Thread-Topic: Paul Smith's & High Falls Gorge
From: "Luthringer, Dale J" 
19 Oct 2005 

Bob,

How was the weather for the ENTS event? Did you have flooding over there? My wife and I were at Ft. Ticonderoga, but that's all the closer we got. Rained the entire week of vacation. The Ausable River was really moving. Old growth hemlock and cedars at High Falls Gorge. I bet select hemlock and cedars will both go over 350 years at this site, very small area though. Bruce noted 20 acres, I definitely wouldn't go over that.

http://www.highfallsgorge.com/ 

I wanted to get into the Ausable Chasm (MUST be old growth there!), but we just didn't have enough time that it wasn't pouring down rain... shopping time for my wife.

http://www.travellady.com/Issues/August05/1782AusableChasm.htm 

Stopped over at Paul Smith's College located in Franklin County, NY.  My wife and I had to meet family in Watertown, so I could only measure trees near the road. 

Here's some quick stats all from White Pine Rd:

Species CBH Height Comments

Am. larch N/A 83.2 first time I've measured a native larch, they're everywhere up there
balsam fir N/A 79.8
balsam fir 4.3 89.6 tallest ENTS recorded NE/East?, very few in data base, got to be a 90footer somewhere in the Adirondacks'
E. white pine 10.5 122.9 may be a 130footer somewhere, but I couldn't find it
red spruce 5.5 87.2
red spruce 5.7 90

I'm afraid my eyes were off the road more than on the road once we got up into the conifer forests. My wife suggested that "maybe she should drive?", probably should've taken her up on that. I rarely get to see forests like this, they weren't tall, but the mix of conifers just amazed me. I'm lucky to find a forest over here with 4 naturally growing conifers, up there it was all over. It wasn't uncommon to have white pine, hemlock, larch, balsam fir, black spruce, and red spruce all in the same stand. I'm sure it's old hat for you guys, it was just like school time all over again... I believe I'm finally getting proficient at spruce and fir ID at 65mph.

Dale