The state went on a cutting rage clearcutting the plantations of these great trees. They were and still are in many areas providing valuable overwintering habitat for various species. They are reproducing in a mild manner like mentioned in many of these stands, and since is no other real regeneration, they are filling a void. The green certification people while relatively useless, did hit the state hard on cutting the plantations of these down, while justifying it as "non native". They make a great replacement for hemlock stands that are damaged by wooley adelgid. There were a few that stated there may be some native ones in the Northeast US, only native because they have been here so long. Some were rumored to have been seeded accidentally by arriving colonial ships. A great species for sure.
Ray On Sunday, January 3, 2010 4:37pm, "Barry Caselli" <[email protected]> said: > Gaines, > When I saw this in my inbox (I read these posts in my email), I only saw the > first > few words "Honorary native tree", and I said to myself, that would be Norway > Spruce, since it has been in this country since Colonial times. > I find them here (NJ), but only in ghost towns or in people's yards. > Some ENTS members have measured Norway Spruces. > Barry > > --- On Sun, 1/3/10, spruce <[email protected]> wrote: > > > From: spruce <[email protected]> > Subject: [ENTS] Honorary native tree--a possibility?: Norway spruce > To: "ENTSTrees" <[email protected]> > Date: Sunday, January 3, 2010, 1:14 PM > > > Tree lovers: > > Forgive me if I am treading on forbidden territory, but I am a > lover of Norway spruce. These trees can grow very tall. In Europe > they are reported to grow as much as 215 feet. Dr. John Genys, > Professor Emeritus, U of MD, with whom whom I have had some good > discussions about Norway spruce, is a native of Lithuania, and has had > a long standing interest in Norway spruce. He sees no reason why they > should not grow as tall here, in favorable spots and with the right > genetic strain, as in Europe. > > Norway spruce is naturalized in a wide area of the northeast > and > northern midwest. It reproduces itself, but not in a way as to be a > problematic invasive exotic. > > Could there be any interest in including this species in some > way > in the ENTS measurement/recording activities? > > I know of two areas where some very tall Norway spruce trees > grow-- > as a rough estimate, maybe up to 140 feet, or a bit more in one case. > Of course these trees were not much planted until the CCC plantings in > the '30s, although one stand, The "Rothkugel," near Bartow in WV, was > planted in 1907. A few were planted during colonial times, but I don't > know of any surviving from that time. The oldest I know of where > probably planted around 1835. If anyone knows of any older plantings I > would be interested. Anyway, since there are few if any plantings > much older than 100 years, the full potential of these trees is not > yet realized on this side of the Atlantic. They are, contrary to some > reports, long lived, pretty much matching the longevity of white pine. > > --Gaines McMartin > > -- > 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]
