Mingo Creek County Park, PA

[djluthringer]

Steve,

You've got a super site down there!  Those sycamores are VERY impressive, as well as another ~120 RI site for PA as well!  Are all your 12x100 trees single stems?  Great stuff.

If possible, I'd encourage you to try and verify the ID on the American elm.  If it is an Ulmus americana, you've got a new PA height record.

You also have an identical PA height champ for sassafras at 100.5ft with one in Wintergreen Gorge behind PSU Behrend.

I've been extremely busy lately and haven't checked the ENTS BBS in awhile, so I'm afraid I missed your introduction.  Can you please give me a brief look at your background and how you got interested in ENTS?  I can be reached for a quicker response off-site at:

djluthringer@pennswoods.net
dluthringe@state.pa.us

Looking forward to reading your future posts!

Dale


Dale J. Luthringer
Environmental Education Specialist
Cook Forest State Park
P.O. Box 120
Cooksburg, PA 16217
(814)744-8475
(814)744-8257fax
dluthringe@state.pa.us

[sjhalow]

Dale,

Thanks for the feedback on the Mingo report. It was a lot of fun working on the site last winter/spring.  It took me several weeks and a couple dozen trips to hike through the park. The Rucker's Index certainly exceeded my expectations. It just kept climbing.

I'll do my best to confirm the species of elm. I didn't realize that it has record potential. It may be a Slippery Elm though, they are common in the park.

Very cool to hear about the Sassafras too. It's crown looks healthy, but woodpecker's have poked several holes along it's upper trunk. So I'm afraid it may be gone in a few years. I'll keep my eye on it though.  

Black Cherry and Shagbark Hickory are a couple other species seem to have potential down here in SW PA.

I believe the 15'-6" cbh N Red Oak should be classified as double stem. It forks around 8' above the ground. The rest of the 12x100's are single stem trees.

Steve

[djluthringer]

Got it,

I re-checked my notes today on the sassafras, turns the tallest known in PA is in Airdrie Forest at 6.3ft CBH x 110.5ft high.  Still, 100ft class sassafras are very hard to come by in Western PA.  I've seen a few in Eastern PA which were very nice in girth, but rarely get on that side of the state.

Also, your shingle oak is the tallest known in PA as well, possibly the Northeast.  Bob would be the only one who might have data to break it, but I bet that species is very hard to come by that far north.  But, you never know with Bob, he could have one tucked away in his back pocket for just such an occasion.

Dale

[edfrank]

I believe the 15'-6" cbh N Red Oak should be classified as double stem. It forks around 8' above the ground. The rest of the 12x100's are single stem trees.

Generally we leave it up the the person doing the measuring to use his best judgement on what is ir is not a double.  They have seen teh tree in  person and from multiple angles and is the one in the best position to judge. If in doubt someone can always ask for a second opinion based upon photos of the tree.  If the tree would have seperate piths at ground level then it is considered a double or multitrunk.  If the piths would intersect before the ground level it is simply a low brqanching tree.  Sometimes a photo is helpful.  I line can be drwn down the axis of both trunks to better determine where they would intersect.  So if you think it is a double, it is your call.

Ed