HD Ratio Record in MTSF   Robert Leverett   Mar 25, 2004 06:17 PST  ENTS:    One bit of news that slipped past us is the new HD ratio record that John Eichholz confirmed for MTSF. He measured a bitternut hickory over 100 feet tall (can't remember the exact number). Its height to diameter ratio is 119 to 1. That's a new record for MTSF. We now have 5 trees at 115 or more. It would be interesting to do a more intensive survey of the changing relationship of height and diameter over the course of a 100 years for a species growing in a variety of habitats from just the data we've collected so far. The missing variable is age. So far the highest HD ratios we've seen are in fairly mature, tightly packed second growth stands in ravines and the concave bowls of ridge sides. The species mix can be varied or competition driven by a dominant pioneer or intermediate species such as white pine or white ash.     What appears to me to have been completely missed in the CFI plots used by DCR for assessing the growing conditions of a site is the way that grow is reflected on these rich sites during the first 60 to 100 years of growth. The trees are putting more of their energy into upward growth than diameter growth because they are tightly packed and competing vigorously with one another for a position in a fast upward developing canopy. Without good height determinations, what does pure diameter growth mean relative to other sites? ...material deleted...  Bob RE: HD Ratio Record in MTSF   John Eichholz   Mar 25, 2004 18:31 PST  Bob: Mount Peak has a shagbark hickory with a 117.9 h/d ratio. It is not quite up to the 100' threshold, being 97.2' h, 2.6 cbh. There may be others. John RE: HD Ratio Record in MTSF   dbhg-@comcast.net   Mar 25, 2004 18:48 PST  John:    Sounds like the HD wars have just begun. Probably lots to find. First one to break 120 gets a treat at the Charlemont Inn, courtesy of FMTSF. Bob Re: HD Ratio Record in MTSF   John Eichholz   Mar 28, 2004 15:28 PST  Bob: I hit the Mt Peak hickory stand looking for tall, skinny ones. I'm pretty sure this will be a short lived record, but I found one at 105.0' high and 2.5' cbh. That gives a h/d ratio of 132, and the tree is over 100'. Time to fire up the expense account? Here are some records with h/d over 100: species        height cbh    h/d ratio Shagbark Hickory    84.6    1.9    140 Shagbark Hickory    87.0    2.0    137 Shagbark Hickory    105.0    2.5    132 Shagbark Hickory    92.4    2.3    126 Shagbark Hickory    97.2    2.6    117 Shagbark Hickory    97.2    2.8    109 Shagbark Hickory    104.1    3.0    109 Shagbark Hickory    101.5    3.1    103 I think I remember Will Blozan posting a sycamore with an h/d ratio 150+ from the Smokies. John RE: HD Ratio Record in MTSF   Will Blozan   Mar 29, 2004 03:54 PST  I think I have a sycamore at 157:1. It grows near a sweetgum that is 176:1. Also, a tuliptree 166:1. I'll check my records. Will   Home