Youngstown Environmental Studies Society
YESS Field Trip to Kent Bog on October 25,1997
Kent Bog, otherwise known as a living relict of the Ice Age, is a step back in time. Formed by a glacier, it became a deep kettle-hole glacial lake and was overtaken by northern bog plants and a floating mat of sphagnum moss. Through a natural process, peat began to fill up the lake until it was a bog meadow. Then the surrounding boreal forest was replaced with a southern hardwood forest as time passed by. Luckily, most of the boreal vegetation still thrives in the Kent Bog for everyone to enjoy.
The Edge of Kent Bog Extends to the Southern Hardwood Forests
Kent Bog was the first Nature Preserve to be purchased from Ohio income tax checkoff funds. For more information about Kent Bog State Nature Preserve or the Natural Areas Checkoffs, contact: Division of Natural Areas & Preserves, 1989 Fountain Square Court, Columbus, OH 43224-1331.
100% Recycled Plastic Boardwalk at Kent Bog
Current activities include the production of our fall newsletter. We need people to write about current environmental problems or favorite environmental issues.
Stop by our next meeting to participate or call me at 533-7077.
YESS Vice-President Steve Morgan and member Shannon DiBell
Another Look at the Tamaracks and Unique Vegetation of Kent Bog
The Tamaracks (Larix laricina) at Kent Bog are the largest southernmost stand of these trees in the United States. Some 2,000 healthy, mature Tamaracks have been reported there with an abundance of seed production. Gray Birch (Betula populifolia) are also found at Kent Bog which is a threatened species in Ohio and is usually found farther north. Covering the floor of the bog is a layer of sphagnum moss. There have been 10 different species of sphagnum moss found at Kent Bog. Also, thickets of bog shrubs such as catberry (Nemopanthus mucronata), highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) and chokeberry (Pyrus melanocapa)can be found. Leatherleaf (Chamaedaphne) pops up in the openings of the bog where the sphagnum moss is absent. In this area, two Ohio endangered species, the small cranberry (Vaccinium oxycoccos)and few-seeded sedge (Carex oligosperma), find a home.
For more information about fieldtrips or meetings of YESS, President Amy Garchar at ap975@yfn.ysu.edu. or 533-7077.
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