Sinicariello FJ #7
Wednesday, 11/11/09

I immediately feel a rush of crisp fall air as I begin my walk out to the woods.  It is about 55 degrees and partly cloudy, but the air is cool and a bit nippy, giving hints that winter is on its way.  Since I have not been to observe the site for two weeks now, the changes I find are immense.  The luscious orange leaves that once dotted the treetops and covered the ground are now crunchy, dead and brown.  They no longer flutter into the air when I kick them with my feet, but instead just crumple with each step I take.  I notice that some leaves are grayer than others, and seem to form a path on the ground.  These gray leaves are concentrated in lower areas of land, and I wonder if rain or moisture had any role in this phenomenon.  Because it has not rained in a while, the pool of water at the southeast corner of the wood now has shrunken to a size of about 4 feet x 6 feet, although the sides of the pool remain muddy from the usual water.  

Because the branches of the trees are now bare, one can practically look straight through the woods.  I am able to see the Taconics to the west and many birds flying above the empty canopy, whereas earlier in the year the luscious foliage of the Syndicate Road woods formed a green blanket around me.  The crows are being particularly boisterous today, and I count at least ten flying above the treetops.  After they leave, other birds begin to make themselves heard, such as a sparrow and a chickadee.  In these woods of mostly bare maples, beech, oak and aspen trees, one paper birch to the south is easily spotted due to its clean white bark.  Some small trees still have lime-green leaves and one sugar maple still maintains bright yellow leaves. 

Moving closer to the stream, I realize the quantity of fallen logs in the woods.  The odd thing is that not many of them look as if they are decaying and I do not see any fungi growing on them.  This could be explained by the fact that they are newly fallen logs, or by the more realistic explanation that the conditions favor a slower decay process.  The stream, which runs north into the Hoosic River, is speckled with colorful leaves and stones, creating the perfect picture for a painter.  Because it has not rained in a while, the stream does not hold a ton of water, but has enough to keep trickling and moving.  Many logs have fallen into and across the stream, creating a perfect passage over the waters.  One tree, with many individual branches, grows practically sideways off of the north bank and forms a complete arc over the stream.   

The attached video is a typical representation of the Syndicate Road woods.  It shows the pool of water in the southeast corner of the woods, a squirrel, a car zooming down Syndicate Road, and the stream.  In the background, you can also hear the noise of a nearby lawnmower.  Although the woods may seem as if they are secluded from the outside world, now that the leaves have fallen from the trees the presence of human impact is ever more evident.