When the first settlers established Redding and other eastern seaboard towns, they began dividing the land into individual lots using prominent trees ("witness trees") as boundary markers, which they described in original land deeds. By gathering the references to these trees from town archives, one can obtain a reasonably objective sample of the forest composition at the time of European settlement. The dominant tree species of Redding's 18th century forest, including white oak and chestnut, are similar to many other southern New England towns. Highstead collaborates with researchers from the Harvard Forest on this project.
