"Sweetgums on the Bay" shows some of the large sweetgum trees that grown right down next to the Chesapeake Bay. These trees reach a decent size and have amazingly survived several hurricanes that have passed through the area, with Isabel back in 2003 being the most recent one of significance.

Date: May 13, 2007
Location: Eco Trail heading towards the Bay

General Measuring Notes: All circumferences measured at 4.5’ above the
ground. Heights are just estimates based on in part on what is typical
for the species and are probably understated since I’d rather not make
claims for exceptional height that cannot be backed up with numbers.
There was no effective way to measure the height of nearly all of these
trees without a laser, which I do not have.

"Chestnut oak patriarch" is a picture of the huge, 14+' in girth chestnut oak I found along one of the trail. One can see my water bottle and notebook bag on the ground in front of the tree to give a sense of scale. Considering its size and the relatively young age of the park, I suspect it was there before most of the rest of the forest grew back.

1) Willow Oak cbh = 4’3” height estimate = 70’+
2) White Oak (vines) cbh = 4’11” height estimate = 75’+
3) White Oak cbh = 5’5” height estimate = 80’+
4) White Oak cbh = 5’1” height estimate = 80’+
5) White Oak cbh = 5’8” height estimate = 80’+
6) Southern Red Oak cbh = 3’5” height estimate = 70’+
7) Southern Red Oak cbh = 7”4” height estimate = 80’+
8) Chestnut Oak (gnarly) cbh = 7’0” height estimate = 80’+
9) Chestnut Oak cbh = 7’10” height estimate = 80’+
10) Chestnut Oak cbh = 7’5” height estimate = 80’+
11) Chestnut Oak (Patriarch tree) cbh = 14’6” height estimate = 90’+
(This tree is a giant and is considerably larger than any other tree I
saw in the park. The tree does “cheat” a bit in that it has a lot of low
branches about 6-feet above ground, but the massive trunk is a single
trunk. This tree may have been here before the forest was allowed to
regrow.)
12) Chestnut Oak (picnic tree) cbh = 9’9” height estimate = 80’+
(Another one of the larger trees in the park. An even bigger white or
chestnut oak stands nearby, but it has been dead for several years.)
13) Loblolly Pine chb = 5’2” height estimate = 70’+
14) American Holly cbh = 1’7” height estimate = 40’+
15) Sweetgum cbh = 4”11” height estimate = 75’+
16) Sweetgum cbh = 6’4” height estimate = 70’+
(What is interesting about this tree is that it is part of a grove of
sweetgums, all of similar size, that grow right near the Bay, fully
exposed to the winds.)
17) Black gum cbh = 1’5” height estimate = 40’+
18) Black gum cbh = 2’6” height estimate = 60’+
19) American Chestnut cbh = 1’1” height estimate = 20’+
(This measurement comes from the larger, dead trunk of a blight-battered
American Chestnut. New stalks were sprouting, but they were much
smaller)
20) American Chestnut cbh = 1’10” height estimate = 60’+
(This measures the living trunk of the labeled American Chestnut with
little to no blight)
21) Tulip Tree cbh = 5’2” height estimate = 80’+
(Tulip trees are quite uncommon in the park from what I have seen..)

"Pine Tree" shows one of the loblolly pines that grows in the park. They also reach a good size and are reasonably common in some areas of the park.

General tree notes: Park is heavily dominated by oak trees: white oak,
chestnut oak, and southern red oak are the most common varieties that I
have seen thus far. Smaller trees are commonly black gum or sweet gum.
Both of them are very common, though large specimens are hard to find.
Loblolly Pine can be found here and there throughout the park. American
Holly is also reasonably common, as is sassafras. I also saw some young
maples, but no older ones. Finally, in fall of 2006, I saw some hickory
or pecan nuts on the ground not far from the marked American Chestnut,
but I never located the trees. The park has a high diversity of trees
considering it’s relatively small size and exposure to the winds and
potential storms of the Chesapeake Bay.