Brooklin 
Recent Press Releases — August 20, 2009
Landowners and Blue Hill Heritage Trust Offer Rare Glimpse of Pristine Pitch Pine Woodland
Pitch pines thrive in dicey places, sinking their roots into chinks in ledgy summits and poor soils to create otherworldly, open woodlands. Although these woodlands dot the down east coast, most have been invaded by non-native grasses and other plants from away.
A group of 14 visitors, however, enjoyed a rare glimpse of a pristine pitch pine forest in Brooksville on damp summer Saturday during a walk and talk hosted by the Blue Hill Heritage Trust and led by botanist Sal Rooney. Stewarded by the same family for several generations, this woodland flourishes on private land protected by a BHHT conservation easement.
"This pitch pine woodland is undisturbed, and it's the kind of intact natural community we encourage land owners and land trusts to protect," said Rooney, who pointed out a variety of intriguing plants that characterize this plant community. Among the most handsome plants is broom crowberry, a low-growing shrub with tiny, needle-like leaves. Rooney noted that the plant's common name comes from its growth pattern and the fact that early settlers used it to make brooms.
Settlers also extracted pitch from the pines, which are attractive trees with red and gray-mottled bark, twisty branches, sharp needles that grow in clusters of three, and egg-shaped cones. The cones take two years to mature and open in winter, slowly dispersing seeds over several years. Pitch pine communities provide important habitat and food for small mammals and birds including red and white-winged crossbills, beautiful songbirds that are year-round residents.
As the group hiked up ledges and a granite dome, Rooney also pointed out other pitch pine community denizens including sheep laurel, huckleberries, and large swaths of silvery gray reindeer lichen. At the summit, the morning fog cleared to reveal a panoramic view of Eggemoggin Reach and Buck's Harbor.
Eric Parkes, whose great-great-grandfather purchased the land in the late 1890's, welcomed the group for this one-time educational event, which he said gave him a new appreciation of the 250-plus acres his family decided to protect with a conservation easement.
"I've always had a fascination for plants," Parkes said. "The thrill of having someone come to my 'back yard' and show me just how much I've been missing will be with me for a while. It made me want to learn more. It also was fun to spend a couple of hours with a group of people who were so committed to learning about nature."
The Blue Hill Heritage Trust, which has protected more than 5,000 acres of land on the Blue Hill Peninsula for future generations, offers free walks and talks throughout the year. For more information, call 374-5118 or check the calendar of upcoming events at the Blue Hill Food Co-op or www.bluehillheritagetrust.org.
More Press Releases
- June 1, 2009
BHHT Patten Stream Preserve awes native plant enthusiasts - July 28, 2008
Opening of New Trail Section on Blue Hill Mountain - July 15, 2008
"Window on the Harbor" Protected by Conservation Easement Gift - June 17, 2008 – Bangor Daily News
Blue Hill: Land trusts poised to buy, conserve island (PDF 84K)
