Native Tree Society BBS

All,

California Woods Nature Preserve is located in the eastside Cincinnati neighborhood of California. As far as the name, the story goes that the three men who plotted out the town originally had thoughts of heading to the California gold rush of 1849, but instead stayed behind and put their efforts into laying out this new river town they named California. I prefer to think that the name of California stands for the tall trees! The town was annexed by Cincinnati in 1909 and the nature preserve is owned by the Cincinnati Park Board. Thankfully, this 113 acre park has limited facilities and usually only has one or two cars present on an average visit. A single lane road (with a couple of pullouts if you do happen to meet another car) and only one way in helps to keep the traffic down.

Here is some information with the following reference: Bryant, William S. 1987. Structure and Composition of the Old-Growth Forests of Hamilton County, Ohio and Environs.

“California Woods Nature Preserve is on a dissected outwash terrace near the junction of the Little Miami and Ohio Rivers. Soils are the Casco loam, Princeton sandy loam, Bonnell silt loam, Cincinnati silt loam, and Eden silty clay loam . . . There was a total of 407 trees representing 20 species in the 31 sampling plots . . . Basal area was highest of any forest sampled at 39.16 m²/ha and density totaled 324 trees/ha.”
I utilized the Trupulse 200 and the Nikon 440, many times using both on the same tree, and I also checked the Trupulse 200 angle against the Suunto clinometer. This park is on my way home from work and is my favorite place to hike, so I’ll definitely be going back. Here are some recent measurements, along with some from last year.

tuliptree: 153.6’
American sycamore: 8'11" x 152.5' (added on 3/3/14)
bitternut hickory: 8’4” x 151.9’ – Ohio Height Record
black cherry: 7’6” x 143.1’ – Ohio Height Record
black walnut: 7’1” x 138.9’ – Ohio Height Record

RHI5: 148’

shagbark hickory: 6'6" x 136.8' - Ohio Height Record (added on 3/7/14)
yellow buckeye: 11' x 133.1' - Ohio Height Record (added on 3/1/14)
white ash: 7’3” x 132.2’
red hickory: 7’6” x 130.5’ – Ohio Height Record
basswood (American or white): 8’1” x 129.2’

RHI10: 140.2'

red oak subgenus (probably northern red): 128.7’
chinkapin oak: 5’ x 124.5’ – ENTS Height Record
common hackberry: 5’10” x 122.5’ – ENTS Height Record
bur oak: 12.4’ x 122.4’ – Ohio Height Record
American beech: 5’3” x 121.5’

RHI15: 134.8’

honeylocust: 10'7" x 120.9' - Ohio Height Record (added on 5/14/15)
white oak: 8’1” x 120.1’
sugar maple: 8'8" x 118' (added on 5/14/15)
red maple: 8.95' (with vine) x 117.6' (added on 3/26/16)
American elm: 8’5” x 117.2’

RHI20: 130.8’

tuliptree: 8.8’ x 148.6’
tuliptree: 7.5’ x 147.6’
tuliptree: 8.3’ x 143.9’
tuliptree: 12’4” x 142.5’
tuliptree: 11’6.5” x 120.1’
American sycamore: 10.4’ x 135.4’
bitternut hickory: 6'3" x 137.6' (added on 3/7/14)
bitternut hickory: 8’3” x 136.3’
bitternut hickory: 9’8” x 127.6’
black cherry: 7.6’ x 132.5’
white ash 126’
red maple: 10.1' x 115.5' (added on 3/26/16)
sugar maple: 5’5” x 113.6’
chinkapin oak: 5’8.5” x 113.5’
chinkapin oak: 7'5.5" x 110.3' (added on 12/3/15)
common hackberry: 111.6’
common hackberry: 9’1” x 106.2’ (fat base because of fallen double)
common hackberry: 6’9” x 104’
tree-of-heaven: 10.6' x 110' (added on 3/26/16)
black walnut: 6’ x 108.1'
yellow buckeye: 8’2” x 106.2'
blackgum: 7'3.5" x 103.6' (added on 3/3/14)
slippery elm: 5’5” x 94.7’
black locust: 5’7” x 83.5’
Matt Markworth

Matt-

Fantastic report, and what a site! Six state height records, plus two ENTS height records(and therefore likely national height records) at one small site----it doesn't get any better than that. Southern Ohio is finally coming through with the records from California Woods and Fort Hill. An updated Ohio max list including the recent finds: Steve

All around Awesome.

I never thought I'd see the bitternut at Sand Run get beaten in Ohio, and most certainly not by ten feet. It's about time someone found a tall hackberry. It's not uncommon to see them get to be big forest trees in NW Ohio, but I never seem to see them on a true tall tree site.

Looking at the hickory heights here, I bet we can do better than low 120's at Fort Hill.

Matt,

Nice work and great pictures! How did the Trupulse 200 and the Nikon 440 compare?

Like Patrick, I'm wondering how the mechanical clinometer faired against the electronic clinometer of the Trupulse 200? I'll expose my bias, my current thinking is that the electronic clinometers (based on accelerometers detecting motion) outperform the Suunto/Brunton types...what do you guys think?

Patrick, Don,

Great questions! I definitely have some thoughts based on using the Trupulse 200, Nikon 440, and Suunto Clinometer out in the field. I went ahead and started up a new post (http://www.ents-bbs.org/viewtopic.php?f=235&t=6145) because I think it's a great topic for continued discussion.

Matt

Matt, Steve, Rand

Ohio is freaking amazing! Even with the amount of historical clearing, there is so much more in the Buckeye State to get excited about than any of us ever imagined.

Bob

dbhguru wrote:Matt, Steve, Rand

Ohio is freaking amazing! Even with the amount of historical clearing, there is so much more in the Buckeye State to get excited about than any of us ever imagined.

Bob

Bob,

I'm appreciating more and more what I have in my own "backyard."

Here's an iPhone video giving a view from the road, the best coves are to the left . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8CMYrrHk7Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8CMYrrHk7Y

Matt

Matt,

I enjoyed the video. Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite fits the drive well. It would be even better in the summer. I recall years ago, walking in MTSF with ear phones on listening to Vivaldi's Four Seasons in a gentle snow. Magical!

I wonder if those tempting forest morsels continue over into Indiana? I've visited a few Indiana sites but was never lucky enough to measure trees of the caliber that you all are finding in Ohio. I expect that in historic times, the big stuff was spread across the Mid-west to eastern Missouri.

Bob

dbhguru wrote:Matt,

I enjoyed the video. Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite fits the drive well. It would be even better in the summer.

Bob,

Ask and you shall receive!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4wphGYnjWA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4wphGYnjWA

Matt