The switches are around the corner. The miniature scenes of forests and farms glow invitingly. Mass. Since its establishment in 1907, the Forest has served as a base for research and education in forestry, biology, and ecology. The internationally acclaimed dioramas portray the history of central New England forests, their management, and ecology. The first model depicts the landscape as seen by the first colonial settlers.
Thick tree trunks with delicately grooved bark stretch up and out of view.
A few reddish leaves cling to low branches of a sapling. A figure in the foreground looks off toward distant, purplish hills. It is late fall 1700. In the next model, it's 1740. Many trees are gone and a freshly plowed field of ruddy earth stretches back to a small cabin.