Winter in the Town Forest

Town Forest Committee
Will meet on the following Wednesdays at 7:30
in the Conservation Office (Town Hall-Upstairs)
January 21
February 18
March 18
Please join us!
For more information email forest@holbrookmassachusetts.us
Or call the selectmen’s office at 767-1212

The Friends of Holbrook Town Forest remind you that conditions are lovely on the bright, sunny days of winter to cross county ski or hike in the Town Forest. Dress warm, bring water and enjoy the picturesque and quiet landscape in our own backyard! Maps are available at the Conservation Office, 2nd Floor of Town Hall, or on this site.

We hope to see you in the Forest!

Boston Globe Says THE Choice Location in Holbrook is:

The Town Forest!

According to the Community Snapshot in the Boston Globe on January 11, 2009

Choice location: Holbrook Town Forest is a 115 acres of natural paths and backs onto the Cranberry Pond area of Braintree.

http://www.boston.com/realestate/community/articles/2009/01/11/holbrook/

We thank the Globe and welcome them to visit the Holbrook Town Forest anytime!

Tiny sundews need to eat, too!

Another carnivorous plant in the Holbrook Town Forest is the Drosera rotundifolia , or Sundew. In the bright sunlight these tiny plants glisten and sparkle. They are covered with mucilaginous glands(mucus secreting glands) which produce a stick substance to trap insects on the surface of their leaves and tentacles. Then it extracts nutrients from their bodies. Yum!

The Pitcher Plant Lives and Eats in the Town Forest!

This carnivorous rare plant, feeds on insects that are trapped in its bulbous pitcher like leaves.It is found in acidic bogs and fens. The highly modified leaves are covered with downward pointing hairs on the inside to keep their lunch (generally flying insects, flies, bees and wasps) from escaping. Insects that enter the leaf eventually drown, providing the pitcher plants with important nutrients.

The Chestnut Oak

One of the most common trees in the Town Forest is the Chestnut Oak(Quercus prinus). Everything about this tree is big! The deeply furrowed bark is it's most notable characteristic.


This tree is unusual in southeastern Massachusetts, and typically grows to 70 feet on windy ridges, but can grow twice that high in the right conditions. Its large lobed leaves are up to 8 inches long and a rich deep green. It is among the largest of native American oaks, and a valuable source of food for wildlife with very large acorns. It flowers in May with a 2 -3" display of pale yellow calyx. http://www.cnr.vt.edu/DENDRO/dendrology/syllabus/picts/qprinusfruit.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chestnut_oak