Will: Nodes 50 inches apart are not that uncommon. I have seen that even on my trees, but not often. White pine trees for a period of a few years can commonly average over 3 feet per year. But by age 25 or so the growth rate begins to decline. To get even 140 feet in 50 years, the AVERAGE for the entire period would have to be about 3 feet, considering it takes several years for the growth to get up to the max. I have some trees that have averaged three feet or a bit more, for periods of 8 to 12 years, and my site index here is only 95 feet. I have seen some trees when they are over 40 years old put out a really spectacular growth shoot. But that will happen in an odd year--the same tree may grow only 18 inches the next year. I am talking about averages--sustained growth.
Now if you have seen a white pine tree with 50 inch internodes each year, or as an an average for a period of 12 years or so, then anything may be possible! Now that is something I have never heard of. One thing you should be aware of--sometimes a white pine may seem to have an internode of 6 or 7 feet. I have one such tree. But that is a mistake--what happens, very rarely, but it happens, is that the whorl of branches for one year can be stripped by bird perch, leaving what seems to be one spectacular internode. In the Norway spruce topic I mentioned the very unusual growth curves for NS. SUNY Syracuse determined that after the trees reach 4.5 feet tall, the crowth curve for over 50 years is absolutely flat. That is very unusual. Most trees, even tuliptree, have a period of very fast growth when they are very young, but at some point well before 50 years the growth curve begins to bend. So it is with white pine. And, as I pointed out earlier,the point of the topic I created, the faster the juvenile growth rate, the faster the decline in that growth rate so that after 55 years it is no faster than white pines growing on very ordinary sites. --Gaines -------------------------------------------------------------- On 1/11/10, Will Blozan <[email protected]> wrote: > Gaines, > > > > As for the age, I'll let Jess weigh in on that one. They are very strikingly > young with growth internodes around 50" on fallen trees if I remember > correctly. Jess? > > > > As for not fitting current models of growth- that's what ENTS is all about! > Bring the truth and refute the standard. > > > > I'd send some photos but they have disappeared with my stolen laptop. > > > > Will F. Blozan > > President, Eastern Native Tree Society > > President, Appalachian Arborists, Inc. > > > > "No sympathy for apathy" > >
