White Oak; Fairfield University

[RyanLeClair]

Hi Ents,

Parlor's Rock is a little park near me which I like to visit often. While there one day I "found" this white oak tree (see attached).
The tree looks like it lived in an open-grown setting in its early years, only to be recently crowded by smaller competitors; I say this because it has many low branches, some of which are dying away.

White Oak

Connecticut used to be mostly farmland, so it isn't a stretch to say that this tree is an old farm relic. I don't have a height or spread on the tree (I don't have the necessary equipment) but I did get a CBH: 16' 5.5" (5.2 Ft. DBH). Not bad!

Fairfield University

My dad teaches Economics at Fairfield University in Fairfield, Ct, about 25 minutes from home. I have spent a lot of time on campus. Recently my dad and I measured these two trees (see attached). The first one is a Tulip Tree. Just like the white oak it seems to have started out its life as a farm tree but is now surrounded by smaller competitors. That would explain why it is so thick: 5.2 Ft. DBH! (16' 2.5" CBH). Pardon my enthusiasm; I've just never seen a Liriodendron this big!

Liriodendron

The second tree is a beech of some sort, with very dark, almost black leaves. Fagus sylvatica? I'm not sure. This one has always stunned my dad because of its big girth (21' 5" CBH). However, this may not be just one tree; though its hard to get this impression out of the photo, it looks as though it is two trees which have fused into each other. Anyways, very interesting. Well, that's all!

[edfrank]

Hello,

Thanks for the report. I am curious if the Parlor Rock you refer to is this one in Trumbull, CT
History of Parlor Rock http://www.trumbullhistory.org/written/prock.shtml

and is the one marked on this map:


Click on image to see its original size

Yes it definitely appears to be Fagus sylvatica, specifically Copper Beech (Fagus sylvatica 'Purpurea').

[James Parton]

I have seen older trees in a forest that actually predates the forest too. Trees that have been part of a homestead or farm that has overgrown. I have found such examples near my home and Lake Julian.

The beech you have pictured looks like European Copper Beech. They have darker leaves than typical European or American Beeches. And on the Liriodendron. That is still a nice tree!

James

[RyanLeClair]

Thanks for the response fellas. Yep, that is the same Parlor Rock Park. And about these "overtaken" trees -- those which started out life in solitude and now are being grown in by newcomers -- do you think they hold a lot of promise?