| Sunday's
Outing and dedication to John Davis |
Robert
Leverett |
| Jun
11, 2007 07:49 PDT |
ENTS,
Monica, John Knuerr, and I visited MTSF
yesterday. We had several
objectives. One was to put in an appearance, show the flag. So
the
president, executive director, and clerk-treasurer showed the
flag for
Friends of MTSF. But while at Mohawk, we also wanted to check on
the
Jake Swamp tree and measure its new year's growth. We were
prepared. We
used 3 lasers and 3 clinometers, a Macroscope 25, and a 200-foot
tape
measurer. The new growth candle is currently 9 inches. The
baseline was
established by using the tape measurer. It was 184.5 feet. No
error
there. Incidentally, my TruPulse 200 gave 184 feet. That's 0.5
feet
short. So, it was worth using the tape measure. After all the
calculations were were and values checked via 3 instruments,
Jake's
height was determined to be exactly 169.0 feet. Jake will likely
grow
another 3 to 5 inches and maybe 6 by mid-July. Anyway, New
England's
tallest tree continues rapid height growth. The Jake Swamp pine
is also
the 5th tallest accurately measured tree in the Northeast, the
first 4
all being in Cook Forest SP. With enough searching, I do
believe, Jake's
position will change, but probably not by much. Another approach
to
adjusting Jake’s height is to add the 0.75 feet gain to the
pre-2007
growth, 168.5-foot height that I have listed for the tree. That
would
give 169.25 feet. I elect to go with the slightly more
conservative
measurement for a variety of reasons, but mainly gut feel. I
believe I
had Jake too high by a couple tenths of a foot.
We then went to the Algonquin Grove, and
while standing at the Frank
Decontie Tree, I noticed the top of the crown of a tall pine
that I knew
was closing in on 150. It looked like a 150. Well, it is. It
just makes
it. At 8.4 feet in girth and 150.0 feet in height, it becomes
the 85th
white pine in Mohawk to reach the "Thoreau Threshold".
This fine pine in
the Algonquin Grove obviously needed to be named and named after
a
special person. So, Monica suggested my great friend John Davis
of
former Wild Earth, and before that Earth First, fame. It was an
instantaneous match. We all immediately agreed. I was
momentarily
frustrated that I didn't think of naming the tree for John. So,
the
newest 150-footer is now officially the John Davis Pine. What is
especially noteworthy is that John's tree is the northern most
of the
150s in the Algonquin Grove and it stands vigilent watch over
the Frank
Decontie tree. John's tree is vigorous. It has a lot of growing
left to
do.
Each knew 150-footer in Mohawk will be
named for a significant
current-day environmentalist. The next 150 will be named for
writer and
environmentalist Bill McKibben. Incidentally, in Bill McKibben's
excellent book "Wandering Home", John Davis is
frequently and fondly
mentioned. Bill and John have known one another for years. Great
people!
The 85th Thoreau Threshold pine
emphasizes the total dominance of
MTSF in not only Massachusetts, but in all New England as the
home of
very tall white pines. So far we have found one 150-footer in
Maine,
none in Vermont, approximately 65 in New Hampshire, none in
Connecticut,
and none in Rhode Island. In all Massachusetts, there are
presently 95
150-foot white pines and 97 trees of all species. I keep
expecting that
we'll encounter a 150-footer tucked away in some ravine within
the
Deerfield River corridor and I think we will eventually find a
few - but
not many.
Well, if 150-foot white pines are rare
outside MTSF, what about
140-footers. Here's the list.
Location Number
MTSF 275
Bryant Woods 29
Ice Glen 11
MSF 4
Quabbin R. 3
Conway GY 2
Private 1
Route #8a 1
Easthampton 1
(questionable)
-----------
327
The odds of finding more
140-footers is virtually 100%, but the
odds are that they will be highly scattered - one here, one
there. It is
clear that for the age range we have of pines, the tall ones
play out
between 120 and about 135 feet. Take away MTSF and the number of
140-footers is only 52 for the state.
Bob
Robert T. Leverett
Cofounder, Eastern Native Tree Society
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| Re:
Sunday's Outing and dedication to John Davis |
John
Davis |
| Jun
11, 2007 08:31 PDT |
Thanks so much for thinking of me, Bob & Monica! I feel
honored and
privileged to have my name among such august company.
I look forward to our big tree sleuthing here in the Adirondacks
this
summer, and to seeing my namesake tree this October, if not
sooner. Your
idea, Bob, of bringing back together Wild Earthlings &
friends for an
old-growth gathering here in the Park, too, is excellent; let's
make that
happen.
Special thanks also to Howard Stoner & his wife for bringing
another Council
friend and I into Elders Grove, near Paul Smith's in the
northern
Adirondacks. Those are surely some of the grandest trees in the
Park!
Gratefully
John
John Davis
Conservation Director
The Adirondack Council
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| RE:
Sunday's Outing and dedication to John Davis |
Robert
Leverett |
| Jun
11, 2007 08:52 PDT |
John,
You're most welcome and you fully deserve the
tree. Many of us are
aware of and grateful for the many, many selfless hours that
you've
devoted in service to the planet. We're all waiting for the John
Davis
Memoirs. It'll be a best seller Guaranteed.
Yes, let's have a Wild Earth reunion in the
Daks. Can't wait.
Howard and Margaret are just sooper dooper
people. Howard is a
tremendous asset to ENTS. His measuring skills are equal to the
best.
But shouldn't Howard Stoner have a rock named after him instead
of a
tree?
Bob
|
| Re:
Sunday's Outing and dedication to John Davis |
Howard
Stoner |
| Jun
20, 2007 09:46 PDT |
Bob,
This is your humble servant reporting in, rather delinquently, I
know.
Might I begin on the subject of "a fine rock". As
John's memory serves
him ever so well, it is "a most impressive and vernerable
rock" not one
to be
taken lightly. I must take issue with the use of
"rock" however. It
indeed is
one of the finest specimens of a glacial erratic you will find
anywhere.
Please,
lets not refer to it as a rock. It took a mighty force(glacier)
to get
it to where
it is. And lets not forget one of the defintions of erratic is
"deviating from what
is ordinary or standard: Eccentric as in - an eccentric genius.
Who
could deny
it represents atributes of our great leader!
Next is a tree for Bob to go along with his ERRATIC. I searched
high
and low(mostly high) last
week enduring masses of mosquito, tripping over course and woody
debris
and suffering in sweltering heat(of course nothing like those
boys in
NC) in search of your tree. I may have found
it. Will confirm on my next trip. Sorry to keep you waiting!
And thanks to John and Bob for all the nice things you said
about my
wife and me.
Your humble servant,
Howard
|
| Re:
Sunday's Outing and dedication to John Davis |
Howard
Stoner |
| Jun
20, 2007 11:18 PDT |
Ed,
You are right on my friend-just make it in the Rockies- like on
Snow
Mass Peak near
the top, half covered with snow in the summer- "way
cool"- to quote a
famous person
we know.
Howard
|
| Re:
Sunday's Outing and dedication to John Davis |
John
Davis |
| Jun
21, 2007 20:42 PDT |
Yes,
definitely, Howard, a noble glacial erratic it is, and worthy of
Bob's greatness! I hope to see the tree you found for him ere
long, too. Bob & Monica may come north to Adirondacks for
some scouting in July. It would be fun if you & Margaret
could join us then.
Many thanks
John
John Davis
Conservation Director
The Adirondack Council
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