The land upon which we stand has a history. Blanketed in the impressions of millennia of influences, each leaving its own unique trace upon the earth. The careful and patient eye can read these signs and learn to read the history of a place. Those who wish to read the land can follow it's story from ancient times, across the Anthropocene, and through the last few hours.
Long before the presence of man, the land was shaped and molded into high mountains, lush valleys, and wide open plains. Where tectonic plates collided land was raised up into mountains. Where rain fell the land was shaped and trees grew, sediment washing down forming fertile soils in the lowlands. The powerful forces of weathering and erosion at work. Here the strongest trees and densest grasses grew. These are the most readily observed and easily understood stories that land can hold. They are ever present and seemingly unchanging. We have noticed them so much that we no longer notice them.
As time passed both beast and man created new history for the land. The beavers dammed creeks, turning low valleys into wetlands. Animals grazed this land, selecting for heartier plants and plants with defense of thorn and poor taste. Lightning struck, fire burned, and wind cleared the forests, creating a heterogeneous landscape of forest and field. Disturbance by forces of nature further molded the land into it's present form. Can you see it in the land? Like small scars, healed but not forgotten. Boding of a time when disturbance was fresh and landscape was changing.
As you walk along you may see an old rotting log, and around it there may be many young trees. With the passing of the elder tree, sunlight increased and it's young began a race for the canopy, a final gift of sunlight from a dying mother. The wind blows and the creaking of many trees draws your attention. Glancing up it is apparent that you are surrounded by many dead trees, all pines. The bark has begun to peel from many and the tops are broken off a few. Walking up to the trees you can see what furrows in the wood where small pine beetles have worked their way through the soft outer flesh of the tree. This pine beetle infestation has slowly but surely killed the pines on the hillside. Soon they will all fall, making way for new species that love sunlight, like blackberry. Next summer there will be an abundance of fruit, much to the delight of the birds.
We have also played a part in this more recent history. Looking down the path you can see the land is broken and segmented. It is as if the gods dug staircases into the hillside to ease their passage. These terraces were used for agricultural crops, helping to reduce soil erosion and regulate soil moisture. Even though crops may not have been present here in 70 years, the terraces have remained and continue to influence the land.
The land also bears the signs of immediate events and changes. Beneath the brush sits a fresh scat from a bobcat. This not only tells the story of the presence of the bobcat, but also the story of the bobcats most recent prey. There is fur, of squirrel or rabbit, and a multitude of small bones within the scat. A nearby tree is scraped bare a few inches from the bottom where a buck in rut has rubbed its antlers. Puddles of muck show who has walked by recently and how fast they were going. The low brush has been cut clean a few inches from the ground. Because it is a clean cut and not a tear you can tell it was made by a rabbit and not some other creature.
Across all forms of land there are signs and stories. They can tell us the history of the land and help us to understand our place upon it. We can learn of our surroundings and the events around us long after they have occurred. Next time you go for a walk in the woods, look around. Who or what is trying to tell you a story from yesterday?
