| Pioneer
Mothers Memorial Forest, IN |
Don
Bragg |
| Jun
30, 2005 10:46 PDT |
I had big plans to visit some lower Michigan old-growth on a
recent trip
northward, but unfortunately the weather and a family illness
conspired
to prevent this effort. However, on the return trip to Arkansas,
we
swung through southern Indiana and visited a research natural
area on
the Hoosier National Forest called the "Pioneer Mothers
Memorial Forest"
(or "Cox Woods", in a previous time).
Pioneer Mothers Memorial Forest (PMMF, for short) encompasses 88
acres
of virgin hardwood forest in the steep hills just outside of
Paoli,
Indiana (http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/hoosier/docs/pioneer_moms.htm).
The
hardwood-dominated forest of this part of Indiana grows over a
relatively thin layer of soil, beneath which lies various
sedimentary
materials (limestones and sandstones). Nevertheless, the under-
and
overstory flora suggest a relatively rich site, with species
like
bloodroot, wild ginger, mayapple, pawpaw, and greenbriar
covering large
areas (an many other intriguing herbs that I couldn't identify).
The
under- and midstory tree species of the stand are primarily
sugar maple
and American beech, with other shade tolerant hardwoods like
pawpaw and
sassafras. The overstory is a rich mixture of hardwoods, with
some
areas dominated by American beech, black walnut, tuliptree,
northern red
oak, white oak, and various hickories and maples. A dense canopy
and
lack of time precluded me from spending much time on the site
measuring
heights, so I did not stray far from the main trail that runs
along a
narrow spur towards the valley floor. All of the trees reported
below
were just off of the main trail, and I did see other big stems
on nearby
ravines and ridges. I suspect the tallest of the trees would be
found
in the small drains, draws, and coves scattered across the
stand.
SPP DBH CBH sinHT
black walnut 44.8"
11.7' 109.3'
American beech 46.3"
12.1' 40' (estimated--broken)
tuliptree 33.9" 8.9'
northern red oak 45.9" 12.0'
bitternut hickory 29.7" 7.8' 108.1'
tuliptree 43.9" 11.5' 127.3'
white oak 39.4" 10.3'
black cherry 30.1" 7.9'
white oak 43.5" 11.4'
shagbark hickory 21.0" 5.5'
sugar maple 26.7" 7.0' 105-110' (vertical shot)
Unfortunately, my brief trip does not really do this stand
justice. I
suspect that the Rucker Index (RI10) for this stand would easily
exceed
110 feet, and maybe even 120 feet, as most hardwood overstory
species
seemed to reach the canopy quite easily. I think the height I
had for
the black walnut is a distinct underestimate, as I could not get
a good
view of the full tree. Looking through the ENTS website, Will
Blozan
reported a black walnut of 131' a few years ago at this site,
but I'm
not sure if the walnut I measured was the same one.
Don Bragg
*****************
Don Bragg, Ph.D.
Research forester
***************** |
|