| Mount
Tom State Reservation, MA |
Robert
Leverett |
| May
06, 2005 07:10 PDT |
Dale:
Yesterday evening I measured the Mount Tom hemlock at (123.0,
14.6)
feet. I've reported the circumference at numbers from 14.2 to
14.8. A
sucker trunk that is fused to the main trunk and the hemlock
being on a
slope creates a real challenge for this tree. I found another
hemlock at
(120.5, 7.2). Embarrassingly, it grows close to the champ. A
white oak
close to the champ that I hardly ever pay attention to measures
(100.8,
4.9) and is another example of a younger tree in proximity to a
forest
giant that is trying to stay alive by growing rapidly.
Mt Tom State Reservation's Rucker index now
stands at 115.2. That's
not bad and there are other possibilities. I don't see the index
making
116 for several years. But, at the existing growth rates, 116 is
a
possibility within 5 years.
Yesterday, I put in an advanced order for the
Criterion RD 1000
dendrometer. I'll give a full report on the unit when it arrives
- which
won't be for weeks.
Bob
|
| Outstanding
performers |
Robert
Leverett |
| May
23, 2005 07:42 PDT |
Everyone:
For some time I have been concentrating on
Mount Tom State
Reservation near my home in Holyoke, MA. It has the tallest
forests that
I have found in the Connecticut River Valley region and is
showing us
that it has not reached its full potential. Yesterday, Monica
Jakuc and
I waited for the rains to stop before taking a short
mosquito-invested
walk in the Mount Tom reservation. I wanted to look for an ash
tree that
I had last measured in Sept 2002. The measurements were then
(116.3,
5.1). The height may have been a little low because the crown
was hard
to penetrate. However, yesterday, with a sparse crown, I could
see all
potential high points. The measurements were (120.1, 5.2). This
pushes
Mt Tom's Rucker index up to a highly respectible 115.5. Although
well
below the northeastern leaders, Mt Tom is showing itself to be a
solid
performer.
Bob
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