Andrew,
No apology needed. John had to get back for chores before the
light ran out. We would have otherwise stayed.
You may be right about a higher twig. Such a complicated crown.
Another climb next year, maybe?
Bob
Sent from my iPhone
On Dec 4, 2009, at 10:07 PM, Andrew Joslin <[email protected]>
wrote:
> Thanks Bob, great day in the woods. Apologies for the longer than
> expected time it took to get the tape drop.
>
> I want to asterik the tape drop measurement, looking at your photo I
> think the outer twig on the right is a little higher. I think it will
> take another manual measurement at some point to rule out an error
> on my
> part. Plus 2' difference indicates that something more than the top
> twig
> choice is amiss, especially when the ENTS A-team is on the ground.
> -Andrew
>
> [email protected] wrote:
>> ENTS,
>>
>> Well today was a big day for the Massachusetts group of dedicated
>> Ents. At my request, Andrew Joslin and two companion climbers took on
>> the daunting task of climbing the Henry David Thoreau pine in Monroe
>> State Forest for the purpose of doing a tape drop measurement. The
>> day
>> was perfect for the climb.
>>
>> We met at the Charlemont Inn at 8:30AM and had breakfast. To our
>> delight, John Eichholz was able to make it. So, after breakfast, we
>> headed for Dunbar Brook. While John and team readied for the climb,
>> John and I scooted around measuring other trees. We also measured the
>> Thoreau pine from as many locations as possible. Our ground-based
>> measurements ranged from 157.1 to 158.4 feet. John and I thought the
>> most probably height for the tree to be 158 feet.
>>
>> To cut to the chase, Andrew's tape drop came to 156.1 feet. John
>> and I
>> were surprised, but that is the best measurement we have, so the big
>> tree is no longer in the 160 Club. However, John established a new
>> mid-slope baseline for girth using the Will Blozan method. Thoreau's
>> girth is an even 13.0 feet. So, the Thoreau pine moves into another
>> girth class. Lose some, win some.
>>
>> John went farther out the ridge while Andrew and team were getting
>> themselves positioned in the top of the pine. John measured a sugar
>> maple to 124.7 feet, a new height record for the Dunbar Brook maples.
>> The Rucker Index stands at 123.7 today. Its all time high is 124.1. I
>> found a tall ash upslope from Thoreau and the Grandfather pine. Its
>> dimensions are girth = 7.2 feet, height = 128.9 feet. Not bad. I
>> remeasured the Grandfather pine and got 144.7 feet. That is a
>> believable number, given Will Blozan's climb a couple of years ago. I
>> think he got around 143.5 feet or so.
>>
>> Well, enough chatter. The following images tell a little of the
>> story.
>>
>> ThoreausBase.jpg: This image show's Thoreau's base. That is what a
>> 13-foot circumference looks like for a straight white pine.
>>
>> LookingIntoThoreausCrown.jpg: I tried to capture the appearance of
>> how
>> this tree soars.
>>
>> TopOFThoreau.jpg: This image shows Andrew's pole at the tippy top of
>> the great tree.
>>
>> ClimberInThoreau.jpg: This image shows a climber ascending.
>>
>> AshMapleAndRock.jpg: This image is included to give an idea of the
>> surrounding terrain and forest. Great place.
>> and your team, all ENTS thanks you and your team, and most of all the
>> great Henry David Thoreau pine thanks you. We can promote this climb
>> as a genuine effort to put truth into the tree numbers.
>>
>> Bob
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> 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]
>>
>> ---
>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>
>> ---
>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>
>> ---
>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>
>> ---
>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>
>> ---
>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>
> --
> 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]
--
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]
