Year End Report on the 150 Club for MTSF    dbhg-@comcast.net    Nov 15, 2003 15:20 PST  ENTS:    The tally of white pines in Mohawk Trail State Forest that have reached the 150-foot height threshold stands at an unanticipated 43. There is still probably one or two more to confirm. Will Blozan really lit a fire under us. We admittedly were complacent. But forty-five has a nice ring to it. Maybe by year's end and the future is exceptionally bright. There are 3 or 4 pines that should make it next year and an equal number the year after that.    The first attachment lists the entire inventory of 150s in Mohawk. Notice the name in blue. You all have to look, but he darn well deserves it and it will stand as a monument to his competence and persistence. So, what does it all add up to?     At present count, there are 50 white pines in the exclusive 150 Club in Massachusetts. The chances of adding to the list diminishes outside of Mohawk as we look at ever more locations and keep coming up short. As I've reported often, considering only the public properties in New England, Mohawk Trail State Forest comes in as a solid first. When both public and private properties are considered, Mohawk is second, bowing only to the great white pine stand in Claremont, NH. We'll be studying that one for several years to come, but its pines are older than most of the Mohawk Pines by 25 to 50 years. Barring blowdown, Mohawk is destined to eventually overtake the Claremont Stand. The growth rate for the Mohawk pines is double that for the Claremont pines and some Mohawk pines are probably growing at tripple the rate of those in Claremont. Nonetheless, both stands continue to grow.     The second attachment is an update of Mohawk's Rucker Height index carried through 12 iterations. The two new 120-foot hemlocks from last weekend have been added to the list. Eventually, we'll push the iteration count to 16 and then on to 20. We'll also soon begin calculating the Rucker Circumference index for Mohawk.     Tomorrow, John Knuerr, myself, Jarred Trout, and perhaps another or two will head to Ice Glen. It is time to update that fine property. We should be able to raise its index by anywhere from 0.3 to 0.6 points. It is just a matter of looking. The trees are there. Wintergreen Gorge in PA has issued the challenge. Bob RE: Year End Report on the 150 Club for MTSF   John Knuerr   Nov 17, 2003 17:34 PST  On a less happier note - the Ice Glenn White Pine might just be succumbing to one to many bore holes from coring. The bottom of the tree's circumference is covered with at least (to my eye) 10 different holes with a section now appearing to be rotting. It doesn't look good. I think researchers are inadvertently "appreciating" this tree to death. Re: Year End Report on the 150 Club for MTSF    Colby Rucker    Nov 17, 2003 18:59 PST  John, I often hear about people coring trees, but seldom any mention of whether they had to apply for a permit to deface something that's not theirs. Although most state and county parks have general restrictions about not removing rocks or plants, or disturbing wildlife, I wonder how many park administrators care if their trees get riddled with holes. Before simply measuring trees at Belt Woods, my written application for a permit had to be approved by The state, U.S.Fish & Wildlife, and the Western Shore Conservancy. That can take a year. Ice Glen and other forest preserves should have no less stringent protection. I doubt that anyone's been hauled into court, and the laws may prove inadequate. Perhaps the laws need to be made more specific. If the town of Stockbridge doesn't care enough about their trees to stop people coring, perhaps they should. Has anyone discussed the problem with the town fathers? There may be instances where a formal coring study provides useful and beneficial knowledge, and responsibility for any damages is assured. Obviously, the excess of holes at Ice Glen doesn't represent formal studies. Personally, I have little interest in the age of trees beyond recognizing, by their structure, what era in overall forest succession they represent. I don't think idle curiosity is an adequate excuse for anyone to deface someone else's property. Many laws are outdated, and the penalties are inadequate to deter those who "answer to a higher cause.". Some park fines are still $25. Destruction of property gets argumentative. Until laws are adequate, and someone gets hit with a fine of perhaps $500 per tree, the coring silliness won't stop. Colby   Home