Native Tree Society BBS

Hi Folks,

With the help of some stalwart Adirondack residents, I have taken on a larger project that I can really handle. It is the measurement and documentation of legacy trees in the Dacks. Here is the criteria I'm planning to use.
More species will be added as time goes on, but this is a start. So far, I have 12 sites identified with white pines in the 130-foot height class. There are many more, but confirming them is going to require boots on the ground. Anyone interested in joining the party?

This project is being done in support of on-going conservation efforts to highlight the exceptional forests and trees of the Dacks. The idea is that we not lose sight of quality in the pursuit of quantity.

On this last trip, just concluded, I set a new personal height record for red spruce with a 115.5-foot tall, 7.5-foot girth specimen growing on the south side of Mason Lake. More to come, with images.

Bob

I aim to get up to the Dacks sometime this summer and would certainly like to participate. Normally I'll spend a while backpacking deep in the high peaks; anything that needs checking out in that region? I also have friends up the road from Paul Smith's College so could spend some time over that way.

Erik,

We need threshold data from all areas of the Dacks. Any thing you can add, will be appreciated. Just use the table with the values I previously sent.

Bob

Bob,

Just north of Schroon Lake, Severance Mountain appears to have many white pines in the 125-140' class. I only took one laser shot, as I needed to keep moving up the mountain, but got 41-42 yards with my Nikon 440. The shot wasn't quite straight up, but it also didn't quite reach the high point of the tree's crown. Like you've written in the past on the Schroon Lake area, the forest appears to be old second-growth, but a little bit may be virgin. I-87 is very close by, but a visit may require a couple of miles' walk. A few hemlocks in the same area may also meet your criteria, but are not nearly as impressive. I plan to return and measure more, but it may not be until next fall.

Elijah