Experimental Forest? What's the experiment?

The afternoon we spent at the Hitchiti Experimental Forest was probably my favorite lab experience. The forest was beautiful and the day mild, which made for a lovely adventure. We were introduced to wild ginger; I had never seen it growing before. Also, we discussed pine beetles and their effect on the pine population of the forest.

(Disclaimer: This is not actually a picture of the forest, rather, it is a depiction of the effect of the southern pine beetle.)


After learning about these pesky beetles, we ventured further into the forest and discovered a sponge-like moss and hugged a few trees.


Finally, (my favorite part) we made it to the river and I chose to hop across the rocks of the river with a few classmates. I succeeded, thankfully, and probably due to a minor miracle, to not fall into the river. Score.