Boogerman Pine, GSMNP

Boogerman Pine:  Its official ENTS height is 186', 21 feet less than when it had its full top in 1995.  This is a nearly full view of the tree from the east. The "sprig" at the top is now the highest point. It is an upturned limb that has gained 6 feet in height since 1995. The crown starts at 99' above ground.   Blozan photo 1997
Boogerman Base: View of the trunk from about 40' up. I thought this was an interesting view. Ron Busch (climbed the Longfellow pine in Cook Forest, PA) and Rikki Hall (my naturalist cousin) are there for scale.  Photo by Will Blozan.
Michael Davie 150' hemlock: Mike climbed a neighboring tree to get some photos and video footage of the climb. The tree he climbed was no shrimp either! This and the accompanying photo show the size of the trees in the Boogerman Grove. Bob Leverett and I later measured this tree to around 154'. The entire grove now has an HWA infestation. Note the poor color of the needles- they were already stressed from four years of intense drought.  Photo by Will Blozan.
Michael Davie ascent: Mike's climb up into a 154' hemlock to get photo opportunities!  Photo by Will Blozan.
The top!: Made it! I was able to get myself secured in at 167' above ground, a personal record. From this height I extended a pole up to the top sprig as Michael Davie spotted my accuracy from the neighboring uphill hemlock. I then dropped a tape measure from the base of the pole to the midslope ground projection and added the lenght of the pole to obtain the total height of 185'5".  Photo by Will Blozan.
Trunk at 150': Close-up of the ancient bark and lichen gardens on the main trunk of the Boogerman Pine.  Photo by Will Blozan.

Tuliptree below: Note the person for scale. I cored this tuliptree in 1993 and found it to be 390 years old at 4.5 feet above ground. I took this photo to show the scale of what a 170' perch looks like and to show the architecture of an ancient tree and surrounding forest from a new perspective.  Photo by Will Blozan.

View to west. More nice trees and ancient pines...  Photo by Will Blozan.
None other than Dale Luthringer at the base of the tree in fall 2002. Girth at 4.5 feet is around 11'5". A white pine next to the Boogerman has been cored to pith at 345 years old-presumably a good indication of the Boogerman's age. Blozan photo 2002
Submitted by Michael Davie
.messickboogerman2.jpg (209386 bytes) Before the top broke out of the Boogerman pine in October 1995. At the time the tree was 207 tall.  Photo by Rob Messick.  Note Will Blozen with a beard for scale.
boogerman207.jpg (89042 bytes) Before the top broke out of the Boogerman pine in October 1995. At the time the tree was 207 tall.  Photo by Will Blozan
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TOPIC: Surprises from the Tsuga Search Project
http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees/browse_thread/thread/3731c664f80d5d1b?hl=en
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== 1 of 2 ==
Date: Wed, Jan 2 2008 4:41 pm
From: "Will Blozan"

James,

The "Boog" is growing- but very slowly, like 3-5 inches at the most. Its
gain in height of over 7 feet since breaking in 1995 is largely due to the
remaining limb bending upward. Here is a photo of the top taken by Steve
Sillett in June 2007. The original break of the tallest leader is obscured
by foreground foliage but you can see the wood suddenly stop on the left
leader. The smaller and shorter leader pictured was originally the shorter
leader. The upturn is evident in the curvature leading up to the top. When I
climbed the tree in 2002 I had to use an 18' pole to touch the tip for the
tape drop- it was far to flimsy and decayed to go higher. Besides, it was my
birthday party!

Will