The Inside Story Behind New England's Stonewalls

You might look at stonewalls as so many people do - beautiful rows of rocks piled in lines along fields or through the woods. Yet, the history of stonewalls, and their New England charm, hide a more scientific purpose - namely, classifying them in ways similar to wetlands to allow consideration during future land use decisions. The topic of the 240,000 miles of stonewalls in New England is engagingly laid out in this interview with University of Connecticut Earth Sciences professor Robert Thorson, the foremost expert on stonewalls in New England.