Primeval trees tower over young upstarts; Centuries-old hemlocks, oaks and beeches survive in Spa park, but others lack protection in region.(Capital Region)

Byline: KENNETH C. CROWE II - Staff Writer

SARATOGA SPRINGS - Tucked away in Saratoga Spa State Park stands a patch of trees forgotten by time.

The hemlocks, oaks and beeches there are old growth forest - where the trees tower over the forest floor. Such forests make up just one-half of 1 percent of forests in the United States.

These ancient trees have large trunks and pronounced roots, and they tend to intertwine, giving the look they are embracing. "They're tall," said Alli Schweizer, Saratoga Spa State Park's naturalist, scanning the tree canopy off Crescent Avenue. "Their age is between 200 and 300 years."

About 200 acres of old growth …