Delaware trees measured today

Delaware trees measured today	wad-@comcast.net
	Feb 21, 2007 20:54 PST

ENTS

Today Meg Varnes and I visited several of Delaware's state Champion trees. As most of you know, Delaware is mostly coastal plain with a dash of piedmont in the northern part of NewCastle County. The area we were in lies in the Piedmont portion near Wilmington and north. I think the highest elevation was 330' or so. Delaware seems to have a so so champion tree program with little interest. Meaning that the champs are in public parks and arboretums mostly with fewer trees being reported from private property. The first park we visited was Rockwood. http://www.rockwood.org/home/webpage1.asp Built in 1851 by a Quaker merchant, it was nicely planted and also retained some of the original woods.

Rockwood Black Gum

Rockwood Weeping Beech

Rockwood Basswood

Hemlock                 11x83.1
this tree was originally listed at 11.8 cbh but a codominate leader has come off the tree.
European larch        7.6x78.0
American elm          12.9x82.6
Atlas cedar              11.5x61.9
Black gum                12.9x80.4   very nice specimen
Big leaf magnolia      7.5x60.3
Blackhaw viburnum 3.5x29.4 @2.5' a new champ, as one was not listed
Weeping E. beech    9.8x59.9
Basswood                13.8x72.2 interesting fluted base
Tulip poplar              12.3x128.3
Monkey Puzzle champ had died and been removed : (

The next spot we stopped was Bellevue State Park http://www.destateparks.com/bvsp/bvsp.htm

Not a lot to see here tree wise. The state champ red buckeye appeared to be a Horsechestnut (sticky buds) They had a Austrian pine labeled as a red pine. and they listed a little leaf linden as being native??

Bellevue Horse Chestnut?

The Austrian pine was a three trunked tree branching at 8" it was not a coppice. The stems were 6.3 cbh the 8" mark was 13.3 cbh and it was 66.2' tall.
We will check the bloom on the buckeye /horsechestnut for verification, but it was 10x62.6

a Tulip poplar growing near the mansion was 12.8x106.4

The next stop was in search of a laurel oak. I have never seen a laurel oak this far north, but Delaware claims to have two on their list. We did not find a laurel oak at Rockford Park http://www.destateparks.com/wilmsp/rockford.htm but we did find a nice red oak that was 16.5x72.9x111' spread.

Rockford Red Oak

Rockford Water Tower

Our next stop was Hagley museum. Home of the original DuPont gunpowder mill and factory. http://www.hagley.lib.de.us/hagley-name.html this area was developed on the Brandywine river in the 1700's and was heavily used by the Lenni-Lenape indians before that. This place is a gold mine for big trees, as the DuPonts were noted Botanists. We will return another time and try for a Rucker index. We measured the following today all within about 300 yds of each other!

Hagley Osage Orange

Hagley Osage Orange

White ash                 13.8x136.2 there are more of these, a nearby tulip poplar was 15.6 and probably just as tall. I couldn't get a clear shot to the top with the time I had.
Sugar maple             13.1x87.2 believed to be a naturally occuring specimen, but I have my doubts
Dupont Buckeye       11.4x77.7 a hybrid of A. pavia and A. sylvatica Dupont had a fixation with buckeyes and named many products after them.
Black walnut             10.2x85.0
osage orange             25.2x68.9   a massive gnarly tree at the end of a sweet gum alle
Yellow buckeye        10.3x88.0
Witch hazel               2.1x27    a new champ, as one was not listed

We had a great day with great weather. We will return to Hagley soon to get a rucker. They have 240+ acres.

Scott and Meg

Back to Scott	Robert Leverett
	Feb 22, 2007 05:42 PST

Scott,

Thanks for giving us our first look at Delaware. The white ash you
reported is a beaut. Sounds like ash and tulip poplar are not to be put
down.

Bob

RE: Piddling around in dendromorphometry as a cure for insomnia	Robert Leverett
	Feb 22, 2007 05:53 PST

Don,

You put your finger on my biggest fear. Future expert tree measurers
will probably be plump little computer geeks who sit on their laurels
and manipulate virtual trees on CRTs, while gulping gallons of coffee,
wolfing down MacDonalds fries, and playing naughty computer games. Ugh!
I'd rather drink pond water.

Bob

Re: Back to Bob	wad-@comcast.net
	Feb 22, 2007 06:22 PST

Bob

I think once we get into the woods at Hagley, we will find a lot of tall trees. Delaware has a lot of nice hickory too. Stay tuned. I am going into Fairmount Park again on the 21st of March to look for a new deciduous height champ. Come on 160'

Scott

Re: Delaware trees measured today	MICHAEL DAVIE
	Feb 22, 2007 16:00 PST

whoa.
Is that 25 foot osage orange a single stem? If so, that sounds like a jaw-dropper. Did you take any photos? That blackgum is no shrinking violet, either, nor the ash, nor the maple... Thanks for the report, can't wait to hear more.
Michael

Re: Delaware trees measured today	wad-@comcast.net
	Feb 23, 2007 06:32 PST

Michael

Although it is a single specimen, the Osage orange has a tendency to branch very low when given the opportunity. It is very difficult to tell how this beast grew. This species was brought east in 1818. It is very possible that this tree was planted close to that date, as the property far outdates the tree.

I will send photos to Ed to post with the report. I think Hagley will hold some amazing discoveries. The Delaware state champion book from 1997 list a white ash at 156' tall at Hagley, but I think the height I reported will be more likely for the taller species. Luckily for the forest, the mills were all water powered, and the wood was left to grow.

Scott

Re: Delaware trees measured today	djluth-@pennswoods.net
	Feb 23, 2007 07:40 PST

Great job, Scott!

That osage orange is incredible. When I first saw 25.2ft, I thought it was
height!

Dale

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