Rob,
Where will you be going in Poland? Are you familiar with the
Bialowieza Forest?
Ed Nizalowski
Newark Valley, NY
Rob McBride wrote:
> Hi Frank,
> I thought you may like this
>
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/northeastwales/hi/people_and_places/nature/newsid_8224000/8224895.stm
>
> It is being aired on BBC 1 Countryfile 13th Sept. 2009
>
> Regards, rob
>
> PS Off to Poland this week tree hunting.
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> From: [email protected]
> To: [email protected]
> Subject: [ENTS] Re: Gettysburg 'witness tree' falls
> Date: Mon, 11 Aug 2008 20:55:14 -0400
>
> ENTS,
>
> There are many trees that bore witness to the Battle at Gettysburg,
> but only a few stood on the battlefield itself. I know Dale has a
> pending trip report on te site. In the book "Old Growth in the East -
> a Survey" by Mary Byrd Davis there are some old-growth patches
> reported in Gettysburg national Military Park, including sections of
> Big Round Top. These include some of the stunted oaks growing among
> the boulders.
> /There are several specific patches identified:/
>
> /Big Round Top, 70 acres, White Oak, Northern Red Oak, White Ash, and
> Tulip Tree surround Big Round Top. Grazing and cutting of fuel wood
> probably took place, but boulders in the woods forestalled logging for
> agriculture./
>
> /Culps Hill, 10 acres, The stand is dominated by White and Northern
> Red Oak. Boulders surround the hill./
>
> /Philzer Woods, 10 acres, Selectively cut old growth are located in
> the woods. White Oak dominates./
>
> /Gettysburg National Military Park, 10 acres, Scattered through the Park./
>
> The park has been undergoing an effort to try to restore the landscape
> to what it was like during the battle. Missing forested areas are
> being replanted, overgrown fields are being cut back, old roads are
> being restored. There are photos of many of these areas dating from
> the 1860's taken because of the battle, so we could see some of these
> trees as they were 145 years ago. Much of this information has been
> compiled as part of the battlefield restoration effort.
>
> This past summer a series of Basttlefield tours led by Tour Guides on
> the anniverary of the battled were broadcasr on a television program
> on PCN. One tour on Big Round Top showed two giant trees flanking a
> series iof step leading to the top of the hill from the 1890s. Since
> then one of these trees has fallen, but the other still stands. I
> emailed one of the registerd guides, Tim Smith about a question I had
> concerning the forests there. Here is part of his reply:
>
> /I think most of the areas of woods on the battlefield are much
> different today then they were at the time of the Civil War. There
> are photographs taken after the battle that show the woods without
> undergrowth. And an expert might be able to identify the types of
> trees in the photograph. I am sure that the species are quite
> different. I am not sure how many trees still stand that were her at
> the time, but I will bet it is not many. The area of Culp's Hill saw
> heavy fighting and the trees died off in great numbers in the space
> of a few years following the battle. Big Round Top, where the
> fighting was not as severe, probably retained more of its Civil War
> appearance, but once it became a National Park, little has been done
> to keep it the way it was. /
>
> /I would guess that the use of wooded areas as woodlots had alot to do
> with their appearance at the time. Farmers clearing trees for lumber
> and heating material, or for the making of furniture. In many areas,
> livestock grazed in the woods further eliminating the underbrush.
> And of course, I loved what you said about the canopy of an old growth
> forest as opposed to a young growth forrest./
> /
> /
> /Also, through a study of Photograph from the time of the Civil War,
> it appears that the trees at the time of the battle were shorter, all
> over the field. I am not really sure what that means. Different
> species, perhaps?/
> //
> / If a tree falls down today the NPS just leaves it lay. This
> simply would not have happened at that time. Today the woods on the
> battlefield look nothing like they did at the time of the Civil War.
> Felled trees are everywhere and underbrush is out of control. I am
> sure that the park has some sort of plan, but I am not sure what it is./
> /
> /
> /Tim Smith/
>
> On the American Forests website, the honey locust was one of the trees
> whose offspring were offered for sale as part of their historic tree
> program:
>
>
>
> /Gettysburg Address Honey Locust/
> //
>
> /On a somber November morning in 1863, Abraham Lincoln arrived in
> Gettysburg , Pennsylvania . He was to take part in dedicating the new
> "Soldiers Cemetery", graves of over 3,500 souls from the July battle
> there. While Lincoln 's speech lasted only minutes, its words still
> evoke the sadness of a nation torn by war. /
>
> /$39,97/
>
> The last I heard the Park Service was trying to decide whether to try
> to [reserve the remaining portions of the tree or to remove it
> entirely. I would like to see the tree saved, even without its top.
>
> http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/08/09/historic.tree.ap/index.html /"The
> top of it is totally broken off, and [the storm] severely damaged 70
> to 80 percent of the tree," Gettysburg National Military Park
> spokeswoman Jo Sanders said. "That means there's not a whole lot left
> of it. But it didn't kill the tree."/
>
> There is a photograph of the fallen tree at this site:
> http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/pa/chester/20080809__quot_Witness_tree_quot__at_Gettysburg_damaged_in_storm.html
>
> Here is an interesting
> aside.
> http://www.philorch.org/imaginations/wearemetatgettysburg/steve_diary.htm
> Friday, Sept 7, 2001 Journal for orchestral work about Gettysburg. by
> Steve Heitzig of the Philidelphia Orchestra: /12:05 pm EST "//I
> would like to compose a movement about the honey locust trees and
> other trees at Gettysburg that survived and witnessed this battle.
> Lincoln loved trees he has a famous quote about humans as trees. It is
> said that he sometimes preferred the company of trees over people.
> Perhaps a movement of just percussion and wood sounds for this."
> /
>
> Ed Frank
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
>
> *From:* pabigtrees
> *To:* ENTSTrees
> *Sent:* Monday, August 11, 2008 6:57 PM
> *Subject:* [ENTS] Re: Gettysburg 'witness tree' falls
>
>
> ENTS
>
> Honey Locust was discovered in 1700. It does grow in Pa up to Central
> Pa, naturally. It tends to be short lived though. It could very well
> have been planted, but it could still have been a witness.
>
> The Park official said it was one of a few left within the
> battlefield, I bet he is thinking about where Pickett's charge
> occured in the open fields. I bet there are hundreds of witness' on
> little round top for sure!! FIX BAYONETS!
>
> Scott<BR
>
> >
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