Will,
Thanks for sending those images. OK I think I remember seeing these
trees when I hiked the ridge.
The controversy about red pine began when our state agency DCR started
to clearcut the red pine plantations which were planted in the 1930s -
1940s. One of the stated reasons for their removal was that red pine is
non-native to MA but the silvics range map does show its range extending
into western MA. Now when DCR wants to clearcut these plantations they
say the red pine was planted "off-site". Well it is true that native red
pine is definitely a rare thing to see around here but we shouldn't be
so quick to wipe out all the planted red pine. The exception would be in
the pine barrens of Myles Standish in SE MA where most should be
removed. In other areas modified shelterwoods can be used which retain
high quality "standards" for aesthetic purposes.
Red pine is an awesome tree except it is not too resistant to snow and
ice damage. The red pine plantations around the Worcester reservoirs in
Paxton and Rutland, for example, were devastated by last year's ice
storm snapped off like matchsticks. But if it has room to grow
throughout its life it can become pretty impressive. Most likely any
native red pine here could only survive on dry exposed sites like this
where there is less competition and the area is prone to disturbance
like fire or windthrow.
Have you or Bob cored these trees? If so, how old are they?
The Mt. Tom Range is definitely worthy of being designated as a Forest
Reserve. How about showing an image of the extraordinary basalt columns?
Mike
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Will Blozan
Sent: Thursday, July 30, 2009 8:57 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [ENTS] Re: Mt Tom Adventures
Mike,
These are some shots I took back in 2004.
Will F. Blozan
President, Eastern Native Tree Society
President, Appalachian Arborists, Inc.
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Mike Leonard
Sent: Thursday, July 30, 2009 7:07 PM
To: [email protected]
Cc: 'Belchetz-Swenson, Sarah'; 'Carr, Robert'; 'Dittmer,
Paul'; 'Davis, John'; 'Goodrich, John'; 'Heller, Sharl'; 'Hurley,
Claudia'; 'Kaiser, Amy'; 'Jakuc, Denis'; 'Morrison, Laurie Sanders &
Fred'; 'Neil, Rick'; 'Seale, Doug'; 'Weiss, Nancy'; 'Weil, Phoebe';
'White, Richard'; 'Zorzin, Joseph'; 'Williams, Bill';
[email protected]; [email protected]
Subject: [ENTS] Re: Mt Tom Adventures
Bob,
I was real interested in that dwarf old growth native
red pine you wrote about on Mt. Tom. Have you photographed that? That
would be something of a rarity.
Yes I've hiked through Mt Tom's gorgeous hemlock forest.
Does DCR have any strategy to protect it from the HWA?
Mike
www.northquabbinforestry.com
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of [email protected]
Sent: Thursday, July 30, 2009 5:39 PM
To: [email protected]
Cc: Belchetz-Swenson, Sarah; Carr,
Robert; Dittmer, Paul; Davis, John; Goodrich, John; Heller, Sharl;
Hurley, Claudia; Kaiser, Amy; Jakuc, Denis; Morrison, Laurie Sanders &
Fred; Neil, Rick; Seale, Doug; Weiss, Nancy; Weil, Phoebe; White,
Richard; Zorzin, Joseph; Williams, Bill; [email protected];
[email protected]
Subject: [ENTS] Mt Tom Adventures
ENTS,
Folks, my project plate is
really full these days. I am forced to chop a way (no pun intended) at
my many time consuming endeavors. One self-imposed mission is to
document in images, words, and numbers the forest treasures of
Massachusetts. I have several reasons for taking on this project, one of
which is to share some of the hidden corners of our forests with others
who otherwise would never know of their existence. A second reason is to
help the Department of Conservation and Recreation document the special
places that have heretofore been under-described and consequently
under-appreciated.
Today Monica and I went to the
Mount Tom State Reservation and I took three photos for documentation
purposes. I'd like to share them with my fellow and lady Ents and with
the others that I am copying.
The first image is of one of the
big white pines on Mount Tom. It is 133.3 feet tall and 10.8 feet in
girth. It is a particularly handsome tree and slightly large for a
mature Mount Tom pine. Small hemlocks surround it. The big pine is in
good shape and hopefully has at least 100 years left of life. I keep
close tabs on this tree.
The second image was taken well
off the trail system in one of the secluded little coves. The basalt
ledge is rather striking. However, the trees in the area of the basalt
ledges grow in challenging conditions. Solid bedrock is only inches
below the surface of the ground. Tree longevity here is not great. In
the past, the European settlers of the region stripped Mount Tom of its
original forest cover - not a wise action to take on the slopes of Mount
Tom. Soils are compromised and the re-growth struggles to make ages much
beyond 125 or 130 years. Today, deer add insult to injury by browsing
the re-growth.
The last image is of the New
England champion eastern hemlock. It is a very large tree as can be seen
in the photograph with Monica present to provide a sense of proportion
(she's brushing off a pesky mosquito in the image). It will be fall
before I can re-measure the champ's height due to canopy closure.
However, at the end of the last growing season, the big hemlock's
dimensions were: height = 125.0 feet, girth = 14.9 feet, and average
crown spread = 49.0 feet. This gives our champ 316 points. In the point
department, it has no close rivals in New England. The hemlock's trunk
volume is approximately 750 cubic feet as determined using a Macroscope
25/45.
Bob
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