Fair Hill Natural Resource Management Area, Md.

[George Fieo]

Fair Hill Natural Resource Management Area, Maryland

Species GBH Height Comment
A Beech 15.3' 81.8' Open grown
A Beech 10' 128.7'
A Beech 10.9' 130.2' Md C0-Height Record/Ruth B Swan Memorial Park tree @ 129.4'/2010
American Chestnut 1.2' 31.9'
American Chestnut 1.4' 61.3' Md Co-Height Record/Howard County tree @ 61.9'/2010
A Hornbeam 3.2' 36.5' GBH @ 2'
Bigtooth Aspen 6.2' 111.6'
Bigtooth Aspen 4.8' 120.9' Md Height Record
Bitternut Hickory 8.7' 133.5'
Blackgum 9.9' 99.1'
Blackgum 5' 109.8'
Blackhaw 1.45' 33.6'
Black Birch 5.8' 107.4' Md Height Record
Black Cherry 7' 128.5' Md Height Record
Black Oak 9.2' 132.9'
Black Oak 13.2' 136.4' Dead
Black Oak 9.1' 136.6'
Black Oak 9.2' 137.5'
Black Oak 11.5' 140.2' 2nd to 143.4' tree @ Bell Woods/2001
Black Walnut 9.2' 121.8'
Black Walnut 8.2' 127.5' Md Height Record
Chestnut Oak 9.5' 105'
Chestnut Oak 6.5' 115'
E Hophornbeam 2.1' 75.2' Md Height Record
Flowering Dogwood 1.9' 51.2' Md Height Record
Mockernut Hickory 7.1' 124.6'
Mockernut Hickory 4.9' 133.6' Md Co-Height Record/Bell Woods tree @ 133'/2010
N Red Oak 11.9' 140.5'
N Red Oak 10.1' 140.7'
N Red Oak 9.8' 141.1'
N Red Oak 8.5' 141.9'
N Red Oak 6' 142.1'
N Red Oak 11.7' 142.2'
N Red Oak 9.4' 142.8'
N Red Oak 10.4' 145.4' Md Co-Height Record/Bell Woods tree @ 144.9 in 2010
Pin Oak 9' 125.1' Md Height Record
Pignut Hickory 9.5' 127.2'
Pignut Hickory 9' 130'
Pignut Hickory 7' 140.7'
Pignut Hickory 7.1' 140.8'
Pignut Hickory 6.8' 141'
Pignut Hickory 7.3' 141.9'
Pignut Hickory 7.8' 145.8' Md Height Record
Pitch Pine 5' 96.1' Plantation form
Pitch Pine 5.2' 96.9' Md Height Record/Plantation form
Red Maple 6.8' 111.4'
Scarlet Oak 7.5' 120.2'
Scarlet Oak 7.5' 121.7'
Scarlet Oak 8.7' 122.7'
Scarlet Oak 8.2' 125.6'
Scarlet Oak 6' 130' Md Height Record
Southern Red Oak 9.3' 120.8' Md Height Record
Sycamore 5.2' 144'
Sycamore 7.4' 144.4'
Sycamore 6.9' 146.7' Md Height Record
Tulip Poplar 9.2' 155.7'
Tulip Poplar 10.2' 155.7'
Tulip Poplar 10.4' 155.9'
Tulip Poplar 10.2' 156.2'
Tulip Poplar 10.4' 162.3'
White Ash 8' 138.7'
White Ash 10' 141' Md Height Record
White Oak 8.2' 138'
White Oak 9.8' 144.7' 2nd to Bell Woods tree @ 145.8'/2010

12' x 100' Club
Black Oak 12.5' 105.6'
Black Oak 12' 116.5'
Black Oak 12.6' 118.1'
Black Oak 12.8' 119'
Black Oak 14' 119.6'
Black Oak 13.2' 136.4' Dead/Likely +140 when alive
N Red Oak 12.5' 117.7'
N Red Oak 13.4' 126.5'
N Red Oak 14.3' 127.5'
N Red Oak 12.1' 130.4'
N Red Oak 12.5' 132'
N Red Oak 12.2' 133.4'
N Red Oak 12' 135.5'
N Red Oak 12' 137'
Sycamore 13.1' 120.8'
Tulip Poplar 16' 128.1'
Tulip Poplar 13.6' 130.1'
Tulip Poplar 12.1 131.5'
Tulip Poplar 14.2' 133'
Tulip Poplar 13.1' 133.9'
Tulip Poplar 14' 135.1'
Tulip Poplar 14.1' 135.5'
Tulip Poplar 14.4' 135.8'
Tulip Poplar 13.2' 137.1'
Tulip Poplar 12.6' 137.3'
Tulip Poplar 13.2' 138.2'
Tulip Poplar 13.1' 138.6'
Tulip Poplar 12.5' 138.9'
Tulip Poplar 13.8' 139.2'
Tulip Poplar 13.3' 139.3'
Tulip Poplar 13.1' 140.1'
Tulip Poplar 13.8' 140.4'
Tulip Poplar 13.5' 140.9'
Tulip Poplar 12.7' 141'
Tulip Poplar 12' 142.5'
Tulip Poplar 12.9' 142.6'
Tulip Poplar 16.5' 143.3' Old tree
Tulip Poplar 12.3' 143.9'
Tulip Poplar 14' 144.9'
Tulip Poplar 12.1' 145.2'
Tulip Poplar 13.4' 145.3'
Tulip Poplar 13.3' 146.6'
Tulip Poplar 13.8' 146.9'
Tulip Poplar 13' 147.2'
Tulip Poplar 13.4' 148.2'
Tulip Poplar 12.1' 148.7'
White Oak 14.9' 112.6'
White Oak 12.5' 122.4'

12' x 150' Club
Tulip Poplar 13.4' 150.2'
Tulip Poplar 12.8' 150.5'
Tulip Poplar ~15' 152.7'

FHNRMA Rucker Index 10
Tulip Poplar 10.4' 162.3'
Sycamore 6.9' 146.7'
Pignut Hickory 7.8' 145.8'
N Red Oak 10.4' 145.4'
White Oak 9.8' 144.7'
White Ash 10' 141'
Black Oak 11.5' 140.2'
Mockernut Hickory 4.9' 133.6'
Bitternut Hickory 8.7' 133.5'
A Beech 10.9' 130.2'
RI 142.34'

I'll add what photos i have later.

George

[bbeduhn]

Holy crap! That's one hell of a site. There's some pretty serious age but still the black oaks and red oaks are crazy. I just don't see many 130' black oaks at all and more than one at a site is quite extraordinary. Maryland may be the epicenter of black oaks. The red oaks in the 140's in great numbers is very impressive as well. Finding one is impressive enough. The pignuts are competitive with all but a few southern Appalachian sites.

48 12' x 100'
3 12' x 150'
10 species over 130'
Wow!

[Larry Tucei]

George- What an impressive site! Wow lots of height records. Larry

[Jess Riddle]

George,

Incredible site, as the littering of height records and 142' Rucker Index make clear. The oaks seem to really take the cake though. Not many upland sites anywhere with three oak species over 140'.

Jess

[dbhguru]

George,

As with the others, I am very impressed with the oaks you are measuring (actually everything). And the Rucker is wild!

Your oak discoveries make me believe that we should continue in the direction of each of us developing a separate database for a species of our choice. We all would feed these separate databases in support of one another's efforts. I am thinking about trying to pull together our white pine data. We have lots of it, and while there are geographical gaps, what we have is extraordinary. Besides, I have been promising the data to Lee Frelich for years. The tuliptree is another species that we could do this for.

At present we have the following individual databases taking shape.

Species NTS Member

Black birch Bob Leverett
Bur & chinkapin oaks Matt Markworth
Loblolly pine Larry Tucei
Live oak Larry Tucei

I think our good friend Elijah Whitcomb is thinking of starting a red spruce or balsam fir database. These are basically Excel listings - easy to build, easy to maintain, easy to analyze.

Do you have interest in taking on one of the other oak species? Red? Black? BTW, past and current efforts of Jess Riddle and Matt Markworth in compiling species maximum lists is duly noted. If one begins exploring, what we have compiled is truly extraordinary. So far as I know, there is no site or source in the East that even comes close to what we have in the way of accurate tree dimensional data. Certainly timber managers have tens of thousands of measurements for plantation-grown trees, but all their data adds up to nothing when it comes to profiling what a species can achieve, as a mature tree, and where. We continue to see misunderstanding and mis-measurements from the "official" sources. Actually, we are the official source! They haven't figured out yet - and probably won't.

We just have to bite the bullet and organize our information.

Bob

[John Harvey]

Is the 162' Tulip the tallest in Maryland? It has to be close.

[Bart Bouricius]

Impressive site, mighty tall trees of many species, this place must have an emotional impact.

[George Fieo]

Holy crap! That's one hell of a site. There's some pretty serious age but still the black oaks and red oaks are crazy. I just don't see many 130' black oaks at all and more than one at a site is quite extraordinary. Maryland may be the epicenter of black oaks. The red oaks in the 140's in great numbers is very impressive as well. Finding one is impressive enough. The pignuts are competitive with all but a few southern Appalachian sites.

48 12' x 100'
3 12' x 150'
10 species over 130')
Wow!

Brian,

I've measured a fair amount of 130' black oak and would agree that the epicenter is within the tri-state area(SE Pa, N Delaware, Northeastern Maryland). I've also measured two 150' red oaks in this area also. Time is a major factor along with the clear cuts that took place. Many of these sites are associated with the DuPont family.

[George Fieo]

George,

Incredible site, as the littering of height records and 142' Rucker Index make clear. The oaks seem to really take the cake though. Not many upland sites anywhere with three oak species over 140'.

Jess

d

Jess,

This is a former DuPont family site which was the largest privately owned land holding on the east coast with more than or nearing 5,000 acres. DuPont bought the property primarily to hunt fox. Much of it is used as agriculture and for horses. Fox hunting is still a major component. There are nearly a dozen ravines that empty into the Big Elk Creek. Most have been untouched since DuPont bought the land. An employee informed me of some logging that took place just prior to the sale to the state. A " friend of the family". This would explain the multitude of invasive species in some areas such as multi flora rose, barberry, bitter sweet, and the dominance of tulip tree.

[George Fieo]

George,

As with the others, I am very impressed with the oaks you are measuring (actually everything). And the Rucker is wild!

Your oak discoveries make me believe that we should continue in the direction of each of us developing a separate database for a species of our choice. We all would feed these separate databases in support of one another's efforts. I am thinking about trying to pull together our white pine data. We have lots of it, and while there are geographical gaps, what we have is extraordinary. Besides, I have been promising the data to Lee Frelich for years. The tuliptree is another species that we could do this for.

At present we have the following individual databases taking shape.

Species NTS Member

Black birch Bob Leverett
Bur & chinkapin oaks Matt Markworth
Loblolly pine Larry Tucei
Live oak Larry Tucei

I think our good friend Elijah Whitcomb is thinking of starting a red spruce or balsam fir database. These are basically Excel listings - easy to build, easy to maintain, easy to analyze.

Do you have interest in taking on one of the other oak species? Red? Black? BTW, past and current efforts of Jess Riddle and Matt Markworth in compiling species maximum lists is duly noted. If one begins exploring, what we have compiled is truly extraordinary. So far as I know, there is no site or source in the East that even comes close to what we have in the way of accurate tree dimensional data. Certainly timber managers have tens of thousands of measurements for plantation-grown trees, but all their data adds up to nothing when it comes to profiling what a species can achieve, as a mature tree, and where. We continue to see misunderstanding and mis-measurements from the "official" sources. Actually, we are the official source! They haven't figured out yet - and probably won't.

We just have to bite the bullet and organize our information.

Bob

Bob,

It would be an honor to update the black oaks. I have plenty of good data and perhaps the northern reds as well.

George