Mr. Riely is particularly delighted by the Virginia pine, brought in from a nursery nearly 400 miles away in Maryland. “For New England, this is quite incredible growth,” he said, pointing to a young tree now taller than he is. It suggests that climate has already changed enough in Southern New England for some mid-Atlantic species to survive. Bringing in southern trees may be one solution. But it won’t help, he has discovered, without first dealing with the deer. They ate many of the young trees he planted outside the fence, and are a major reason the hardwood forest has difficulty regenerating. ... To deal with the coming upheavals, our very concept of nature and the meaning of conservation needs to become more fluid, Dr. McLachlan said. “We don’t have a philosophy of conservation that’s consistent with the changes that are afoot.”
Link to NYT Article
