Yes Bob, I definitely want to hook up with you to check out the Dunbar grove! I would love to set a date with you today but my wife and I are expecting our 2nd any day now. Perhaps this fall once the dust has settled we can meet. I know I have said this before but the last few years have been crazy with work, kids and the economy meltdown. That said I really appreciate the invite and will say YES but just not sure when. In the meantime, I will keep checking out your posts. If you are ever in the Metro West section of Mass, I want you to check out my white oak. Not as stately as the Granby Oak but a very nice specimen. There are a few trees of interest here (White Oak and Sycamore), not record breakers but good representatives to their species. I would like to get your take on how old you think they would be.
On Aug 19, 12:10 pm, [email protected] wrote: > Don, Marc, et al: > > Here are six more images of Dunbar. > > Of late, I have been trying to capture the artistry encountered by the yellow > birch-rock interfaces that I see as well as photographically explore the > intricate root structures of both small and large birches. The first three > images speak to this mission. > > Yellow birches do things with their roots that I don't commonly see with the > other species in the Berkshire woodlands. I have come to accept the yellow > birch as a consummate forest architect. Large birches stay upright in boulder > fields for two and sometimes as much as four centuries, all-the-while meeting > their challenge in artistically compelling ways. Everyone is entranced who > comes face to face with an ancient yellow birch extending its Octopus-like > roots around a Volkswagen-sized boulder. What about the old birches is it > that is so appealing to us Ents? Ed? Don? Beth? Others? > > Naturally, I have to include at least one big tree photo in every submission. > Image #4 gives us a peek at a big white pine that has gone nameless. I think > Roland first asked me about it. I sheepishly admitted to having previously > blown it off because it didn't meet the height criteria I was applying at the > time. I've since seen the light. In the image, Roland and Tanya are > stretching as far as they can and Monica is filling the remaining gap with a > foot and a half span of her hand and forearm. Why this method? I had lost my > D-Tape (still stuck in the aspen?) so I couldn't get the big pine's CBH, but > it is close to 12.0 feet. In July of 2000, I measured that pine and got 11.6 > feet and 125.5 feet in height. My guess is that now it is at least 130 feet > tall and 11.9 feet around, possibly 12.0. That would make sense - appealing > to the growth rates of other huge field pines in lower Dunbar. Place your > bets, folks. Incidentally, there are three other white pines in the vicinity > with girths of 12 feet or more. Two are quite tall (Grandfather and Thoreau). > The other has lost its top and is short (106.0 feet). I consider 106 feet to > be very short for a white pine. Am I spoiled or what? > > Image #5 returns to the imaginative assortment of rocks and trees that one > encounters throughout the forests in the Deerfield Gorge. Image #6 reinforces > the rock-forest theme. The dark monolithic form in the center of the image > has the shape of a Native American Manitou stone. I doubt that it served that > special purpose because of its location, but I could be wrong. > > Those who discover the hidden corners of Dunbar fall in love with the big > rocks and the old yellow birches. If one is inclined to believe in woodland > spirits, this is the place to make their acquaintance. Although being > predominantly of scientific persuasion, I especially enjoy sharing Dunbar > with people who relate to the magic of the elfin haunts through their > spiritual convictions. These gentle souls have the capacity to experience a > level of forest appreciation that broadens my own and gives me pause to > contemplate the essence of energy forms other than our own. Regardless of > whether one approaches special woodland haunts from a mythological > perspective or through solemnly held spiritual beliefs, the potency of the > magic of the forests is immeasurably strengthened. At least, that is my > observation and personal experience. > > Marc, > > You've got to see Dunbar. I'd be happy to take you to the big trees, share > the high-canopy old growth areas, explore the hidden corners with the > tree-rock sculptures, etc. Sound like something you'd like to do? Just say > the word. The invitation is open to all Ents. > > I'll close by repeating some of Monroe SF's forest and tree superlatives, > most of which are contributed by the Dunbar area. > > 1. Largest single-stemmed white pine modeled in Massachusetts (Grandfather > Pine at 970+ cubes), > 2. One of two Massachusetts sites to have a tree measured to 160 feet in > height (Thoreau Pine at 160.2 feet), > 3. Largest forest-grown white ash measured to date in New England (14.7 feet > in girth, 123.7 feet in height), > 4. Largest eastern hemlock in Massachusetts modeled for trunk volume > 4. Third highest Rucker Index in Massachusetts (123.7), > 5. One of the three sites in Massachusetts with white ash trees surpassing > 130 feet in height (MTSF, Ice Glen, MSF), > 6. Second largest yellow birch measured in Massachusetts (13.0 x 98.1), > 7. One of only 3 Massachusetts sites with five or more species of trees > reaching heights of 120 feet or more, > 8. Site of second tallest bigtooth aspen in Massachusetts (124+ feet), > 9. One of only 3 locations in Massachusetts with yellow birch measured to > heights exceeding 100 feet, > 10. One of only 2 sites with striped maple close to 60 feet in height, > 11. One of two sites in Massachusetts with 4 or more white pines reaching 12 > feet or more in girth, > 12. One of a handful of Massachusetts sites with hemlocks confirmed to nearly > 500 years in age, > > And the list goes on ........ > > Bob > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "DON BERTOLETTE" <[email protected]> > To: [email protected] > Sent: Wednesday, August 19, 2009 1:17:55 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern > Subject: [ENTS] Re: ordinary versus extraordinary forests > > Bob- > Looks familiar! > Oddly enough I especially liked the last photo with the mushroom standing > proud in the beaming ray of sunlight that made it to the forest floor!! > -Don > > > > BirchRootCluster.jpg > 426KViewDownload > > ArchingBirch.jpg > 570KViewDownload > > SnakingRoot.jpg > 372KViewDownload > > NamelessGiantAndGroup.jpg > 477KViewDownload > > PathWayintheRocks.jpg > 518KViewDownload > > Monolith.jpg > 521KViewDownload- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ 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] -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
