so hideous they cut so much down and had planned to cut it all down??
why?????????
not a few little fly specks can be left without the meddling and ruination
of man??
everything needs the hand of man and has to be cropped and managed??
why is it the all of the most spectacular stands are the ones least or never
touched?
the timber men there just have to have one more great stand to cut they
can't stand to let some last little bits escape???
can't even let stuff stand in parks???
why is the old forest any less historic than the buildings are?? how does
creating a clearcut make the property more historic??
why is it that the 'over-mature', 'decaying', 'decadent', 'over-ripe',
'clearly in the early stages of major decline' parcels called such in the
late 1800's and very early 1900's in the adirondacks somehow magically still
have the best timber and most impressive forest over a hundred years later
now and the spots they did cut look weak and decayed and feeble????
why did the first settlers leave accounts of the meeting up with the most
astonishing forests if a forest can only be healthy and strong when forestry
practice are put into place???
anyway thank David Tice you helped save the 200 acre patch, great work
it's just stunning to think anyone needed to make an effort to save it
--------------------------------------------------
From: "ranger dan" <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, January 06, 2010 4:04 PM
To: "ENTSTrees" <[email protected]>
Subject: [ENTS] Re: Montpelier in images
ENTS,
Glad to see some exposure about the Montpeilier forest. In the early
1980's, Dave Tice was a consultant for the timber management to be
done on the farm. I spoke with him before his death about the forest,
which he said showed no evidence of timber harvest since the time of
James Madison. The Trust for Historic Preservation at the time wanted
to cut down the 200-acre area now set aside as the Landmark Forest,
but thanks to his recognition of this area as special, and with help
from the Nature Conservancy, it is now saved. Unfortunately, there
was much more forest like this that was destroyed following my first
visit.
There are remnant trees worthy of note outside the 200-acre preserve,
for those of you wanting to explore: From the trailhead into the
forest, to the right, across the field and across a gravel road, at
the foot of Chicken Mountain, is a row of huge tuliptrees along what
used to be the edge of the woods. Far to the left of the trailhead,
across a field and fences, there is a row of fine tuliptrees at the
edge of the woods. This is a buffer that was left after logging in
the 1980's destroyed a forest "as significant as the Landmark Forest",
according to an employee of the estate. I never saw it, but there is
some mature forest remaining behind this row of ancient trees.
Probably the finest stand of trees on the estate is not far to the
left of the trailhead, off-trail and near the edge of the forest.
Near here is a giant forest-grown white oak, probably the largest I
have ever seen. When I first saw it, it was marked with blue paint
(to cut). I expressed my alarm to Tice, who may have been responsible
for having this area spared. It was still standing at my last visit a
few years ago, close to 5'dbh.
For big trees, Montpelier is probably the finest remaining example of
old-growth forest in the entire Piedmont region, and beyond.
Dan Miles
On Jan 1, 9:12 pm, [email protected] wrote:
ENTS,
I just finished downloading images from Montpelier. I didn't take many
photos, but did manage to capture a little of the place. Descriptions of
6 images follow. I'll later send another email with a few more images.
DESCRIPTIONS
Montpelier.jpg: This is the front of the James Madison home. Montpelier
is where our Constitution was drafted. The Madison property covers 2,650
acres. The Landmark forest covers about 200.
MontpelierLawn.jpg: This image looks west toward the Blue Ridge from the
front of Montpelier. The field you see in the foreground was once a
tobacco field. The Skyline Drive runs along the crest of the Blue Ridge
on the horizon.
MonicaAndTulip.jpg: This is an image of one of many large tuliptrees you
see in the Landmark Forest, as it is called. It was freaking cold
throughout the period and I didn't document the trees nearly as well as I
otherwise would have. Oh well, I guess Monica and I will have to return.
Tulipartistry.jpg: This image looks into the crowns of 150+ foot
tuliptrees. There are many tuliptrees with girths between 12 and 15 feet.
The largest I measured was an open-grown specimen that measured 17.4 feet
around. It was about 120 feet tall.
IntoTheCrowns.jpg: This is perhaps a better shot into the crowns of these
very tall, picturesque trees. At Montpelier, the lordly Tuliptree reins
unchallenged. ENTS needs to document the groves much better. I hope to
start the process more formally when I contact the chief horticulturist.
JamesMadisonTree-1.jpg: The James Madison tree is the one in the center.
After a fierce struggle, we subdued this great tree and confirmed its
height at 166.1 feet. It is a most respectable 13.8-foot around. I am not
sure I found the top of the tree. I am reasonably sure that the 166.1
spot is within +/- 0.5 feet. Three measurements produced 166.1, 166.1,
and 166.5. There are three 160-footers fairly close together, of which
the Madison tree is the tallest. The other two are each around 161 feet
tall. One is 14.8 feet around and the other 14.0 feet. Over the entire
property, I suspect that there are seven or possibly even eight
160-footers and probably twenty to twenty-four 150-footers.
Bob
Montpelier.jpg
396KViewDownload
MontpelierLawn.jpg
268KViewDownload
MonicaAndTulip.jpg
619KViewDownload
Tuliprtistry.jpg
714KViewDownload
IntoTheCrowns.jpg
702KViewDownload
JamesMadisonTree-1.jpg
854KViewDownload
--
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