Don,
No. The old growth symposiums were held at Harvard Forest. The trip on Greylock was associated with the conference. I think one of the field trips associated with the symposiums was to Pisgah State Park in New Hampshire. They were a long time ago. Gotta dig up some old material to refresh my mind. Bob ----- Original Message ----- From: "DON BERTOLETTE" <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Monday, August 3, 2009 7:48:31 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [ENTS] Re: Requiem for a red spruce Lee/Bob- Were there two years of OG Symposiums where the Hopper was visited? I don't recall Lee, Will or Bill being on the hike...still coulda been me, as even 15 years younger I had already lost my gazelle-like grace in the woods...:>} -Don Date: Mon, 3 Aug 2009 15:26:09 +0000 From: [email protected] To: [email protected] CC: [email protected] Subject: [ENTS] Re: Requiem for a red spruce Lee, Probably wasn't Don or a good part of the mountain would have accompanied the small log and we'd all been part of Greylock. Will? Hmmmmm. Could it be that he meant the log for me instead of you, wanting to limit his tree measuring competiton? Naw, I'm no competition for Will. By process of elimination, it must have been Bill Martin. Bob ----- Original Message ----- From: "Lee Frelich" <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Monday, August 3, 2009 9:51:48 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [ENTS] Re: Requiem for a red spruce Bob: Yes, I remember some younger paper birches and at least one large oak and one hemlock that had fire scars that apparently matched the dates of establishment for the younger birches (and I think there were a few younger oaks also the same age as the paper birches). The entire stand reminded me of the unlogged forest in the Porcupine Mountains of Upper Michigan, with multi-aged sugar maple canopy trees, and some patches that had spot fires with birch, oak and hemlock. While we were on that hike, someone dislodged a log on a steep slope that came rolling down towards me, and I jumped at just the right moment and let it pass beneath my feet. Good thing it was only a 10 inch diameter log, if it had been a bigger log, I probably would have ended up as a permanent part of the forest floor. I don't think it was you who dislodged the log--since you were standing off to my left. Must have been Don Bertolette, Will Blozan, or Bill Martin. Lee [email protected] wrote: > Lee, > > Do you recall the mature oaks that you observed coming back down the > ridge from the tall spruce and interpreted for me? I guess I'm not > surprised that you recall general features of the area, but > remembering individual trees shows you to be a real Ent. That kind of > memory distinguishes the true blue from wannabes. > > Bob > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Lee Frelich" <[email protected]> > To: [email protected] > Sent: Monday, August 3, 2009 9:01:51 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern > Subject: [ENTS] Re: Requiem for a red spruce > > > Bob: > > There have been several severe thunderstorms in northwestern MA in the > last few summers, so I am not surprised that the spruce has fallen. The > tree will continue to contribute to the forest for a couple more > centuries through its coarse woody debris, and release of nutrients as > it decomposes, and as a seedbed and substrate for many species of trees, > mosses and fungi. In terms of its influence on the forest, the tree is > only at the half-way point. > > I remember some of the places you show from our hike in 1994. > > Lee > > [email protected] wrote: > > ENTS, > > > > Yesterday, Monica, Tanya Blaich (a new musical colleague of Monica's), > > and yours truly went to the Hopper on Mount Greylock's western slopes. > > My specific mission was to remeasure the champion red spruce growing > > in a ravine below a scenic little waterfall. Both the state champion > > red spruce (on points) and the height champion grow on Mt. Greylock. > > The point champ is accessible to hikers from the Roaring Brook Trail, > > but the height champ is off the trail network in the recesses of the > > Hopper. > > The weather cooperated and we made it to the spruce location without > > rain - but once there, no spruce. Our champion is champion no longer. > > I think the tree went down at least 3 years ago and apparently broke > > up in its fall into the stream. There are moss-covered chunks in the > > stream bed, but otherwise no evidence that a flagship specimen of > > /Picea rubens/ ever proudly stood as the tallest accurately measured > > red spruce in all New England. This fine tree was known to Lee Frelich > > and Will Blozan. Although I didn't mention it to Monica, I had vaguely > > sensed not all was right with the champion and was prepared to be > > philosophical about it. We Ents live with the awareness that on any > > trip to visit a favored champion, we may find our champion prostrate, > > the victim of disease, insect infestation, or a capricious act of > > nature. So, the demise of the red spruce champ, a somber discovery, > > did not completely extinguish my desire to share the treasurers of the > > western slopes of Greylock with my fellow and lady Ents. So, I > > concentrated on the magic of the Hopper. > > At 3,487 feet above mean sea level, Mount Greylock is Massachusetts's > > highest summit and one of only three peaks in Massachusetts to exceed > > 3,000 feet. The abrupt rise of Mount Greylock stands in contrast to > > the plateau-like terrain of most of the Berkshires uplands to the > > east. Greylock is a real mountain, rising prominently above both its > > eastern and western bases. The steep western slopes of Mount Greylock, > > where we were headed, rise close to 2,400 feet above drainage of > > Hopper Brook as it flows out of the Hopper and toward its union with > > the Green River. > > The Hopper has been called an old glacial cirque, but not all > > geologists agree with the interpretation, including darn good amateur > > geologist Joe Zorzin. I am inclined to agree with the nay-sayers based > > on the appearance of hundreds of cirque remnants that I have looked > > seen and thought about. > > Greylock is a popular destination for hikers, but the Hopper and Money > > Brook trails aren't yet over-used. The trailhead lies at at altitude > > of 1,100 feet in an attractive, open meadow and then proceeds > > eastward. Along the way, the hiker can choose any of four > > destinations, but our path was to be off trail. Our destination lies > > between 2,000 and 2,100 feet altitude in an unnamed ravine, along an > > unnamed stream, at the base of an unnamed waterfall. Is there a > > pattern here? Gains and losses in elevation along the course gave us > > an overall elevation gain of about 1,050 feet. Most of the way, the > > route is easy to moderate in steepness, but the last part is much > > steeper than to Monica's liking. The loose footing from all the rain > > didn't help matters in either the easy or difficult parts. > > Image #1: The path into the Hopper from the trailhead starts by > > following an old tree-lined road. Sugar maples and American basswoods > > are plentiful. Yellow and black birch and black cherry also announce > > their presence. Meadows/fields lie on both sides of the path. Even > > though the forest corridor hold no trees of special interest, the > > gestalt is aesthetic. Image #1 shows the path. The direction of view > > is back toward the trailhead. Some of the larger corridor trees > > exhibit half forest-grown, half-field grown forms. The younger trees, > > growing up in the shade of their elders exhibit a more classic > > forest-grown form. > > Image #2: There are openings along the path that allow one to view the > > surrounding peaks and be reminded that a lot of climbing lies ahead. > > Image #2 is an example. It looks northeastward toward Mt. Prospect, a > > 2,691-foot pleasingly contoured ridge with a trail to the summit - a > > worthy goal in its own right. A word or two about Prospect. > > Image #3: From experience I can attest to a couple of excellent views > > from Prospect. However, the forest on Prospect is undistinguished > > second-growth, partly fire successional. Red and and chestnut oaks are > > the rule near the summit. I've not found any intact old growth on > > Prospect, but areas that are rapidly approaching old-growth status > exist. > > Turning the camera around, I snapped Image #3 in an attempt to capture > > an exquisite view of a foreground field set against the main body of > > the Taconics. On the horizon, the New York-Massachusetts border > > follows the crest of the Taconics, a mountain range that runs along > > the border of Connecticut and New York, continues on the border of > > Massachusetts and New York with 2,798-foot Berlin Mountain being the > > high point of the Connecticut-Massachusetts-New York section. The > > Taconics continue into Vermont where they reach their greatest > > elevations west of Manchester. The hulking form of 3,864-foot Mount > > Equinox is the highest point of the range. The Taconics peter out > > south of Rutland, Vermont. > > The Greylock massif, which we were on, is geologically part of the > > Taconics, although most people, visitors and locals alike, probably > > think of Greylock as in the Berkshires. The term Berkshire is more > > political than geological. U.S. Route 7 crosses the joining point of > > Greylock to the main body of the Taconics between Williamstown and > > Pittsfield. > > Image #4: Most of the Hopper's terrain is steep, often very steep. > > But there are a few places where one encounters a relatively flat spot > > and for short stretches can catch the breath. In those idyllic spots, > > one may linger and enjoy the deep woods feeling that the Hopper > > offers. Image #4 is just such a spot. The hemlocks are mature, but not > > old growth. There are plenty of stately trees on Greylock, but few > > record breakers. When in places like that shown in image #4, I have > > begun to turn off my measuring gene and just enjoy the woodlands for > > what they have to offer. > > Image #5: At the site of the once dominate red spruce, I turned my > > attention to the surrounding woodland-mountain beauty. Image #5 looks > > westward through a peephole onto part of the Stony Ledge ridge. In the > > late autumn, views in this region are spectacular. One gets a big > > mountain feel when in the Hopper. > > Image #6: Monica and I noticed that Tanya is able to appreciate > > woodland aesthetics in the spirit of ENTS. So, invoking my ENTS > > powers, I did the proper thing and named a tree for her. Tanya's tree > > is a large white ash that I have measured about a dozen times. It is > > one of the many trees that I track. The large ash now measures 10.5 > > feet in girth. The highest twig I could find, peering through the > > dense canopy, reaches to 117.5 feet above the wide base. Based on my > > many measurements of /Fraxinus americana in Massachusetts/, Tanya's > > tree is one of the patriarchs of its species and the patriarch of that > > location. It has outlived the once champion basswood a few yards > > distant. The basswood gave up the ghost about 10 years ago and now > > stands as a snag. Image #6 shows Tanya and her tree. > > By appearance, I judge Tanya's tree to be between 225 and 275 years > > old. Don Bertolette and I once dated a large white ash of similar > > dimensions and appearance on a side stream to Dunbar Brook in Monroe > > State Forest. Don's age at coring height was 230 years. Tanya's tree > > is very similar in appearance, maybe even older by half a century. > > Image #7: The last photo is of yours truly standing by a large > > northern red oak growing on the slope close to the unnamed stream. The > > girth of this beautiful person (not me) is 11.7 feet as measured at > > breast height. The tree's full height can't be measured this time of > > year because of the dense canopy, but as I recall, it was about 107 > > feet a half dozen years ago. It's pretty flat-crowned, but may now be > > over 110. > > Well, that's it folks for the brief tour of Mount Greylock's Hopper. > > Oh yes, I did measure striped maples to girths of 26-inches on a catch > > as catch can basis. I wasn't specifically searching for them. But > > Greylock nourishes substantially larger ones, the goal of a future > > trip to re-connect with that delightful understory tree. My record on > > Greylock and Massachusetts for striped maple is 40.7 inches in girth. > > > > Bob > > > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > > > > > > > Get free photo software from Windows Live Click here. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ 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] -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
