New MN hemlock champ found   Brandon Gallagher
  Feb 15, 2007 12:20 PST 
Lee et al,

On lunch today I went and measured a grove of hemlocks found in Theodore
Wirth Park in Minneapolis. Ever since an email w/ Lee a month or two ago
I've been itching to go measure these. I checked the MN DNR's big tree
registry yesterday and it listed the champ Tsuga as 52" cbh (16.5 dbh)
and 65' tall. I knew these city park trees I'd seen had to be bigger. I
finally grabbed my D-tape and headed out today. It is about 8 degrees
with a -10 wind-chill so there was very little traffic at the park!

The results are below (numbers in DBH):

Tree 1: trunk split at 2.5' with one trunk 21.5, one 12.1

Tree 2: trunk split at 8-9' dbh: 21.3          

Tree 3: 26.0 dbh no trunk split

Tree 4: triple trunk split at 1.5' trunks: 12.1, 20.5, 13.5

Tree 5: 20.5 dbh no split

Tree 6: 10.5 dbh no split

So from this small grove there are 5 out of 6 trees bigger than our
currently listed champ. The biggest of these, tree 3 has a height of 73'
and an average spread of 27.5 feet for a total of (based on the formula
from the MN DNR) of 162 pts, trumping the current score of 123. I am
submitting the record to the registry for updating. I know this size
doesn't impress you easterners but for MN it was good find and I
checked, no HWA here yet!

This is the first tree I've ever found to be a new state champ and I
gotta say, it was pretty exciting! Now I'm addicted! Can't wait to see
what else I can find just in the metro area here.

-bg

Brandon Gallagher Watson
Technical Support
ISA Certified Arborist MN-4086A

Rainbow Treecare Scientific Advancements
2239 Edgewood Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55426
Re: New MN hemlock champ found   Lee E. Frelich
  Feb 15, 2007 12:57 PST 
Brandon:

I am surprised any hemlock in Minneapolis would reach 26 inches dbh. How
do those trees get through the droughts and 100 degree temperatures we have
during summer? What about 3-4 feet of ground frost during winter? They
must have seepage nearby that negates both of those extremes, or they must
be on an east or north facing slope.

The last two weeks of below zero weather guarantees the wooly adelgid and
certain other pests will not live here.

Lee
RE: New MN hemlock champ found   Brandon Gallagher
  Feb 15, 2007 13:13 PST 
Lee,

These trees are in a pretty deep valley just south of the E. Butler
garden. If you park in the garden's parking lot and head south on the
path there is a foot path that leads east down in to the valley. These
are the ones I was curious about being native as they are in an obscure
spot and have many split trunks that don't resemble nursery trees. It is
a red oak/maple/basswood/ironwood hardwood forest and the hemlocks are
at the very bottom of the valley. Only the tips of the crowns peek out
of the valley. I've been to this little grove many many times in all
weather for at the past 8 years and it always is cool and damp. There
was a seventh tree that was maybe 15-18" dbh that about 5 years ago got
crushed by a falling red oak. It's a neat site. Let me know if you ever
go to check it out, I'd love to tag along.

-bg
Re: New MN hemlock champ found   Edward Frank
  Feb 15, 2007 18:28 PST 
Brandon,

Congratulations on your finds. Do you or Lee Frelich know much about hemlocks in Minnesota? Specifically
Minnesota DNR reports [ http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/input/rules/ets/all.pdf ]   Tsuga canadensis eastern hemlock SC E Five locations found since 1974; most are single trees, with >10 trees at only 2 sites, both with little repro; scattered. I emailed them about the locations of these sites, but never received any response. From other documents I know there are hemlocks at: Hemlock Ravine Scientific and Natural Area [ http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/snas/sna01013/index.html ] and [ http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/ecological_services/nongame/projects/ ] which is at the edge of Jay Cooke State Park. Nemadji State Forest lists the species as a species of concern, which to my mind implies it is present [ http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/input/mgmtplans/ohv/designation/nemadji_planfinal.pdf ]   The hemlock is described as being native to the Glacial Lake Superior Plain Subsection [ http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/ecs/212Ja/index.html ] This subsection was almost completely forested. Marshner (1974) classified the presettlement vegetation as pine flats, consisting of hemlock, spruce, fir, cedar, and white pine. Before your finds (you still need heights) the state champ was listed as being located at: Mille Lacs, Private   Isle, MN    There is no indication if it is native or planted.

So if someone could clarify where the hemlocks are present, I would be interested in hearing from you. Also if anyone has checked out these site, I would be interested in hearing what you found.

Ed Frank
MN hemlocks and native trees   Brandon Gallagher
  Feb 19, 2007 14:59 PST 
Ed,

That is interesting, I had no idea that hemlock was on state concern
lists. The only trees I am familiar with are the ones near Jay Cooke
which we visited during my stay at the Cloquet Forestry Center and the
ones in the urban area here in Minneapolis. I have emailed the arborists
who work for our sister company, Rainbow Treecare, to see if any of the
tree geeks around here know of more hemlock stands around the state.
I'll pass on any info I receive.