This forest was once a pasture. A white oak over 100 years old shows that it stood along the edge of a formerly cleared pasture area, and occasional pieces of barbed wire lodged in tree trunks in this area provide another clue. Lining up this tree with other large trees adjacent to the trail reveals the line of the old field edge. Field edges were often the safest haven for growing trees, and large fence-row trees on property lines were often spared when woodlands were cleared for commercial timber sales. Study of the age of typical nearby trees indicates that this area was last maintained as a cleared pasture or field about 60 to 100 years ago.