| Atlanta
Trees |
ecri-@juno.com |
|
Aug
17, 2005 14:32 PDT |
Ents,
While Atlanta sprawls over literally hundreds of square miles,
many small
parks remain scattered around the downtown area, often dating
from the
early 20th century. Not surprising, those parks offer an
opportunity to
view mature individuals of an interesting mix of both native and
exotic
species in not only open but also forest settings. Now among the
best
known of those parks, Piedmont Park began in 1887 as a horse
racing
venue, and continues to host a wide variety of public events.
Extensive
maintained grassy areas, with scattered trees, occupy most of
the park's
189 acres. Some of the trees appear to have been planted as the
grounds
were cleared and altered while the form of other trees indicates
they
once belonged to the forest that formerly occupied the site.
Water oak,
most showing an entirely open-grown form, is likely the most
common
species in the park, but tuliptrees, white oaks and pin oaks are
also
prominent features of the landscape. (Information from
http://www.piedmontpark.org
)
30 acres of the park also host the Atlanta Botanical Garden. The
Garden
has partitioned that area into 15 acres of mature hardwood
forest and 15
acres of maintained and developed grounds. The orchid house now
serves
as the largest draw to the maintained section of the gardens.
The
building employs a unique humidifier system to support flora
from cloud
forests in the Andes, the Lost World region of Venezuela, and
high
elevations in Borneo. Outside that building, an intricate train
display
incorporating many natural materials and plants from the
temperate
regions of the world capture visitors' attention. Among those,
deciduous
trees from Asia of familiar genera, such as Styrax (snowbell)
and Cornus
(Dogwood) provide an interesting blend of the commonplace and
the exotic.
In particular, Giant Dogwood (Cornus controversa) closely
resembles our
alternate-leaf dogwood (Cornus alternafolia). The Japanese and
Korean
species has alternate, elliptical, entire leaves and distinctive
tiered
branches as does the native species, but differs in having
leaves broader
in proportion to their length, and far less green on the twigs
and
branches. The Asian species also dwarfs its North American
cousin; the
individual at the botanical gardens has reached well over a foot
in
diameter in only about 25 years.
In contrast to the well cared for and pleasant main grounds, the
wooded
section of the property, known as Storza Woods, has been
neglected and
abused. The fence that runs around the property and the various
human
trash and filth scattered about make one want to frequently look
over
their shoulder. The smaller flora of the forest has been
similarly
trashed; four of the most destructive exotic vines now spreading
through
the southeast, english ivy, japanese honeysuckle, chinese
wisteria, and
kudzu, all occupy areas of the forest. Sugar maple, not native
to the
Georgia piedmont physiographic province, has invaded the
understory, and
the herbaceous layer is a patchy, and bewildering hodgepodge of
long
distance travelers.
However, in spite of the genera degradation, the forest canopy
is
exemplary for the region. Without any swamps or rugged
topography to
slow development, the piedmont of the southeast was quickly
stripped of
most of its forest, and agriculture proceeded to strip the
topsoil off
vast areas. Yet, Storza Woods has a canopy of approximately 150
year old
hardwoods that suggest the site contains more productive soils
than found
in the larger park system along the nearby Chattahoochee River.
Tuliptree dominates the canopy, but several species of oak,
sweetgum,
and, at the lower edge of the site, beech and sycamore mix in
the canopy.
The understory of primarily american elm and sugarberry also
suggest a
relatively rich site. The fertility of the site does not result
from
alluvial deposition, but rather seems a consequence of the
bedrock and
disturbance history of the area.
Species Cbh Height Location
Comment
Beech, American NA 104.6' Storza
Woods
Cedar, Deodar 11'0" 87.9' Piedmont
Park
Dogwood, Flowering 5'2.5" 36.5' Piedmont
Park
Circumference at 2'
Ginkgo 13'10.5"
87.3' High
Museum of Art
Circumference at 3'
Hickory, Mockernut NA 103.5'+ Storza
Woods
Lime, Littleleaf 9'10" 66.7' Piedmont
Park
Tilia contorta (a basswood)
Oak, Northern Red NA 110'+ Storza
Woods
Oak, Pin 14'1" 92.3' Piedmont
Park
104' long spread
Oak, Post 4'10" 98.1' Storza
Woods
Establishes state height record
Oak, Southern Red NA 108.1' Storza
Woods
Oak, Southern Red NA 108.8' Storza
Woods
Oak, Water NA 94.3'+ Storza
Woods
Oak, White 12'9" 112.9' Yonah
Park
Oak, White NA 123.4' Storza
Woods
Paulownia 13'1" NA Atlanta
Botanical
Garden Circumference @ ~3.5'
Pine, Loblolly NA 118.6' Storza
Woods
Sweetgum 11'10" NA Piedmont
Park
Sweetgum 7'4" 124.7' Storza
Woods
Sycamore NA 89.5' Piedmont
Park
Tuliptree 15'0" NA Storza
Woods
Tuliptree NA 127.1' Storza
Woods
Tuliptree 12'9" 130.3' Yonah
Park
Tuliptree NA 136.6' Storza
Woods
Tuliptree NA ~142.2' Storza
Woods
Storza Woods Rucker Index
Tuliptree 142.2'
Sweetgum 124.7'
White Oak 123.4'
Loblolly Pine 118.6'
N. Red Oak ~115'
S. Red Oak 108.8'
Mockernut ~105'
Beech 104.6'
Post Oak 98.1'
Water Oak ~98
Total ~113.8'
A handful of other tuliptrees in Storza Woods likely exceed
140', and one
may reach 150'. These are the greatest heights so far found for
the
species in the Georgia piedmont. Similarly, southern red oak
certainly
exeeds 110' at the site and may approach 120', taller than any
individual
of the species so far identified in the state. Many of the
canopy trees
at the site are eight to 10' cbh. The pin oak easily out-points
the
current state champion; as would the paulownia.
Jess Riddle
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