tall tree grove, CV

[sradivoy]

I found a nice grove of tall trees (via lidar) within the Cuyahoga Valley watershed that I hope to visit this fall after leaf drop. I went this past spring while the leaves were just beginning to bud and couldn't make it back on time before the trees were covered in foliage. This is a very wet area with lots of mosquitos and should only be visited during the winter months. I did manage to get a couple of data points on two tulip trees however. One measured 124' tall with a respectable girth of 13'2'' while the other one measured a nice 152' tall by 11'4''. I only have photos of the tall tree. There's about ten lidar hits of 150, many of these will prove false but others won't. In total there"s about twenty hits above 140. Couldn't post the file here for some reason but was able to do so on my facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... =3&theater

[sradivoy]

I went to visit this grove the other day and remeasured the tall tulip. I found a slightly taller sprig that appeared shorter from my perspective but was actually farther away in the back of the crown. It measured 154' instead of the previous 152'. I measured the new sprig from a different location and got the same result. I also measured a black cherry at a very tentative 148' that I need to revisit. It was based on a single measurement so I don't know if I miscalculated or if indeed I hit the actual top. I see no reason why this species can't reach 150' in Ohio. Looking forward to leaf drop!

[Matt Markworth]

Nice tuliptrees! Anything in the 140's is very special for black cherry.

Matt

[sradivoy]

Agreed. And I think a truly superlative tulip in Ohio is now 155' and above rather than 150' in my opinion. The most superlative tree in the state is without a doubt your 150 plus bitternut. I don't think that record will ever be broken. Number two is somewhere in the low 140s. Huge relative difference which leads me to believe that it could happen with another species, perhaps even a black cherry. I think at this stage of the game the growth conditions of a particular site has more to do with how many boots there are on the ground looking for them than anything else.

[dbhguru]

Stefan,

The growing number of tall tulip trees in Ohio is proving to be very impressive. Keep up the good work.

Sometime during the winter, I hope to start collecting data for tulip trees and white pines from the many posts in NTS. I'll be asking for help. The game plan is to assemble the data, it in a standard format, and take it to Harvard Forest for inclusion in their database available to the public. There has been a mountain of work that has gone into measuring all these trees accurately and reporting on them. However, the information is hopelessly scattered. It is time to collect it and make it available through an organization with lots of scientific standing.

Bob

[ryandallas]

Great trees, sradivoy.

Kind of off topic, but have you ever been on the Olde Route 8 bridge, in Boston Heights?

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/60721263

My family used to drive to Illinois every summer. This bridge marked the halfway point.

[Steve Galehouse]

Stefan-

Where in the CVNP is this site?

[sradivoy]

Steve,
Near the park headquarters in an area referred to as Jaite. The grove is actually just outside the NP boundary (from what I originally thought) and is actually part of Brecksville Metropark along the Buckeye trail just north of Snowille road.
Stefan

[Steve Galehouse]

Stefan thanks, I'll check out the area. There are several sites near this one with tall tree; here are the tile numbers and the tallest lidar hit per tile:

n2225545-161'+
n2220560-156'+
n2225535-166'+

Steve

[sradivoy]

Thanks Steve. I'm aware of those sites and have visited them, including the one at O'Neil Woods. Nice to have one north of the turnpike for a change. Who knows how many tall tree enclaves exist within the Cuyahoga river watershed that neither of us knows about. Enjoy your visit to Jaite!
Stefan