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Continuing along the trail, visitors will spot an old icehouse used by the Vanderbuilt family (who used to own the land) and a majestic row of rhododendrons, which used to line the now-vanished road that extended to the area where the Newport State Airport now rests. In many areas, walkers will remark on the ground's humus - the soft covering of leaves falling each autumn for more than 300 years.
To the untrained eye, the white patches present on some of the trees may look like a disease, but the spots are healthy signs. The patches, known as lichens, are characteristic of higher air quality. Lichen is conspicuously absent from trees in city because of the level of pollutants in the air, especially sulfur dioxide and fluorine.
Among the American beech trees live other remarkable species including white oak (Quercus alba). A few of these are estimated over 250-300 years old. Seeing a scarlet oak (Quercus coccinea) is truly a rarity within New England old-growth forests. Other trees in the forest include: black tupelo, sassafras, red maple, pignut hickory and yellow birch.
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Each visit to the forest brings a new discovery. There is princess pine (lycopodium dendroideum), an endangered plant species in Rhode Island. The princess pine is a primitive vascular plant often referred to as a club moss. It spreads along forest floors (watch out for it along the trail), grows year round and measures no more than 12" high. Also growing in the safety of the forest are high-bush blueberries.
Aquidneck Island Land Trust officially opened the Oakland Forest Trail December 4. The trail is open from dawn to dusk every day. No pets, bikes, or plant picking permitted.
For additional information on Aquidneck Island Land Trust's conservation efforts or becoming a volunteer trail monitor at Oakland Forest, contact Anne Garnett, Executive Director, at (401) 849-2799 or visit their website at www.ailt.org.
To learn more about old-growth forests, log onto: www.old-growth.org.
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