An endless struggle takes place here as trees strive for the essentials of life: water, sunlight, and space. Hardwoods push upward to get ahead, their crowns filling the overhead space and shutting out sunlight from young seedlings. This younger generation, like its elders, also fights for survival. The competition is keen, and the hardwoods are winning over the pines. A 15-minute walk along this trail leads from a mixed hardwood-pine forest, the loser, to a mixed hardwood forest, the winner.