ENTS,
I just joined your organization. I've been a lover of trees all my life and have long been interested in old growth forests. ENTS is my favorite website and I've met several ENTS people. I live in North Syracuse, NY just north of Syracuse where I believe Jess Riddle goes to ESF. I'm especially interested in old growth forests here in central NY. North Syracuse contains 2 old growth oak groves that Robert Henry, the North Syracuse Village Historian (and ESF grad) and I have studied extensively. Old growth oak forests are quite rare in upstate NY and North Syracuse is fortunate to have 2 of them. I know of 4 old growth forests in Onondaga County. The largest, Green Lakes State Park, has over 1000 acres of old growth dominated by Sugar Maple averaging 200-250 years old and with 1 section dominated by Tuliptree over 140' tall. I believe you are familiar with this forest and I was in the team with Bob Leverett, Bruce Kershner, Tom Diggins, and others when we explored it in 2002. The largest of the North Syracuse oak groves at North Syracuse Junior High School on Taft Rd. just west of Rt. 11 is 6 acres of old growth dominated by White Oak, Red Oak, Black Oak, Red Maple over 100' tall, up to 4' dbh and 150-200 years old. Bob Leverett led a team that measured tree heights in both oak groves in Apr. 1998 (if I recall they included White Oak 102', Red Oak 103', Red Maple 103.9' in the grove at the junior high), and this is the grove featured in the 5/26/98 USA Today article on tree measurements. The grove is called the Wizard of Oz Memorial Oak Grove because the grove possibly inspired L. Frank Baum to create the Great Forest of Oz as he grew up near the grove and lived across the street from the grove's owner. The other grove, about 1.5 acres, is at North Syracuse Cemetery. This grove is near and dear to my heart as I grew up on a street right by it - it is the first old growth forest I've ever seen. Oaks up to 200+ years old abound and the density of large trees is very high - 12 trees greater than 30" dbh in 1 acre. The grove's largest tree is a Black Oak (measured at 100.5' tall by Bob Leverett in 1998) and now 43.2" dbh. This grove is potentially threatened and may be sold for lumber. The village of North Syracuse contains significant Black Gum and Sassafras. Black Gum to 20" dbh are found in both oak groves, and the Cemetery Oak Grove has an especially gnarly twisted old Black Gum about 19.6" dbh. I noticed in Jess Riddle's post on Cicero Swamp that there are some impressive old Black Gums there. The 4th old growth site, the Liverpool School Maple grove, is about 11 acres at Wetzel Rd. Elementary School next to Liverpool High School. This grove is dominated by Sugar Maple up to 4' dbh, over 100' tall, and over 200 years old - the largest tree is a Sugar Maple with lots of spiral grain, shaggy and balding bark, possibly over 110' tall, and over 4' dbh. Other large old trees are Red Maple, Beech, Basswood (in 2003 I counted 242 rings on the cross-section of a fallen Basswood log and this cross-section was over 40' above the tree's base), and Shagbark Hickory. Oakwood Cemetery in Syracuse has many huge 200+year-old White, Red, and Black Oaks. So even the crowded Syracuse area has some important trees. I think it would be good if some of the ENTS could take a look at them. Tree heights in the 2 oak groves and Liverpool School Maple Grove need to be updated (as neither Robert Henry nor I have a laser rangefinder). I wonder if Jess Riddle would be interested. Sincerely, Tom Howard _________________________________________________________________ You live life beyond your PC. So now Windows goes beyond your PC. http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/115298556/direct/01/ --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Eastern Native Tree Society http://www.nativetreesociety.org You are subscribed to the Google Groups "ENTSTrees" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
