The 1998 Ice Storm

     The pine barrens at Altona Flat Rock was severely damaged by the January 1998 ice storm.  In some areas more than 80% of the canopy was destroyed leaving a large amount of dead branches on the forest floor.   The Miner Institute, fearing that the dramatic increase in fuel load would greatly increase the chance of a wildfire in this naturally fire-susceptible ecosystem, undertook a salvage operation to remove the dead and dying trees.  The foresters left any undamaged trees and the cone-bearing branches from damaged trees to act as a "seed-source" to maintain the integrity of the ecosystem.  Photographs A-C (below) were taken near Well 400 on the flume road (A) before the ice storm, (B) about four months after the ice storm and (C) nearly three years after the ice storm.  Photograph D shows the extent of jack pine regeneration near Well 400 in October, 2001.

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