Will, You were quick to post this important outing. Thanks for including me on this one, and Jess, I hope you can get back into the woods at least one more time before heading home and congratulations on finding such a great tree!
As soon as I have a chance I will post my pictures, measurements and comments from the Bradley Fork trip and I think Jess has some nice measurements too, especially a nice Buckeye. James P. On Dec 21, 10:24 am, "Will Blozan" <[email protected]> wrote: > ENTS, > > While many of you northerners were hunkered down in a snowy mess, Jess > Riddle, James Parton, Jason Childs and I went into the Bradley Fork > watershed yesterday to climb and tape-drop the super tuliptree Jess found in > 2006. I lasered the tree this past September, and as it was a contender for > the tallest known specimen a climb was more than justified. > > http://www.nativetreesociety.org/fieldtrips/gsmnp/bradleyfork/bradley... > uliptree.htm > > The heavy rains of the past week had Bradley Fork swollen to a formidable > torrent. Our usual crossing spot was underwater so we had to cross by other > means. Jess and I chose a slippery hemlock log, Jason rock-hopped and walked > across some toppled rhododendron, and James simply walked through. On the > way out we choose to walk upstream to a bridge. > > Jess crossing the log. > > And James just crossing! > > We hauled the gear up the cove to the tree. The first limb was 85 feet up > and the ground sloped so the initial line set was difficult without a > slingshot (which we should have brought.). Four LONG pitches later I made it > to 160 feet which was as high as I was comfortable going in the young tree. > Jason brought up a 17 foot pole with which I was able to reach the top for > the height determination. Jess scouted the other tops so we had the correct > one and we set the tape straight up and down. > > Looking down from 160 feet. Jason is barely visible in white helmet. > > Jason working his way up. > > The final tape reading was 181.35 feet, just 7 inches less than my 181.9' > laser shot in the summer. I am still amazed at the accuracy of the low-cost > ENTS sine method. As a bonus, we discovered this tree has multiple tops over > 180' and the highest recorded liana in the eastern US; Virginia creeper was > found to reach 166.5 feet! > > View up into the highest top. > > This climb confirms or solidifies several important current facts: > > This tree is the tallest known tuliptree, and sole representative member of > the "180 Club" > > Tuliptree is the tallest eastern hardwood > > Tuliptree is the only hardwood in the east to break 180 feet tall > > Tuliptree is currently the tallest native hardwood in North America > > The motley crew: Will, Jason, James and Jess at the base of the tree > > A tree of such significance needs an appropriate name. I'll leave that up to > Jess! > > Will F. Blozan > > President, Eastern Native Tree Society > > President, Appalachian Arborists, Inc. > > image008.jpg > 73KViewDownload > > image007.jpg > 83KViewDownload > > image006.jpg > 67KViewDownload > > image005.jpg > 78KViewDownload > > image004.jpg > 65KViewDownload > > image003.jpg > 65KViewDownload > > image002.jpg > 63KViewDownload > > image001.jpg > 59KViewDownload --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ 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 -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
