James- Beech often become the most dominant tree in my area, in many sites, usually topping out at 100'-110' and around 10' CBH on flat ground. Randy Brown and I measured a beech to 132' at Sand Run, reaching for light in a deep valley, but it was a relatively slender 7' 5'' CBH. If there is one thing I've learned this year while measuring trees, it's the importance of topography and local elevation---trees that "start" in narrow valleys or ravines can easily be 20'-40' taller than those of similar age/CBH on flat lands.
Steve On Wed, Dec 16, 2009 at 7:51 PM, James Parton <[email protected]>wrote: > Steve, > > Seeing the photos of that nice beech you have here reminds me of some > really tall ones I remember from a hike up Looking Glass Rock, back in > summer 2005. They were near the base of the mountain. I need to get up > there and measure those before leaf-in come spring. Some may be > unusually tall. I wonder what the record is? I have heard that > American Beech over 130 feet tall are really rare. > > James Parton > > On Dec 16, 5:24 pm, Steve Galehouse <[email protected]> wrote: > > ENTS- > > > > I reported on a different area of this park last March, today I visited > an > > area east of the first report, which has older and larger trees. Both > areas > > are flat and poorly drained, almost a swamp forest, with a layer of > > unexposed sandstone beneath clay soil(parts of the area were once > > quarried). The general canopy ranged from 110'-120' in height, with > quite a > > few trees in the 8'-10' CBH range---I think this would be considered a > > second growth forest approaching a mature stage. No conifers of any > kind, > > not even red cedar. Most of the understory saplings were beech, with > > spicebush the common shrub. A listing of measured species and a link to > > photos below. > > > > *Common name Genus Species Height > > CBH* > > > > Tulip-tree Liriodendron tulipifera > > 120.5' 9' 11'' > > Cottonwood Populus deltoides > > 117.5' 10' 3'' > > Red oak Quercus rubra > > 114.5' 12' 9'' > > Bitternut hickory Carya cordiformis > > 114.5' 7' 8'' > > White ash Fraxinus americana > > 113' 8' 6'' > > Pin oak Quercus palustris > > 111.5' 10' 9'' > > Sycamore Platanus occidentalis > > 110' 8' > > Beech Fagus americana > > 108.5' 10' 3'' > > Red maple Acer rubrum > > 101' 10' 11'' > > Sugar maple Acer saccharum > > 101' 6' 3'' > > > > *Rucker index > > 111.2' * > > > > http://picasaweb.google.com/srgalehouse/BradleyWoodsEast?authkey=Gv1s... > > > > Steve > > -- > 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]<entstrees%[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]
