Connecticut's tallest tree - the LeClair Tulip Poplar

[dbhguru]

NTS

Today Bart Bouricius, Ryan LeClair and I looked at a stand of tuliptrees that Ryan had scouted out growing near his home in Trumbull. The site is on the Pequonnock River in a park that runs along the river. It took only seconds to realize that the site offers feast of tall tuliptree. The spot looks more like Virginia than Connecticut. I spent my time identifying the tallest trees in the stand and measuring and remeasuring them. N room for error. We put a push pin in each measured tree.

I’ll get right to the numbers.

Tree # Height Girth

4 138.8 7.8
6 145.7 11.4
2 150.7 9.6
1 152.0 10.5
5 152.0
3 155.0 8.9

Number 3 becomes the LeClair TT, and at this pint, it is Connecticut’s tallest accurately measured tree. Obviously this tree is named in honor or Ryan who found it and shared it with us. Thanks Ryan. Let's now have a look at Ryan's tree.

After leaving the area Bart and I found another grove of TTs on Route 108. There are several over 11 feet in girth. I measured one at 11.3 feet around and 121 feet in height. There may be a 130 or two. Still later we measured a big TT in Farmington. Its stats are girth 13.5 feet and height 118.5.

We saw many TTs. Most of the tall ones are between 120 and 130 feet. There are definitely lots more places to search, but much of the landscape is boulder strewn with very thin soils - lots of TTs, but none of real significance. Ryan really has a special spot on the Pequonnock. There may be another 150 there, but not more. There are probably a couple more 140s in the small stand. The TTs on the opposite side of the river drop dramatically in height. They’re younger trees. The tallest is around 135 feet.

Bart and I stopped in Simsbury on our return trip to check on the great Pinchot sycamore. It took a big hit in the Oct snowstorm. But it will make it fine. It measures 28.0 feet in girth and the highest spot is 99.1 feet now. Its average crown spread has probably dropped to a little under 140 feet. Still a formidable tree.

Bob

[AndrewJoslin]

Great news, congrats to Ryan!
-AJ

[DougBidlack]

Great work guys! I wonder how many other sites in Connecticut hold 150's?

Doug

[Aunt Laura]

This is a great day and tree find for you! Hope this is the first of many. Keep scouting and looking for special trees to share with others. Way to go Ry. Love ya

[Larry Tucei]

Congrats to Ryan! Larry

[Steve Galehouse]

Bob, Ryan, Bart, ENTS-

Great trees! Breaking 150' is a milestone for any species in any state above the Mason-Dixon line. Tuliptree, white pine, and sycamore are only species to do so, so far, I think.

Steve

[RyanLeClair]

Thank you guys, it means a lot. For real. And thank you Bob and Bart.

[dbhguru]

NTS,

Here is another look at the tuliptree haven along the Pequonnock with Ryan and Bart. The LeClair TT is not in the image, but off to the left.

Bart left his clinometer with Ryan who already has a Nikon 440. I have a feeling that Ryan is going to be a big producer for us in CT and that the Nutmeg State finally has a true champion. We've just begun the search.

It really takes a local Ent to do the job. Now with Ryan has been unleashed in CT, the small, hidden spots that you can't discover from general drive-thrus will now be revealed.

Bob

[bbeduhn]

150s aren't that common south of the Mason-Dixon line outside of national parks and memorial forests. Nice find! Any chance Rhode island has a 150 footer? I doubt it but who knows?

[dbhguru]

Brian,

In years past, I did go to Rhode Island a number of times and did measure a few tuliptrees, but couldn't find anything exciting. Southwestern CT has the best of what New England offers. With Ryan unleashed, I think we'll eventually piece together the region's story. The lower Hudson River Valley has lots of potential, but the TT requires rich sites and places that might otherwise provide favorable habitat of tall TTs often fail because of thin soils. Southern CT is awash in rocky soils. Some are amazingly boulder cluttered. I think it is a post glacial phenomena. So, while there is a lot of potential habitat to search in souther New England, the actual number of places that will support tall TTs is far more restricted.

Bob