But while this ranking is exciting to the researchers studying the forest, they are more interested in what the tree can tell them about the climate and ecology in the region over nearly four centuries. This special issue began to take shape more than a year ago in a field in the English countryside. Gathered around a campfire were some 70 young people from six continents. As they broke bread and ate hummus together, they discussed how to defend human rights and protect the environment. On a balmy September afternoon, about a hundred students at one of the finest public universities in the nation are gathered under a sprawling Monterey pine.
Most students raise their hands.
They can converse knowledgeably about chlorofluorocarbons and the ozone hole, but most can't tell a pine from a fir, or even an oak. The professor is perturbed. The point is to pay attention. One of the creatures, found Wednesday in Brewster, died while one found yesterday in Dennis survived the stranding. However, scientists warn these grasslands are increasingly at risk of degradation as traditional grazing and land ownership patterns change and livestock numbers increase.