That is an extremely impressive black cherry.
On Sep 13, 6:44 pm, [email protected] wrote:
> ENTS,
>
> Massachusetts has approximately 3,000,000 acres of forests out of a land area
> of 5,050,000 acres. Most of the wooded acres are covered by undistinguished
> forest, often downright ratty - not places we would want to brag about to
> folks in other states. However, despite this common woodland theme, there are
> some real forest gems in the Bay State; inspiring forests that are on a par
> with the best that other northeastern states have to offer.
>
> Most of our forest gems are on public lands. I frequently report on Mohawk
> Trail and Monroe State Forests, Mount Greylock and Mount Tom State
> Reservations, Robinson State Park, and less often, on a good dozen other
> public properties. The State will continue to claim to the lion's share of
> inspiring forests, but the State can't lay claim to all the jewels. There are
> some privately held forests that rank high on the inspiration scale. Most are
> owned by conservation organizations. A very few are owned by private
> citizens. One forest gem not owned by the State is the Laurel Hill
> Association's incomparable Ice Glen, located in Stockbridge, MA. Another is
> the Trustees of Reservation's Bryant Homestead, located in Cummington, MA.
>
> I regularly visit the Bryant Homestead. It holds special meaning for me. The
> Bryant Woods possess qualities that reflect the greatness of Bryant, himself.
> In fact, Bryant was inspired by his woods and wrote poetry about them. He
> always though they inspired art and poetry.
>
> In terms of stature, the Bryant Woods vary from somewhat impressive to
> spectacular. The homestead sits at about 1,500 feet elevation, so winters are
> fairly cold and snowy. The forest type is predominately hemlock and northern
> hardwoods. However, early successional species can be found, courtesy of past
> clearing for pastures. The Bryant Woods have a Rucker Height Index of 106.9.
> This is modest compared to Mohawk, Ice Glen , Monroe, and several other
> Massachusetts sites. But compared to most of the Massachusetts woodlands, the
> Bryant height index is fairly impressive. Still, one cannot obtain the true
> measure of the Bryant Woods by appealing to dimensional indices - not for the
> Bryant Woods. The quiet woodland paths of the property are meant to put one
> in a contemplative state, to inspire art, poetry, music. There is much to tie
> the Bryant Woods to the woodland mythology. Hopefully, the following images
> will illustrate why I say this. So, without further comment, I present six
> images from the Bryant Woods.
>
> Image#1-BryantHomestead1.jpg: This image shows the home and barn of the
> homestead from across a sloping field that is used for hay. The magic woods
> lie behind me as I snapped this shot.
>
> Image#2-BlackCherry.jpg: This image shows the famous Bryant Black Cherry (at
> least, famous to the high priesthood of big tree aficionados). The handsome
> cherry has finally reached a girth of 9 feet and it is very close to 100 feet
> in height. These dimensions are unusual in Massachusetts for a forest-grown
> cherry. This past winter's ferocious ice storm failed to break up the
> cherry's crown such as happened to many small trees. The cherry's big limbs
> were apparently the reason. The crown did take a hit, but there is plenty
> left to keep the cherry going for a long time.
>
> Image#3-ForestPrimeval2.jpg: Old growth hemlocks impart that 'enchanted
> forest look' to this area of the Rivulet Trail. When I was helping the
> Trustees put up interpretive markers and delineate the area of old growth, I
> dated a number of hemlocks along the trail to between 200 and 250 years. A
> few may reach 300, but not many. However, over 200 years is common.
>
> Image#4-ForestPrimeval4.jpg: The Pine Loop Trail passes through a colossal
> stand of mature white pines - one of the show stands in New England. The
> pines took a hit from the ice storm, but all in all, survived well compared
> to younger, wispy forests. I helped layout the Loop Trail through the pines.
> I count the trail as one of my most satisfying achievements. Within the
> stand, the Bryant Pine stands supreme. It rises to a height of between 155
> and 156 feet. Jack Sobon and I have monitored it for nearly 20 years. I'll
> measure the Bryant Pine to a higher level of accuracy when the leaves fall
> and I can see its crown better. A couple of years ago, Will Blozan was going
> to climb the pine and do a tape drop. That is a must for the future. The
> Bryant pine stand may have the highest concentration of white pines in the
> 10-foot circumference class and larger. Mohawk has more, but its area of
> pines covers more territory. The operative term here is concentration.
>
> Image#5-SweetiePieandWhiteAsh.jpg: Monica has her hand on the trunk of a 240+
> year old white ash. I am hopeful that this splendid trail-side ash will leave
> decades more. It is perhaps the oldest of its species in the Bryant Woods.
>
> Image#6-RedMaple.jpg: Lumbermen commonly disparage the red maple. Would they
> do so of this splendid specimen? When I lead groups in the Bryant Woods for
> the Trustees, I always stop at this beautiful red maple. and pay my respects
> to what Rhode Island declares as its state tree.
>
> BryantHomestead1.jpg
> 324KViewDownload
>
> BlackCherry.jpg
> 635KViewDownload
>
> ForestPrimeval2.jpg
> 661KViewDownload
>
> ForestPrimeval5.jpg
> 676KViewDownload
>
> SweetiePiendWhiteAsh.jpg
> 609KViewDownload
>
> RedMaple.jpg
> 760KViewDownload
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