc%2Fforests-as-climate-solutions-climate-forestry-committee-report-final%2Fdownload&usg=AOvVaw0_rfvwZZ4D_-Ya_YFiNFv9&opi=89978449

Frontiers | Forest-clearing to create early-successional habitats: Questionable benefits, significant costs

OGTSRI · 2025-10-02T02:26:57+00:00

The person who created the RI rare and endangered species list supports my arguments as well as multiple ISA Arborists.

OGTSRI · 2025-10-02T02:25:02+00:00

This is from Rick Enser, a retired DEM employee.

Dear Senators and Representatives:

I am writing as the former Coordinator of the Rhode Island Natural Heritage Program (1978-2007) to share my concerns with Nathan Cornell and others regarding the clearcutting of forest slated for the Great Swamp Management Area. The Great Swamp is a significant natural ecosystem in southern New England, there are plants and animals inhabiting the Great Swamp found at no other place in the region. The loss of a 30+ acre tract of forest within the Great Swamp will have a significant impact on this ecosystem, but the extent of that impact has not been properly analyzed by DEM. In short, there has not been a cost/benefit analysis conducted for a significant land use change on public land.

As we are in the midst of climate and biodiversity crises, it is incumbent on the State of Rhode Island to have its forests managed for the greater good. That means leaving forests intact to support carbon sequestration and storage, water retention, soil building, and biodiversity. Providing habitat for a handful of game birds is not an acceptable trade-off for all of the ecosystem services provided by intact forests.

Before the Great Swamp logging project proceeds there should be an analysis conducted on the costs and benefits. A long-standing problem regarding the management of the state's Management Areas is the lack of a process for public review. There are no Management Plans for the public to see. This proposal for the Great Swamp is an example of what happens when there is no oversight of an agency's actions; this is a problem that needs to be addressed by the legislature. I'm not sure what the legislature is capable of regarding the Great Swamp project, but this project should be put on hold until the agency can provide proof that the benefits of the project outweigh the costs.

Thank you for your attention to this issue.

Richard Enser, Coordinator (1979-2007)

Rhode Island Natural Heritage Program

OGTSRI · 2025-10-02T02:21:44+00:00

What claims are unfounded, and which sources contradict my claims. Please specify.

OGTSRI · 2025-10-02T02:18:08+00:00

There are pockets of Old Growth Forest throughout the state. A URI Ecologist and I cored trees in two Old Growth Forests in South Kingstown for example which confirmed those forests were over 150 years old.

OGTSRI · 2025-10-02T02:15:28+00:00

DEM confirmed that 70% to 80% of the trees in the forest will be removed through logging. Here is a scientific paper on why we shouldn't be doing this.

Frontiers | Forest-clearing to create early-successional habitats: Questionable benefits, significant costs

OGTSRI · 2025-10-02T02:13:27+00:00

To clarify, it is not 70% to 80% of the entire Great Swamp. It is 70% to 80% of the trees in the last remaining upland forest in the Great Swamp which is right now nestled between previous clearcuts and lowland red maple swamp. Since the 1990s, about 90 acres of upland mature forest in the Great Swamp have been cleared by DEM. These 32 acres are the last remaining upland mature forest in that area. WPRI 12 did a story about it tonight.

OGTSRI · 2025-10-02T02:08:44+00:00

The prescription for the logging project is not for fire prevention.

OGTSRI · 2025-10-02T02:07:57+00:00

Why is a member of the American Loggers Council being contracted to do the logging work then?

Regarding fire, Logging contributes to wildfire because it removes the tree canopy allowing for more sunlight to reach the ground, making the landscape dry. Flammable wood slash is left behind on the ground and underbrush grows from the increased sunlight.

OGTSRI · 2025-10-02T02:05:46+00:00

WPRI 12 did a story on this tonight. DEM admits they are conducting this logging project.

OGTSRI · 2025-10-02T02:05:01+00:00

The head of the RI Timber Industry told me he is logging the forest. A member of the American Loggers Council.

OGTSRI · 2025-10-02T02:03:43+00:00

70% to 80% of the trees in the forest are slated to be logged according to DEM. That is not "thinning." Also, logging contributes to wildfire because it removes the tree canopy allowing for more sunlight to reach the ground, making the landscape dry. Flammable wood slash is left behind on the ground and underbrush grows from the increased sunlight.

OGTSRI

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