----- Original Message -----
From: George Fieo
To: [email protected]
Sent: Tuesday, February 17, 2009 5:59 PM
Subject: [ENTS] Ridley Creek State Park RI
ENTS,
Yesterday was a vacation day for me so I decided to do a RI for a site I
found several years ago while shed hunting. The site is actually the most
western portion of Ridley Creek State Park in Delaware Co., Pa. The park
consists of more than 2,600 acres of gently rolling woodlands and meadows.
Google maps does not show this site as part of the park but mapquest and yahoo
do. The site is very well hidden and the only signage is “ archery deer
hunting only “ and is managed by the Pa. DCNR. I think the site is seen little
by the public and an equestrian trail is the only one that cuts through this
portion of the park.
From the parking area the site is not very impressive at all. It’s
infested with multi-flora rose and other invasive shrubs and the trees are
small. I followed the trail until it met an unnamed spring fed stream, that
eventually empties into Ridley Creek, and is where the forest really started to
open up. There was a shagbark hickory on the other side of the stream that is
the largest one that I have seen so far. It measured out at 9’5” x 105.5.
From the base of the shagbark looking to the top of the ridge were two huge
white oaks, both are 12 x 100’s, and they measure as 13’5” x 105.3 and 14’2” x
105.9. I headed downstream from there and the farther I went, the more it
opened up to a point where there were little or no invasives at all. The
forest is dominated by beech, oaks, and tulip poplar. Other common species are
mockernut and shagbark hickory, white ash, red maple, black gum, bigtooth
aspen, flowering dogwood, and a. hornbeam. There were only two or three stands
of aspen and small pockets of the dogwood. The hornbeam is found throughout
the entire site. Less common species would be black walnut, black cherry,
sassafras, and white pine. About halfway downstream I saw a handful of
scattered white pine. I saw a couple of seedlings at the base of a beech tree
but that was it for the pine. At the bottom of the stream, near the parks
border, stood the only sycamore I found at this site. It measured out at 6’7”
x 128.3. This was my turn around point so I decided to walk the top of the
ridge back to my truck. Right at the point of the ridge I found a mockernut
hickory that measured out at 6’2” x 133.7. Just below the hickory was an even
more impressive n. red oak. The oak is a 3x and measured out at 18’1” x
144.5!!! >From there I could see a huge tree at the base of the east side of
the ridge. Heading towards this tree it became thick with the multi-flora rose
and other shrubs again. Those pickers got me only once. It was a huge white
ash that measured out at 16’ x 119.3 x 101. It’s greatest spread was 121’.
This was the last tree I measured since I had to head home. The east side of
that ridge may have some potential yet and I saw what I think was a tall swamp
chestnut oak that I didn’t have time to measure. There were several spots
where I saw it’s leaves on the ground. With some more searching I think the
rucker could go higher. There are lots of tall ones in there. Many of the
oaks were in the 8’-10’ CBH range. It is one of if not the most beautiful
sites I have seen here in SE Pa. Here are some of my measurements for the day.
Ridley Creek State Park Site Index
Species CBH Height
A Beech 9’5” 113.0
A Beech 5’10” 116.0
A Hornbeam 1’8” 44.8
Big Tooth Aspen 3’9” 86.0
Big Tooth Aspen 4’1” 87.5
Black Gum 6’4” 89.0
Black Oak 9’9” 110.5
Black Oak 8’7” 120.3
Black Walnut 6’1” 109.9
Chestnut Oak 4’6” 119.0
Chestnut Oak 6’1” 120.3*
Flowering Dogwood 2’0” 42.3
Flowering Dogwood 2’2” 44.8*
Mockernut Hickory 5’2” 110.1
Mockernut Hickory 6’2” 133.7*
N Red Oak 11’11” 119.3
N Red Oak 8’9” 126.0
N Red Oak 7’11” 136.6
N Red Oak(3x) 18’1” 144.5*
Red Maple 8’5” 87.8
Shagbark Hickory 9’5” 105.5
Shagbark Hickory 4’5” 111.9
Shagbark Hickory 3’9” 123.5
Sycamore 6’7” 128.2
Tulip Poplar 5’3” 134.6
Tulip Poplar 6’0” 134.7
Tulip Poplar 7’2” 137.7
Tulip Poplar 7’0” 137.8
Tulip Poplar 8’4” 139.6
Tulip Poplar 8’5” 140.7
Tulip Poplar 6’4” 143.1
White Ash 8’11” 117.3
White Ash 16’0” 119.3 12x100
White Ash 7’3” 130.2
White Oak 10’8” 104.0
White Oak 13’5” 105.3 12x100
White Oak 14’2” 105.9 12x100
White Oak 10’9” 108.6
White Oak 5’7” 122.2
White Pine 5’7” 103.6
White Pine 7’7” 117.o
*notes height contender
Ridley Creek State Park Rucker Index
N Red Oak(3x) 18’1” 144.5
Tulip Poplar 6’4” 143.1
Mockernut Hickory 6’2” 133.7
White Ash 7’3” 130.2
Sycamore 6’7” 128.2
Shagbark Hickory 3’9” 123.5
White Oak 5’7” 122.2
Black Oak 8’7” 120.3
Chestnut Oak 6’1” 120.3
White Pine 7’7” 117.0
RI 128.3
Ed or Dale, please let me know if there are any new height champs. I think
there are a few from the VFNP site index also. Thanks.
George
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