Carolyn, The HWA did wipe out the remaining hemlocks in NYBG, but the Forests is still considered a remnant of old growth because of the tenacity of other species. I'm finding it hard to define 'old-growth'.
I cannot imagine witnessing the the death of those hemlocks in your area within 5 years. I'm glad you saved one of your big hemlocks. That must have been hard to cut down the others. Jenny On Mar 27, 7:08 pm, Carolyn Summers <[email protected]> wrote: > It's always been my understanding that HWA killed what was often referred to > as NYC's only old growth forest. I moved to NYC in the late 70s and no one > thought hemlocks were in any danger of dying. No one knew then that HWA was > coming to wipe out our hemlocks throughout the region. But HWA can kill > really fast. I've seen forest patches in this region decimated within > 5-years of infestation. The trees become totally moth-eaten and awful > looking, but I don't have to tell you that. When we moved from NYC to > Hastings in Westchester County in 1992, the first thing we had to do was cut > down three 50-70 ft dying hemlocks. We managed to save one that is now > maybe 70 ft tall. Basically, already by the early 90s, the only live healthy > hemlocks were yard trees and hedges that were being sprayed regularly by > tree care services. > -- > Carolyn Summers > 63 Ferndale Drive > Hastings-on-Hudson, NY 10706 > 914-478-5712 > > > From: Will Fell <[email protected]> > > Reply-To: <[email protected]> > > Date: Fri, 27 Mar 2009 05:18:09 -0700 (PDT) > > To: ENTSTrees <[email protected]> > > Subject: [ENTS] Re: Hemlock view 1906/2009 > > > That is a beautiful area....it is great the city saved it as a park. > > While the HWA is taking it's toll on the hemlock, I would suspect that > > the demise of the hemlocks in the old postcard probably predated the > > appearance of the HWA. Many conifers are frequently replaced by > > deciduous trees in an undisturbed forest, unless there is some > > disturbance or other factor such as frequest fire the holds the forest > > in a subclimax stage like the outer coastal plain of the southeast. > > > What is the purpose of the cables and banners over the river in the > > background? > > > On Mar 26, 5:17 pm, JennyNYC <[email protected]> wrote: > >> Hi, > > >> Ed suggested I take current pictures of the sites of the old postcards > >> I posted earlier of NYBG in the early days. Here is a colored photo > >> taken in 1906 and 3 pictures in the exact same location taken > >> yesterday. Even though the hardwoods have not leafed out, it's > >> apparent what is sadly missing.... > > >> Jenny > > >>http://picasaweb.google.com/JennifDudley/HemlocksThenAndNow?feat=dire... --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Eastern Native Tree Society http://www.nativetreesociety.org Send email to [email protected] Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
