Borgs Woods

[just watching]

Storm Damage Report - Borg's Woods.

This rare October snowstorm was extremely selective in what size and species trees were killed.  Only trees between 8" and 18" diameter were lost.  None were large trees or old growth trees, and no trees smaller than 6" diameter were killed. The total count = 9 trees were killed, and countless major limbs down everywhere.

The losses were primarily in the wetland areas where certain trees species were hit hard. Areas along Coles Brook, especially Silver Maples, were very hard hit. 

The stepping stone trail crossing over Coles Brook to Washington Ave, Maywood, is out indefinitely, possibly for years, due to a downed Mulberry with many vines and stickers all over it.  There is no impact to the water flow, but the trail crossing is ruined on the woods side.

Most of the Mulberry (an invasive) in Borg's Woods were lost.  One mulberry fell directly over Fairmount Ave. Another Mulberry, the only one in the middle of the woods, fell directly over the deepest part of the vernal pool.  Nearby a Pin Oak trunk snapped and also fell directly over the deepest water.  The vernal pool has lost some aesthetic appeal, at least temporarily.

Trails are blocked in many spots by major limbs.  A huge amount of major limbs were sheared off trees all around the vernal pool.  Now I know why the vernal pool is open and not forested --- this must happen every few decades.

The damage actually looks worse than it really is, since only 9 trees died, and all were small ones.  Beech have very springy branches and they faired well.  Ash and Cottonwood were not affected at all because they already lost their leaves.  Hardest hit were Red Maple, Mulberry, and Sweetgum.

As always, the recommendation is to clear the trails of fallen trees or limbs, but otherwise leave everything in place.This is a natural event. Also there are large limbs in the creek that drains out of the vernal pool, potentially blocking the water flow. No, Mr. Jerlinski didn't throw them there. It happened naturally. I suppose it would be OK to pull them out.

[Editor]

Warm weather could aid coyote comeback in Hackensack
Last updated: Friday February 10, 2012, 1:24 AM
BY MARK J. BONAMO
MANAGING EDITOR
Hackensack Chronicle

The warm temperatures that hovered around 60 degrees last week might have brought city residents out of their homes. But this year’s relatively mild winter might also be a boon to some of Hackensack’s four-legged denizens: the coyote population.

Residents who live near the Borg’s Woods nature preserve in the northwest corner of the city were alarmed last summer by a noticeable rise in coyote sightings. The coyote comeback is part of a statewide influx attributed in part to stricter hunting laws and the removal of the animals’ natural habitats by development.

The overall warmer pattern in the weather could also boost the coyote population in Hackensack.

After a brutal 2011 winter, this year has seen unseasonably mild temperatures. According to state climatologists, the average temperature last month was 35.1 degrees — approximately four degrees above the average for all Januarys over the past 30 years. A temporary change in the position of the jet stream in recent weeks has contributed to the past 12 months being all above average temperature, ranking as the third warmest of any consecutive 12-month period since 1895, according to climatologists.

Capt. Bill Sheehan, head of the Hackensack Riverkeeper environmental advocacy group, noted that the warmer temperatures should enhance the coyote population’s chances of continued expansion.

"In weather like this, coyotes don’t have to hunker down so much," Sheehan said. "It gives them more opportunity to hunt, and probably to mate. All the mice and other small critters that coyotes eat that would usually be hibernating are also out there running around."

Sheehan, however, pointed out that although nature seems to be stepping outside its normal weather boundaries lately, it also corrects itself.

"There might be a minor explosion in the coyote population, but nature will level that very quickly," Sheehan said. "When there is an overpopulation of any animal within a confined environment, including one like Borg’s Woods, it happens. When there was a boom in the fox population in Overpeck Park, mange set in. Mange is one of nature’s diseases that corrects the course of overpopulation."

Sheehan warned that the effect of dramatic shifts in the weather could continue to have a significant impact on humans and coyotes alike in the years ahead.

"Last year, we were dealing with flooding issues up and down the Hackensack and Passaic rivers. This year, we may be talking about not enough water to go around," Sheehan said. "This is all an indication that the climate is changing. It’s not just happening here in Bergen County. It’s not just happening in Hackensack. It’s happening all over the world."

Email: bonamo@northjersey.com