Will, what an amazing experience and story! Cannot wait for part 2! Some years back I visited Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon to see the Giant Sequoia and other western conifers and it really left it's mark on me. I own and operate a garden center here in Massachusetts and sell 2-3 Sequoia each year, more of a novelty purchase, nothing that will allow me to retire. Some of my clients share similar feelings once they visited those trees and they just want one for thier yard. I really hope to return to that place soon. Love the story!
(Trying to convince my wife that Sequoia would be a great middle name for my unborn child. Cant say it is going to happen....we will have to see.) On Jul 26, 6:08 pm, "Will Blozan" <[email protected]> wrote: > WNTS, ENTS, > > Back at Congaree National Park last February, Bob Van Pelt asked if I would > join a team of elite climbers and canopy biologists to assist in an on-going > project in the giant sequoias in California. I tentatively agreed but did > not commit due to financial woes and other reasons. Bob followed up with an > email and call stating that the flight out would be funded- all I needed to > do was commit to the trip. Well, I did, and Dr. Steve Sillett, a la “The > Wild Trees”, called to express his enthusiasm and welcome me to the project. > The canopy work of Steve, Bob, and team is legendary. Here is a link to some > of Steve’s work:http://www.humboldt.edu/~sillett/. > > I was thrilled and honored to be both invited and have the experience of > climbing with the World’s elite class of canopy researchers. The Tsuga > Search Project and the mapping of the eastern giants paid off! My main task > for the trip as a climber would be to do some “mop up” mapping of deadwood > on two previously mapped sequoias and then assist on the full 3-D canopy > mapping of the tallest known sequoia, a ~310 footer in Redwood Canyon, Kings > Canyon National Park. In preparation for the extreme climbing I made an > effort to exercise and work hard to get into condition. The hard swimming > and climbing I did paid off well, but I did end up pretty dang beat by the > end of the week… > > I left the mid 60 degree cool rain of Black Mountain, NC to fly into the > triple digit, dry atmosphere of Fresno, CA a half day later. I was nervous > about the immensity of the trees I had never seen before and the knowledge > of the intense process at hand. I knew it would be challenging but > fortunately I was “up to speed” on the mapping process and had climbed and > was acquainted with the key members of the team. Frankly, the weather was > more of a concern than the climbing- I absolutely despise dry, sunny > conditions. Thankfully, the high elevation of the site proved to be quite > pleasant. > > I arrived after a long flight late on July 1st. Bob picked me up and we > drove up into the mountains to a property owned by the University of > California, Berkley. The site, named Whitaker Forest, is a research station > and center for forestry. Check it > out:http://forestry.berkeley.edu/whitaker.php. Formerly a resort, there is a > small cabin remaining among the ruins of other structures. The cabin was the > epicenter of the project and provided a place to cook, hang-out, and process > data and samples. The cabin was tucked in among giant stumps of sequoias cut > in the 1870’s. In fact, this area was the site of the first commercial cut > of sequoia and as such provides the oldest regenerating sequoia grove from > which to study. Several trees in the vicinity of the cabin are study trees. > The differing age classes allow a study of the species through time- and > allowed me the opportunity to see the morphological change as the trees age. > > Cabin among the sequoias > > Huge stumps of felled giants; sugar pine on left > > I had never seen sequoia forest and the drive up in the dark did it no > justice. In the morning I awoke to my first Sierra scene. The misty morning > fog and tranquil forest sounds welcomed me like no where else. The silence > was deep and the air dead calm. The immense relic sequoias and vibrant > younger trees gave a sense of the productivity of this place and the promise > of future giants. I began to access the crown forms and imagine the coming > days in the trees. The extreme height and size of the branches certainly was > new to me. I felt so small- much like a squirrel must feel back east in the > “little” hemlocks I have spent so much of my time in. The second-growth > sequoias in the yard of the center were far larger in volume and much taller > than the super-hemlocks documented in the Tsuga Search. My perceived world > of the trees had been set back ~90%. > > Good morning California! 200 foot+ Second-growth adjacent to cabin > > I looked out among the camp to familiarize myself with the species. Incense > cedar, sugar pine, California white fir, and ponderosa pine were mixed in > with the sequoias. Alder and several oak species comprised the majority of > the hardwoods but were quite diminutive and subordinate in stature beneath > the towering conifers. Rouge cows were grazing among the giant stumps- some > cut 25 feet high to avoid fire scars. > > Cows grazed illegally in the forest > > The team assembled to prepare the equipment and discuss logistics for the > coming days. One team was to install monitoring equipment in some of the > tallest trees to assess sap flow and other canopy dynamics. Bob, Steve and > his wife Marie Antoine and I were to climb one of the tallest known > sequoias- a 298 footer next to a slightly taller tree (301 feet) in a pair > called the Twin Towers. These trees stand but a few dozen feet from each > other and form an imposing wall of wood. The tops of these two trees were > featured on the cover of the latest Sherrill Tree catalogue. Tobe Sherrill > was to arrive later in the week. His website has some images from past > trips- including a climb in the Smokies with Steve, Marie and > me.www.sherrilltree.com<http://www.sherrilltree.com/> > > Steve Sillett, Anthony Ambrose, Cameron Williams and Rikke (sorry about > spelling!) prepare sampling equipment > > The tree we climbed first- named Parador- was the first sequoia I had ever > climbed. Steve warned of the hazards of exfoliating bark, sharp needles and > super-weak deadwood and smaller branches. My naïve impression of these > giants was one of tenacity, strength and stoutness. I left with an entirely > different impression. Little did I know that brittle and “foamy” would be > more appropriate! > > The “Twin Towers”. Parador on right > > Although a tiny tree relative to the giants of the species, the 16 foot > diameter of Parador was absolutely massive. The adjacent tree was even > bigger and the two side-by-side adequately humbled me. I watched and > photographed in silence as Steve and Marie rigged the lines and began the > initial ascent. I watched as they ascended the trunk and was astonished at > how small they were against the trunk. Steve looked like an ant as he passed > 3 foot thick limbs at nearly 200 feet up. I really, really had no idea how > big these trees were. Seeing them from the ground is one thing- to see a > human up in the canopy and then go to the canopy yourself is an immersion in > humility. These giants are so imposing and we humans just a passing flea. > > Steve on ascent of Parador > > Cameron’s ascent of the neighboring tree. Not an aficionado of Tolkien > names- I do not recall its name… > > Marie prepping the rope for ascent of Parador (on left) > > My turn came to ascend Parador. I hitched up my ascension gear and headed > up. I was appreciative of the static line I was ascending- I would have been > on a 280’ rubber band otherwise. The ascent was in a sense a slow tour of > the entire tree. I took my time and enjoyed the changing view of both the > trunk and the forest scene out and below. The thick, red bark was like foam > and had a hollow, spongy feel. It fell off in sheets and was rather light > and delicate. A slow gradation from 2 feet thick and furrowed to a > millimeter thin and scaly was observed from the base to the top. > > Going up! > > I am always interested in forest textures as seen from above. The diversity > and textures of the eastern forests is not often appreciated from above. Not > much I can do about that though. The firs and their whorled branches were > beautiful and the bright green of the new growth was striking against the > red bark of the sequoias. Bob was commenting on the Sierra’s forests being > very primary in the color schemes. This is very true. Red bark, blue sky, > green needles, white snow and black charcoal compose the vast majority of > the landscape. The crystal air and clear sunshine brought these attributes > out in vibrant clarity. It was beautiful. > > Green, red, blue. Note rusty color of dead top in lower left. > > As I entered the lower canopy at ~150 feet I got my first glimpse of the > gnarlage and complexity of these giants. Parador is believed to be nearly > 2,000 years old and it showed. Fires had stripped much of the trees’ > original branches and the resulting crown was composed mainly of epicormic > sprouts. However sprouts are a relative term as several of these “new” > structures were over three feet thick. These sprouts gave rise to > reiterations and huge branches that cascade, stick straight out, or traverse > the canopy in seemingly random fashion. Many of the branches descended and > then upturned with a graceful sweep. The term Steve used for the canopy > structure is “foraging for light”. This makes sense as the species is not > tolerant of shade. These trees must be the arboreal realm’s epitome of > efficiency in their use of sunlight- and it shows in their architecture. > Light interception and efficient use of space is the definition of the crown > structure. All trees are like this but when you are in such a huge tree it > becomes that much more clear. We had fun tracing these intricate structures > through the crown- and especially in the mapping of the tallest tree later > in the week- made for some interesting mapping decisions. At times we had to > ask the team on the other side of the 8 foot diameter trunk where a certain > structure went. You can’t see through a wall of wood. > > Bob Van Pelt coming up Parador > > As I approached the top of Parador the expression of time and history was > strongly evident. You could view in the complex architecture of living and > dead wood perhaps a millennia of growth, death, regrowth- all with strong > intent to persist. This tree- like many giant sequoias- was pummeled over > the centuries by storm and fire into a complex assemblage of deadwood, dead > trunks and living wood with new tops. Undaunted by the death of their tops, > they over the course of perhaps several centuries simply grow a new one. The > decay resistance ... > > read more » > > image001.jpg > 49KViewDownload > > image002.jpg > 50KViewDownload > > image003.jpg > 47KViewDownload > > image004.jpg > 70KViewDownload > > image005.jpg > 55KViewDownload > > image006.jpg > 89KViewDownload > > image007.jpg > 91KViewDownload > > image008.jpg > 85KViewDownload > > image009.jpg > 67KViewDownload > > image010.jpg > 76KViewDownload > > image011.jpg > 79KViewDownload > > image012.jpg > 77KViewDownload > > image013.jpg > 87KViewDownload > > image014.jpg > 98KViewDownload > > image015.jpg > 75KViewDownload > > image016.jpg > 91KViewDownload > > image017.jpg > 69KViewDownload --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ 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] -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
