Hey Gaias, We need to do a meeting of the ENTS and WENTS in the coastal redwoods (or giant seqoias) area. Anybody out there want to host it?
Gary On Nov 16, 2008, at 12:20 PM, James Parton wrote: > > Will, > > Going out west to see the redwoods have been a dream of mine for > years. One of these days I hope to make it out there. > > Wonderful post. I think those are taller than the " Boog "! > ~Laughing~! > > James P. > > On Nov 16, 9:08 am, "Will Blozan" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> ENTS, >> >> In October I was invited as a guest speaker to a corporate meeting >> in Santa >> Clara, CA. I was honored to be paid to fly out (with my wife too!), >> get >> picked up in a limo, three nights in the Marriott, gourmet food and >> drink. >> Well that part is over, unfortunately. BUT I was able to spend a >> day on >> "free time" to meet for the first time the superlative coastal >> redwoods. >> From our hotel we could look to the west and see the redwood spires >> on the >> Santa Cruz Mountains, and to our east the mountains were bare and >> covered in >> scrub and grass. The fog influence was very pronounced and we dried >> up >> quickly in the arid 15% humidity of Santa Clara. What a difference >> a few >> miles and elevation make! >> >> I was a bit embarrassed as a big tree hunter to have never seen the >> redwoods- and the tallest I have ever personally measured being a >> twig on >> the Montpelier Estate in VA. Well, I bumped up my personal best to >> a hair >> under 300' tall. My wife Heidi and I spent several hours in Big Basin >> Redwoods State Park, CA which was the first park in the state. >> Although much >> of it appeared to have been selectively logged many fine trees >> remained >> which had over 100 years of growth since park establishment in >> 1902.http://www.bigbasin.org/ >> >> Heidi and a "big" redwood >> >> I was immediately struck with the height and density of trees but >> also with >> the low diversity of canopy trees. The canopy was mainly composed >> of two >> species, redwood and coastal Douglas-fir. A mix of tanoak >> (Lithocarpus >> densiflorus), Pacific madrone (Arbutus menziesii), and various >> shrubs filled >> out the bulk of the mid-canopy and understory. The ridges made for >> a quick >> forest transition to unimpressive (as in small trees) dry site >> species of >> oak and twisty madrone. Well, they could have been impressive but I >> had no >> idea what species I was looking at. The visitor's center was >> surprisingly >> lacking in useful guides to trees, unless I purchased a book. The >> madrones >> were awesome and looked like huge rhododendrons. >> >> I was truthfully more impressed with the Dougies and tanoaks than the >> redwoods. I knew I had no chance of any new records for any species, >> specifically redwood so my interest was drawn to other species. I >> roughed >> out many heights all day and was impressed my laser battery did not >> die. I >> focused on the Dougies but soon took notice of the tanoaks. I had >> never seen >> the species before and was interested in them because they were not >> conifers >> and likely have not been intensively sampled due their obvious sub- >> canopy >> stature. Several quick shots indicated that these slender members >> of the >> beech family were in excess of 120'- which is admittedly pretty >> impressive >> for this family in NA. I spotted one that although winding its way >> beneath >> the redwood and Dougie canopy reached 144.3 feet. Their wood must be >> seriously strong since this tree was only 6'10" in girth! >> >> Tallest tanoak >> >> My goal for the day was to find a tree over 300 feet tall. I know, an >> arbitrary number but it was a goal nonetheless. As Heidi and I >> traversed >> several trails and explored small coves and ravines I measured and >> measured >> and measured. The website I looked at before the visit indicated >> trees up to >> 329 feet tall in the park. As the day went on I had a hard time >> breaking 240 >> feet. Near a campground we came across a small, sheltered cove with >> really >> impressive redwoods towering above huge cut stumps. I figured the >> remaining >> trees would have bolted to the sky- and they looked it. The packed >> redwoods >> were very dense and had burned bark up to 120 feet up the trunks. The >> charcoal contrasted beautifully with the red unburned bark and the >> green >> foliage. Beautiful and thrifty as they were an hour of searching and >> measuring a dozen trees or so did not yield a single 300 footer. I >> hit >> 294.6' and 296.7'. Perhaps elsewhere in the park a 300 footer can >> be found- >> maybe closer to the ocean. After all, there are 18,00 acres of >> forest and I >> only saw a tiny bit. >> >> The tallest redwoods measured >> >> Also near the campground grew what to me was the most impressive >> tree of the >> day. It was a Douglas-fir that shot like an arrow from the side of >> a small >> stream. I shot the laser to the top and thought it was reading >> erratic. Holy >> moly! this tree was roughed out to be over 250 feet tall! Few >> redwoods had >> been seen all day that tall so it deserved some more detailed >> attention. >> Heidi helped with a basal target and the impressive tree turned out >> to be >> 22'4" cbh and 269.1 feet tall. This one tree was worth the trip! >> >> Huge Douglas-fir >> >> Upon returning to the visitor center to meet our ride we discovered >> that the >> 329 foot tree- listed as the tallest in the park- was right by the >> parking >> lot. We quickly found it and in true ENTS style I set about >> measuring it as >> carefully as possible. I used a repeatable trunk flare spot as a >> reference >> to base all shots upon. I found two solid sightings very close to 180 >> degrees apart so as to provide a good replicate for height >> determination. >> This giant tree, 15.3 feet in diameter is called the "Mother of the >> Forest". >> I don't think it is the biggest tree by volume that we saw but it >> is a huge >> beast with a straight trunk and no obvious reiterations. The top >> appeared >> well formed but due to the relatively short distance I was able to >> move away >> from the tree and still see it I could have missed the highest >> point by a >> few feet (see photo below). I explored the top intently for a long >> time with >> the laser and the two shots yielded heights of 287.4 and 287.7 >> feet. There >> is no possible way this tree could be 329 feet tall- even with the >> "tangent" >> method :-). I'd like to know how this tree was measured but >> needless to say, >> not accurately! >> >> The "Mother of the Forest" taken from the first laser measuring >> point. Maybe >> in a century or two the sign will be correct. >> >> After we were picked up by our gracious hosts- my dad's cousin and >> family- >> we drove to Santa Cruz to see the Pacific Ocean and watch seals and >> surfers. >> The placid scene was accented by the gnarly Montezuma cypress >> dangling over >> the cliffs. An awesome day! >> >> Will F. Blozan >> >> President, Eastern Native Tree Society >> >> President, Appalachian Arborists, Inc. >> >> image010.jpg >> 94KViewDownload >> >> image009.jpg >> 94KViewDownload >> >> image008.jpg >> 33KViewDownload >> >> image007.jpg >> 104KViewDownload >> >> image006.jpg >> 94KViewDownload >> >> image005.jpg >> 88KViewDownload >> >> image004.jpg >> 66KViewDownload >> >> image003.jpg >> 97KViewDownload >> >> image002.jpg >> 45KViewDownload >> >> image001.jpg >> 72KViewDownload >> >> image012.jpg >> 18KViewDownload > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ 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 -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
