The Beech Forest at Cape Cod National Seashore will be formally inducted into the national Old-Growth Forest Network/Jess Mechling

This coming Friday the Beech Forest at Cape Cod National Seashore in Massachusetts will be formally inducted into the national Old-Growth Forest Network. To celebrate the dedication of this protected forest, a ceremony will be held at the Beech Forest trailhead at 11 a.m. Eastern, followed by a short trail walk with a plant ecologist.  

“The Beech Forest has long inspired many generations, including the late poet Mary Oliver,” said Cape Cod National Seashore Superintendent Brian Carlstrom. “The trail is a wonderful sanctuary for those who seek to immerse themselves in nature and take in the sights, sounds, and smells of a forest which has been left uninterrupted for hundreds of years. We are thankful for this recognition from the Old-Growth Forest Network.”  

The Beech Forest, located in Provincetown off the Race Point Road, offers a glimpse of the original arboreal landscape of Cape Cod. When the Mayflower landed in the early 17th century, much of the Cape was covered in pine-oak forests and groves of hickory, red maple, birch, and beech trees. Over the next 200 years, settlers cleared nearly all of these forests. Due to the Beech Forest’s low-lying position, it was spared from logging. It is the sole remnant of beech forest on the Cape.  

The Beech Forest’s gentle trail meanders through forested dunes and skirts the shallow Beech Forest Pond. Birdwatching opportunities are abundant, especially in spring and fall. The Province Lands bicycle trail may be accessed from the parking area. 

The mission of OGFN is to connect people with nature by creating a national network of protected, mature and publicly accessible native forests. The organization’s goal is to preserve at least one forest in every county in the United States that can sustain one, estimated to be 2,370 out of a total of 3,140 counties. OGFN’s program works to identify forests for the network, ensure their protection from logging and connect people to these properties to experience old-growth forests. OGFN also educates the public about the extraordinary ecological and human wellness benefits of old-growth forests and speaks out regarding immediate threats to specific ancient forests.

Founded in 2012 by Joan Maloof, Ph.D., OGFN has more than 210 forests in 34 states. The Beech Forest in Provincetown will be the sixth Massachusetts forest to join the network. It will join Ice Glen in Berkshire County, Mohawk Trail State Forest in Franklin County, The Rivulet at the William Cullen Bryant Homestead in Hampshire County, Squam Swamp and Squam Farm Forest in Nantucket County, and Muddy Pond Wilderness Preserve in Plymouth County.

“We are thrilled to welcome this unique and important old forest into the network as the forest representative for Barnstable County. We want to honor and celebrate the National Park Service and all those who have stewarded and protected this land through time,” said Maloof.