Re: Commentary on the 6th Forest Summit and ENTS rendezvous

[dbhguru]

ENTS,

   The 6th annual Forest Summit and the accompanying ENTS rendezvous go down in the record books as spectacular successes. These may have been our best events. The line-up of speakers was stellar and they all performed beautifully. The ENTS activities on Saturday were off the charts. This was ENTS at its best and that's not hyperbole. Now to the tree details. I'll save descriptions of the other events for another post.

   I picked up Will Blozan from the airport on Tuesday morning and we headed straight to Tanglewood to look at the Norway Spruces that I had promised to show brother Will, including the Octupus-armed behemoth. The spruces didn't let us down. Tanglewood has some real tree treasures. Here are some numbers for the trees we measured on Tuesday.

Location                  Species                 Height (ft)         Girth (ft)

West SPFLF               Sycamore                104.0                 20.25  (was about 19.2 feet when I started measuring it years ago)
Ice Glen                    N. red oak              114.0                 11.45  (I've reported on this tree before, but hadn't found the top)
Tanglewood              Norway Spruce         103.3                 12.3
Tanglewood              Norway Spruce         109.0                 12.9
Tanglewood              Norway Spruce         110.0                 14.7
Tanglewood              Black Locust              90.0                 17.6   (coppice)
Tanglewood              Black Locust              87.5                 17.7   (coppice)
Tanglewood              Norway Spruce          116.0                  8.8   (tallest Norway we found on Tanglewood)
Tanglewood              Norway Spruce          111.6                12.45
Tanglewood              N. Red Oak               101.1                13.8
Tanglewood              White Pine                                        12.9  (broken top about 100 feet tall)
Tanglewood              White Pine                118.2                11.50
Tanglewood              White Pine                118.5                12.0
Westfield River          Norway Spruce          121.8                        (several slightly over 120)

    We rested after returning from our successful trip to Tanglewood. On the way over and back from Tanglewood, we saw many Norways between 100 and 110 feet. They are common in that height range as planted yard or border trees.

    On Wednesday we headed toward the airport to pick up Dr. Susan Flader. However, our route would be by way of a few detours, the first to Columbus avenue to check on a Pin Oak and then to Simsbury, CT to update measurements on the giant Pinchot Sycamore. The Pin Oak in Northampton, MA is a whopper. It measures 17.7 feet in girth and 113.3 feet in height. I had it at 112.5, but Will's eagle eye found a higher point farther into the crown. Its spread is 107 feet. Its point total is 352. Not bad for a Pin Oak. It has its roots down into some water source.

   On arriving at the Pinchot Sycamore, we went right to work. Will located the smallest girth from just above chest height down to the ground. So we have  the Pinchot's most conservative measurements. Taking the measurement at breast height would yield 28 feet, if not 28.1. There is also a companion sycamore to the Pinchot a short distance away. Here are the measurements for both trees.

Tree                          Girth         Height       Crown Spread        Maximum Spread        Points

Pinchot                       27.91        100.5         150.5                        156.0                    474
Companion                 20.3          101.7

    The Pinchot's largest limb measures 55.2 inches DBH. A second limb measured 45.5 inches DBH and a third limb measures 43.5 inches.

    The climb of Jake Swamp on Saturday morning went off well. However, Jake's height didn't quite make 170. That was a bummer, but oh well. The shortfall is attributable to two and possibly three sources. First, we reset the base point to be as accurate, if not conservative as possible. The new base point is 0.4 feet above the old. The extremely dry season causes some crown thinning, through Will didn't report any breakages. I suspect the tuffs of new needles that were present in early June would have added 0.1 to 0.2 feet. Then there was the ground-based measurement error - my error. The amount was about 0.7 feet. Any way Jake ends up officially at 168.9 feet. Jake was measured to 168.5 feet on Will's 2008 climb, which would have been 168.1 feet on the new base point. From the ground, the new growth seemed more than 0.4 feet per year. In fact. I'd bet on it for at least 2009. However, we have Jake tied down as of 2010.

   On a subsequent walk we dedicated a tree to Dr. Susan Flader. It is in the ENTS grove. The measurements are girth = 9.6 feet and height = 156.1 feet.  We rededicated Jess Riddle's tree at the other end of the ENTS grove. Measurements are girth = 7.3 feet and height = 150.2 feet. Finally, we remeasured Lee Frelich's pine -- a growing machine. It is 8.6 feet in girth and 162.4 feet in height.

   While we were walking in Mohawk, John Eichhholz took Will and a few others to Buckland State Forest to look at the Norways and European Larches. John is one of the best tree measurers on the planet and little escapes his eye. So, it was appropriate that he break his own record and he did. He tagged a Norway at 150.4 feet in height! Yes, we've broken 150 for Norways. That is off the charts. The small Buckland stand is extremely important because the 150-footer is slim. I think John said about 6.7 feet. He'll report fully on it, but the Buckland stand is very significant. Incidentally, management of the Buckland stand falls under MTSF. So now the Deerfield River valley and gorge has three species of trees that break 150 feet and four that exceed 140. Given the latitude of 42.5 to about 42.8, that is pretty good. In fact, it is extraordinary.

   I'll begin wrapping up by pointing out that we measured three 20-foot girth trees this time and three more over 17 feet around. We added a new 150-footer of a different species and added a slug of big girth Norways. These tree confirmations make the western Mass ENTS events well worthwhile, but they'd never get the attention were it not for the dedication of the Ents who come year after year. Will Blozan, Lee Frelich, John Eichholz, and Gary Beluzo, and others are a part of soul of Mohawk.

  The final bit of news is very sad. The real Jake Swamp has just passed away. Jake knew of his tree, but was too sick to come to the event. the Jake Swamp tree now stands as a living memorial to a great man, a peacemaker who came to Mohawk on no less than three occasions. He will be missed, but his legacy will live on. You can google Jake Swamp and learn of his dedication to world peace and Native American causes.

Bob

[dbhguru]

ENTS,

   The Sixth Forest Summit Conference at Holyoke Community College, MA was a rousing success - arguably our best. It began on Oct 14th with Dr. Susan Flader speaking to the Aldo Leopold legacy. She is a highly accomplished environmental historian from Missouri. Susan is dynamite. We can't thank her enough for joining us. But it wasn't just Susan. Dr. David Foster of Harvard Forest followed with an informative presentation on Wildlands and Woodlands. Bob O'Connor of EEA represented the State. By the end of the first day, it was clear that the conference was going to be a complete success. The first day presentations were interesting, informative, and the themes well balanced. Dr. Mary Booth presented a compelling analysis of biomass. In summary, the first day was well attended and we received very favorable feedback. We knew we had a winner.

   The second day was devoted to science, environmental ethics, and inspirational forests and trees. The presenters were entertaining, especially Dr. Lee Frelich. Henry Art, Lee Frelich, Neil Pederson, Jesse Bellemare, Gary Beluzo, and Doug Seale represented the day session. The evening session included two presentations, which were meant to be inspirational. Will guided us through his climb of the world's tallest sequoia. That was the evening's highlight.

  We will do the summit again next year with the intention of pushing the envelope even further. And I am happy to report that we had no silliness at the event from the source that foolishly tried to cast the Forest Summit as anti-forestry. Of course it wasn't.

Bob

[James Parton]

Bob,

It sounded like an awesome event. I would have loved to have attended. Maybe I'll have my chance on an upcoming year. Hopefully next year!

[tomhoward]

ENTS,

What a fabulous event! I wish I could have attended but circumstances this year made it impossible. I long to see the great White Pines of Mohawk Trail. Maybe next year I can make it. I sure hope so.

In the meantime I'll do what I can here with my limited means in central NY.

Bob, the great Tuliptrees at Green Lakes await your touch. They are still the tallest trees ever accurately measured in this area. Maybe one of them is 150 ft. tall by now? You got them at 144 ft.+ in 2002.

Gaines, I plan to get going on Norway Spruce when I can - there's no doubt there's lots of great sites out here, and I plan on searching for more 100 ft. NS and Scots Pine at Beaver Lake.

Tom Howard

[dbhguru]

Tom,

   Come spring, I should be able to make it to Green lake and remeasure the tulips. Let's stay in touch.

Bob

[Gary Beluzo]

If you go to Green Lake, consider me an attentive colleague.  Not only are the tulips magnificent but the two meromictic lakes are worth visiting and studying.  A meromictic lake is one that mixes only partially when it does mix.  During the summer the upper part of the lake is therally stratified into three distinct regions 1) epilimnion 2) metalimnion, and 3) hypolimnion.  There is a sharp chemical gradient at the boundary of the hypolimnion and the rest of the lake below.  The chemocline separates the mixolimnion (epilimnion, metalimnion, and hypolimnion) from the monimlimnion which is perenially dark, stagnant, saline, and often anoxic.Even during the spring and fall overturn whehn the entire mixolimnion mixes and becomes isograde in terms of chemistry, the monimolimnion below remains isolated from the rest of the lake.  

Supposedly there are biogenic manganese nodules on the bottom of green lake and deepwater microbial mats (stromatolites).  I would love to visit Green Lake again....

Gary

Gary

[edfrank]

Gary,

Have you ever looked at the Stromatilites in the Bahamas - particularly those on San Salvador?  I have some photos I need to dig out.

Ed

[James Parton]

I have seen them only on TV

[Larry Tucei]

Bob,  It must have been a great meeting with all those great speakers.  Huge Norways, and that Sycamore is off the charts! Wow 150' Spread- Fantastic! Sorry to hear about Jake Swamp passing. I would have enjoyed meeting such a man!    Larry

[djluthringer]

150ft Norway ?!?!?!?!?!?!

HOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLYYYY   MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLYYY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Way to go, JOHN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Dale