A friend wanted to see Albright Grove, and I hadn't been on the Maddron Bald trail for years, so I was happy to oblige. On the drive there from my house I stopped to see the national champion pecan tree in Newport, Tn. This tree is a double trunk, but each side is larger than most pecans I've ever seen. It splits at about ten feet up, but there is an inclusion that runs down to the ground. It's actually a little scary, one half could crush the nearby house, the other could crush a semi going down the road. It's impressive as hell, but I don't think I would have ever nominated it- though in the double trunk class, it's a winner. It is also really, really tall for an open grown tree, much like the sycamore I mentioned recently. The listed measurements are: circumference- 267 inches, height- 136 feet, spread, 111 feet. I didn't bother getting a girth or the spread, those were probably measured well enough, and seem very plausible. I probably should have checked the long spread just to see what it was. I wanted to check the height, mainly, and didn't want to delay the woods for too long, since we had started a little late already. So. I got the following three shots:140.7, 140.5, and 141.1. I feel like I had a better shot on the top in the last, but it has a very large domed crown, there might actually be a higher top in there. I suppose the reason for the relative accuracy before is very flat ground all around, but someone did a surprisingly good job. I thought I remembered Bob Van Pelt measuring this tree also? I'm not sure. I don't know what the tallest documented one is, but I'll bet they can get taller. Anyway, a very cool tree.

The Maddron Bald area is always a pleasure. Albright grove was my first experience with really big tuliptrees years ago, and it really opened my eyes at the time. We only left the trail a little bit, but I finally saw the big white ash near Indian camp creek, which I measured at 18' 3" and 120 feet tall. It has some flare, but what a whopper! The only really big tree I saw that I hadn't seen before was a big tuliptree, near Indian Creek below Albright Grove trail, covered with more epicormic burls than any tulip I think I've seen. It was 19' 6" and had practically no taper. It was around 130 feet tall. I also wanted to get GPS coordinates for the national champion red maple that Will found, a tree I am always totally overwhelmed by, and was again this time. It blows my mind. If any of you ever get the chance, check it out...

Anyway. I'll have more numbers next time out, I promise.

Michael Davie