Fall Creek Valley Loop Preview

1

Forest Restoration

Notice the small, caged trees just beyond the kiosk. This area was overgrown with non-native honeysuckle and other invasive shrubs, which out-competed the native plants that once grew here. After removing the invasive shrubs, Cornell Botanic Gardens staff and volunteers planted a variety of native trees including American sycamore, northern hackberry, and bitternut hickory, which thrive in the sandy soil along Fall Creek. Changing climate conditions in recent years has required more effort to control invasive plants, a significant threat to the world’s biodiversity.Side trip: Cross the Flat Rock Footbridge to access several miles of trails on the North side of Fall Creek, which connect to the Monkey Run Natural Area via the Cayuga Trail. Access ithacatrails.org and search “Fall Creek Natural Areas” for a trail map.

2

Trail Intersection

From here, you can follow the blue blazed trail along the scenic edge of Fall Creek or follow the red blazed trail past some impressively large, old trees. The two paths meet again in less than a quarter mile. Whichever route you choose, look for the gnawed remains of trees eaten by beavers, which have recovered significantly after being nearly wiped out from New York State in the 1800s.

3

Tagged Trees

Look for silver tags on some Eastern hemlock trees. Tagged trees are treated with a systemic insecticide to keep these trees alive after being infected by the Invasive Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA), which has decimated hemlocks throughout the Northeastern U.S. HWA has been detected on hemlock trees within nearly all of our natural areas and our staff routinely treat over 3,000 trees every five to seven years. Milder winters brought about by climate change have enabled hemlock woolly adelgid to expand its range northward.Learn more about our effort to control the hemlock woolly adelgid here.Big tree alert: Look for exceptionally large hemlock and basswood trees, estimated to be over 200 years old.

4

Research for hemlock conservation

Not only are many hemlocks in our natural areas treated to protect them against hemlock woolly adelgid, but they are also used for research by the New York State Hemlock Initiative at Cornell. Look for marked trees, which are part of a research project to pinpoint the duration between pesticide treatments for the greatest protection and cost effectiveness. Many of our natural areas have test plots for the NYS Hemlock Initiative. Learn more about this initiative here.Spend a moment admiring the large hemlock and sugar maple, estimated to be over 200 years old.

5

Trail intersection

From here, the trail continues toward the road to access the trail through our Park Park Natural Area and loops back to the start of the trail near the Flat Rock Footbridge. For a shorter hike back to the start of the trail, follow the blue blazed trail along the shore of Fall Creek.

6

A newer, tougher kind of forest

This area was once a meadow covered by invasive crown vetch, which crowded out the native plants that once grew here. After Cornell Botanic Gardens staff removed much of this aggressive plant, they intentionally restored forest in its place. Seeds were collected from a wide variety of local wild trees including yellow birch, white oak, burr oak and cherry, and were grown in the plant nursery near here before they were planted in this meadow.This newly forested area is part of our efforts to plant trees throughout our areas to increase the health and resilience of forests in the face of climate change. Donate to the Future Forests Initiative.

7

Two types of meadow

This area is visited by Cornell classes to explore plants within these two grassland-dominated landscapes. If you are facing uphill, the meadow area to the left (east) was intentionally created to display plants typical to a prairie habitat, which include bluestem, culver’s root, and Indian grass (shown above). To the right (west) is a successional meadow, which typically emerges after an agricultural area is allowed to revert to natural regrowth. These meadows are dominated by non-native species and native goldenrods.

8

Side trip

The spur trail here leads to an overlook at the top of this hill, then down the other side and across the road to a picnic area along Fall Creek

9

A wetland on a hillside

This boardwalk spans over a wetland nestled in this hillside. Rainwater seeps down through the glacial deposits further up this hillside. The calcium contained in the deposits increases the water’s pH, which collects to saturate the soil in this area. These conditions favor plants typical to a mineral-rich fen, which supports grasses, sedges, and wildflowers.

10

If Trees Could Talk

Trees tell us how the land was used in the past by their size and age. Here you can clearly see a border between young and older-growth forests. Notice the relatively smaller tree trunks more densely packed in the young forest, which was previously cleared to use as a pasture until the mid 1900’s. Compare this to the much larger and older trees, as well as the “pits” and “mounds” created when an uprooted large tree falls.

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Fallen Trees

Throughout this hike, you can see many large fallen trees typical of older forests. In recent years, climate change has increased the number of trees that have prematurely fallen, including the ones near the trail here. A rise in heavy rain events have saturated and loosened the soil to the point where larger trees are not able to secure their weight in the ground.

12

Evergreen Plantings

Notice there are more evergreen trees here than in other sections of forest along this trail. This area was once cleared for agriculture, then planted with a variety of evergreen trees such as spruce, fir, and pine. While some of them remain, other trees naturally sprouted. This section of the forest is much different than the older-growth forest along the trail by the staircase just a short distance west.

13

Tree of Peace

The tall conifer trees above are white pines. The Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫ' (the Cayuga Nation), whose traditional homelands include this natural area, have a close relationship with white pine and recognize it as the “Great Tree of Peace.” They view peace as a process of seeking universal justice by empowering society to cultivate a right, unselfish, and healthy mind.The Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫ' are members of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, an alliance of six sovereign nations with a historic and contemporary presence on this land.

Stairs to the Morgan-Smith Trail

From this sign, walk down these stairs to reach the 1/2-mile Morgan-Smith Trail on your right, where hemlock, white oak, sugar maple, and black cherry are abundant in the surrounding old-growth forest. Rich soil supports a diverse mix of herbaceous plants, including ferns, mayapple, bloodroot, and several locally rare plants.

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Back to Start

Form here, you can cross the street to arrive at the beginning of the tour.