A few back-logged tree hunts    Will Blozan
   Mar 21, 2004 15:41 PST 

ENTS,

Oh where to start! The last few weeks have been very busy! The epic mapping
climbs of the Middleton Oak (SC) and the Sag Branch Tuliptree (NC) have left
me dazed and in wonderment of the new information coming out of the ENTS
exploits! I am embarrassed to have not even mentioned the great (and perhaps
unsurpassed) live oak as one of the East's biggest trees in the first
edition of "Stalking the Forest Monarchs"! Shame on us... but now we know!

Anyway, I wanted to share a few trips I have done lately...

12/23/03 Lake Fairfield, Sapphire, NC.

White pine 11'9" X 144.1'
Mockernut hickory 8'7" X 115'+ Needs re-visit- very dark. MAY BE NEW NC STATE CHAMPION

1/10/04 Warren Wilson College, Asheville, NC.

Mockernut hickory 8'3" X 99'
Red mulberry 7'7" X 59.5' X 44' 162 pts. NC STATE CHAMPION? NO CURRENT LISTING!
Spicebush 17" X 21' X 31' 46 pts. REMEASURE OF NATIONAL CHAMPION. I THINK I FOUND A BIGGER ONE.
Yellow cucumber 4'5" X 91' X 25' 150 pts. BEATS NC STATE CHAMPION (85 pts.-BUT I HAVE BIGGER ONES)
Mockernut hickory 7'7" X 120' X 49' BUNCOMBE COUNTY RECORD
Austrian pine 5'6" X 74.7' X 32' 149 pts. NC STATE CHAMPION? (117 pts)
Giant sequoia 6'8" X 74' X 22' 160 pts. LABELED AS A COAST REDWOOD, NO WAY! NC STATE CHAMPION? (89 pts.)
Deodar cedar 3'1" X 84.7' Tallest I have seen, forest grown with loblolly pine!

1/12/04 Client's property, Black Mountain, NC

Yellow cucumber 4'5" X 86.7'
Yellow cucumber 4'0" X 97.8' Height record for the species?
Yellow cucumber 6'9" X 86.3' X 43' 178 pts. BEATS CURRENT NC CHAMPION (85 pts.) HUGE!!!

1/30/04 The Biltmore Estate, Asheville, NC

White elm 8'3" X 118.5' I though this one was tall! See below...
White elm 10'0" X 125.1' X 67' 262 pts. NC STATE CHAMPION? (239 pts.) Record US (World) height?
American basswood 9'7" X 121.1' Tallest I have ever seen! Could this be a ENTS record?
Hybrid larch 6'6" X 131.5' Impressive tree, tallest exotic in East?
Norway spruce 7'2" X 126.7' NC STATE CHAMPION REMEASURE. Currently tallest known in US. (know of bigger)
Bur oak 10'1" X 115.7' 260 pts. NC STATE CHAMPION REMEASURE (262 pts.) HEIGHT ERROR (125' in 1996)
Eastern hemlock 8'7" X 135.4' Not bad for a managed landscape.
Shortleaf pine 8'5" X 106.7' One of the biggest I have ever seen.
Shortleaf pine 8'3" X 113.5' Tallest I have seen in Asheville.
Pitch pine 6'9" X 113.5' Not bad!
Pitch pine 6'0" X 106.2' Typical for the Estate.
Pitch pine 8'0" X 118.7' What a whopper!
Eastern hemlock Grove 131.1', 135.7', 135.1' Nice, tight planted grove behind house.
Eastern hemlock 6'3" X 141.3' Tallest planted (ca. 1895?) hemlock I have ever seen! Probably has HWA.
White pine 8'10" X 154.1' Tallest pine in Asheville? One other known over 150' on Estate.
Scarlet oak 8'3" X 131.6' First of species confirmed over 130'!
Scarlet oak 8'1" X 132.2' Tallest known!
Scarlet oak 6'6" X 131' Third in the grove of 130'+
Carolina hemlock 7'2" X 103.4' One of only a scattering over 100' known anywhere on Earth.
Willow oak 14'4" X 95' Biggest in Bumcombe County?
Dawn redwood 11'10" 118.8' X 48' 273 pts. NEW NC STATE CHAMPION (188 pts.)? Gorgeous tree!
Umbrella magnolia 6'10" X 65.9' X 44' 159 pts. NEW NC STATE CHAMPION (131 pts.)?
Carolina hemlock 5'6" X 103.1'
Carolina hemlock 6.7" X 104.7'
Carolina hemlock 6'3" X 113.5' Record height for the species.
Willow oak 7'6" X 107.8'
N. red oak 10'8" X 126.4' Picture perfect specimen.
Red pine 3'9" X 87.1' BEATS NC STATE CHAMPION BUT FOUND LARGER ONE NEXT TRIP.

2/16/04 Hot Springs, NC. Madison County.

A few trees in a flood plain of the French Broad River outside a very nice rental cabin on the river...

Silver maple 10'10" X 110.86'
Silver maple 10'7" X 103.6'
Hackberry 6'7" X 102.29'
Hackberry 10'7" X ~92'

2/23/04 Linville gorge with Dr. Robert Van Pelt.  

This was Bob's first introduction to native Carolina hemlock. Glad he saw them before they are
dead from HWA!

Carolina hemlock 10' X 96'
" 7'6" X 100.79'
" 9'3" X 81.52'
" 10'9" X 90'
" 7' X 109.55'

2/24/04 Biltmore Estate with Dr. Robert Van Pelt. 

Conifer heaven for Bob!
Dawn redwood 7'6" X 113.4'
Dawn redwood 7'7" X 106'
Dawn redwood 8'9" X 99.8'
Bald cypress 7'7" X 115.8' Tallest I know of in Asheville.
Nikko fir. 7'4" X 109.2' X 42' 205' pts. NC STATE CHAMPION? NO CURRENT LISTING! Nice tree!
Jap. stewartia 23" X 49.4' X 27' 81 pts. NEW NC STATE CHAMPION? (61 pts.)
Weeping hemlock 7'7" X 27.6' X 34' 128 pts. One of Bob Van Pelts favorites.  NC CHAMPION? NO LISTING!
Flowering dogwood 6' X 23' X 29' Huge "double flowering" specimen.
Weeping hemlock 6'11" X 29.1' X 39' 122 pts. Tallest known?
Weeping hemlock 6'8" X 26.3' X 31' 118 pts. This is a natural form of eastern hemlock found in NY.
Golden raintree 7'0" X 38.9' X 44' 134 pts. NC STATE CHAMPION REMEASURE (142 pts.) HEIGHT ERROR (48'-1997)
European beech 16'2" X 78.1' X 78' Huge triple stemmed tree. Purple variety.  Will fall apart if not cabled!
Jap. zelkova 5'4" X 52.2' X 34' 125 pts. NC STATE CHAMPION? NO CURRENT LISTING!
Florida torreya 2'6" X 46.3' X 22'
Florida torreya 3'7" X 46.6' X 27'
Florida torreya 2'10" X 45.6' X 23'
N. white cedar 6'0" X 72.6' X 26' Supposedly a larger one on the Estate.
Red pine 4'2" X 82.9' X 26' 140 pts. NC STATE CHAMPION? (130 pts.)
Paperbark maple 3'0" X 31.8' X 30' 76 pts. NC STATE CHAMPION? NO CURRENT LISTING!
Chinese w. pine 3'10" X 66.9' X 28' 122 pts. NC STATE CHAMPION? NO CURRENT LISTING!
Nordman fir 5'1" X 77'
Oriental spruce 7'5" X 107.3' X 36' 205 pts. NC STATE CO-CHAMPION? NO CURRENT LISTING!
Oriental spruce 8'1" X 100' X 34' 205 pts. NC STATE CO-CHAMPION? NO CURRENT LISTING!
Florida torreya 4'3" X 41.3' X 37'
Florida torreya 4'0" X 43.2' X 20'
Oriental spruce 7'3" X 104.6' X 34' 201 pts. NC STATE CO-CHAMPION? NO CURENT LISTING!
Table-Mtn pine 6'5" X 91.9' X 37' Biggest I have seen in Asheville. Near
record height.

3/04 Black Mountain, NC

Arizona cypress 8'2" X 91' X 42' 200 pts. NC STATE CHAMPION? (140 pts.)

3/04 Montford Park, Asheville city park.

Nordman fir 8'5" X 92' X 46' 205 pts. NC STATE CHAMPION? (157 pts.)

3/21/04 Client's property, Swannanoa, NC

Franklinia 14" X 27' X 12' 44 pts. NC STATE CHAMPION? (38 pts.)

THAT'S ALL FOR NOW!


Will Blozan
President, Eastern Native Tree Society
ISA Certified Arborist