Howland's Island

[Erik Danielsen]

I was at Long Point last summer, didn't do any measuring though- The 20.3'cbh cottonwood is down and has been for some time, but the 17.9'cbh tree is still standing. The crown is pretty ragged at this point but Chris Merchant did measure it to over 120 and I believe the girth had increased a little too- I'll see if I can get the numbers from him. There are still many excellent trees on the upland portion just before it drops to the lake plain especially, but a couple large cherries and a large ash are down. I would suggest that there's strong potential as well to find a cuke to top the current champ in lilydale, and there's one out on the point that is short but has an enormous base, the most exaggeratedly conical trunk I've ever seen. There's also an interesting section in the back, near the public road, with some very large open-grown white oak and potentially tall tulips and conifers.

[djluthringer]

Sad to hear of that fat cottonwood being down, and others...

Didn't know about the large conical cuke' on the point. The fattest I've found on site is up on that flat with the other big hardwoods at 12ft CBH x 102.1+ft tall.

Dale

[Erik Danielsen]

It's an odd tree, not particularly tall. I should also mention that there's a good-sized open-grown white oak along the main road just as it leaves the woods going down to the parking lot by the lake that might be worth measuring, and the trail leading into the woods near that tree has a series of rather thick black locust trees along it before the woods phases into old growth.

[ElijahW]

NTS,

Here are a few pictures of a hickory I thought might be shellbark. The more I look at it, though, I believe it's just a not-so-shaggy shagbark.

Tree in question center-background

Elijah

[Jess Riddle]

The fruit definitely looks like shagbark. Twig size and canopy openness can also help distinguish them in person.

[Erik Danielsen]

Sad to hear of that fat cottonwood being down, and others...

Didn't know about the large conical cuke' on the point. The fattest I've found on site is up on that flat with the other big hardwoods at 12ft CBH x 102.1+ft tall.

Dale

Managed to dig up a photo of the unusual cuke- I recall that it was probably less than 90' tall, but with that enlarged basal flare it's definitely a neat specimen.

[djluthringer]

!!!! WWWWOOOOOOOOOWWWW !!!!

[ElijahW]

NTS,

After another outing on Howland's Island earlier today, here are some more finds:

Swamp white oak

100.5' x 10'6"
108.9' x 12'9" x 68' Max Crown Spread (as far as I know, currently tallest in NY)

Green ash

111.7' (two trunks)
111.1' x 12'9"

Freeman maple

Height not measured x 13'
116.1 (multiple trunks)

Eastern hemlock

103.5' x 8'11"

Common serviceberry

63.0' x 3'1"

Tuliptree

131.0' x 10'4" (tallest tree on Island; previously 130.0')
126.7' (2 trunks)

White oak

105.1 x 8' (previously misidentified as bur oak)

Black ash

95.5' x 5'2"

108.9' Swamp white oak with hat for scale

13' CBH Freeman maple covered with moss

Typical Island forest scene (Seneca River in background)

American bladdernut?

Same tree as above

95.5' Black ash

Black ash

Black ash base

Black ash crown

Unidentified tree; seems to be a willow spp.

Same tree as above

Same tree as above

Another attempt at finding shellbark hickory (Please help)

Elijah

[ElijahW]

NTS,

I have a quick update on some Howlands Island trees after a couple of visits over the last two weeks.

1.) The large Northern Red oak (NY's legitimate champion, along with Tom Howard's Whitesboro tree) I spent some quality time with, and its current dimensions are 103'6" x 20'8" x 97' ACS (10 spokes). This equates to 376 AF points.

2.) I found a very nice Green ash on the Island's north end measuring 121' x 8'.

3.) The Island's two largest Black gums, in close proximity, measure 83'1" x 7'6" and 84'6" x 8'3", respectively.

4.) Other newly discovered trees of interest:

Common serviceberry: 75'10" x 3'5"
American hornbeam: 46'7" x 2'
Quaking aspen: 104'7" x 3'4"
Bur oak: 78'6" x 11'8"
American beech: 109'2" x 5'11"

I also measured my first American bladdernut, Staphylea trifolia, to 16'. In perusing various Internet sources, this plant is referred to as both a large shrub and a small tree, and I'd like to know what you all think. Also, how large can Bladdernut get?

Here's a current summary of maximum heights on Howlands Island:

Tuliptree 131.0
American sycamore 127.3
Bitternut hickory 127.2
Eastern cottonwood 125.8
Pignut hickory 122.7
Shagbark hickory 121.4
Green ash 121.0
Black locust 120.7
Eastern white pine 120.3
Northern red oak 118.4

Rucker 10 Index
123.5'

White ash 116.9
Freeman maple 116.1
Sugar maple 114.3
Black cherry 113.9
American basswood 112.5
Norway spruce 111.4
American beech 109.2
Swamp white oak 109.1
White oak 107.0
Slippery elm 106.9

Rucker 20 Index
117.6'

Elijah

[Erik Danielsen]

Congrats on that Green Ash!