Jake Says Hello

Jake Says Hello

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TOPIC: Jake says hello
http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees/browse_thread/thread/d773f6ab6d7a6a9a?hl=en
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== 1 of 4 ==
Date: Thurs, Mar 6 2008 3:22 pm
From: dbhguru@comcast.net

ENTS,

Monica asked me earlier today if I was up for a trip to Mohawk Trail State Forest (MTSF) our forest Mecca and home of Friends of Mohawk Trail State Forest. I thought about it for a moment and said "yes, let's go". So off we went, first stopping at the historic Charlemont Inn for lunch. We didn't sense the presence of any ghosts there. Maybe they take Thursday off. But no mater, the salmon cakes were quite good. So with full tummies, headed out for a rendezvous with the pines.
For new members on the ENTS list, MTSF has the 3rd highest Rucker Index in the Northeast (136.2), the largest population of 150-foot white pines in New England (85) and the second largest in the Northeast. It has 18 state height champions including two white ash trees that exceed 150 feet in height. By any measure, Mohawk is an exceptional forest for the latitude.
Once in Mohawk, we wound our way to the Trees of Peace. The snow depth is still considerable in Mohawk, but has packed down under the pines sufficiently to allow walking without snowshoes. So with some caution, I headed straight for the Jake Swamp white pine, tallest tree in New England. My last series of measurements puts its height somewhere beteen 169.0 and 169.5 feet. Hoever, much to my consternation, the great pine appears to have had a rough winter. I could see a little crown damage. After some quick calculating from my vantage point, I concluded that Jake has probably lost a couple of feet of crown. So, there isn't going to be a cozy 170 party this October. Bummer.
However, overall, the Mohawk pines look splendid - in fact, superb. Gazing at the abundance of the tall, straight forms, I was reminded of what a special forest Mohawk is and how lucky were are to have gotten it protected. The sheer amount of boad feet in those pines dwarf what is found in the vast majority of stands on private and public property. There are a number of Mohawk pines that exceed 500 cubic feet of trunk volume and at least 4 exceed 600 cubes. Many exceed 400 cubes. A 400-cube trunk theoretically produces 4,800 board feet. In fact, with wastage, the amount is probably between 2,500 and 3,000 board feet. So, the financial incentive to cut those great pines was considerable.
While measuring Jake, I heard voices and saw two fellows walking down the ridge toward Jake. They saw me and waited as I moved down to meet them. One was Scott Blotin and his son Devan. Scott is an Ent from Vermont. He had traveled down to visit Mohawk and hoped that he might accidentally run into me. I felt quite honored and was very pleased to sign a copy of my and Bruce's Sieera Club Guide. The staff at Mohawk had relayed to Scott my suspected whereabouts and we met at the Jake tree. The staff knows me well.
It turns out that Scott new the late Dr. Michael Perlman whose memorial tree is in the Algonquin Grove. Either it is a small world, or the trees have the power to draw us together. Given our ongoing discussion about nature spirits, it gives one pause to reflect.

Bob

== 2 of 4 ==
Date: Thurs, Mar 6 2008 5:02 pm
From: "Laurie and Scott Bolotin"

Bob, On my way down from the trees of peace I found a piece of paper with some calculations on it.

Something tells me the guy plowing the road wasn't doing advanced math. If you need these measurements let me know.

Scott

== 3 of 4 ==
Date: Thurs, Mar 6 2008 5:47 pm
From: dbhguru@comcast.net

Scott,

Thanks for checking with me, but no, I don't need the paper unless it has telephone numbers or something like that. Virtually every paper I have has my formulas and calculations on it. I don't know of anything in the book I had that I don't have in my computer.
BTW, when the weather gerts nice, if you want a personal tour of some of the big/tall tree areas, I'd be happy to share the sites, sights, and numbers.

Bob

== 4 of 4 ==
Date: Thurs, Mar 6 2008 7:28 pm
From: Gary Smith

Completely off topic, but I've always like the name "Jake." Hope to
see Jake the Pine one day.

My next male lab I take in will be named Jake.

Gary

== 2 of 2 ==
Date: Fri, Mar 7 2008 8:14 am
From: dbhguru@comcast.net

Will,

Let's hope. Maybe if Andrew gets to climb the tree, he'll discover a new high spot, previously unnoticed.

Bob

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