ENTS,
On June 20 & 25 of 2009 I visited the Airdrie Forest Preserve
located in
Chester Co., Pa. The preserve is 74 acres of mature oak-poplar
forest with
two small streams and ravines. The most common trees would be
tulip poplar,
northern red, black, & chestnut oak, and american beech. Trees
with a 9-11'
cbh and heights between 110-130' are common throughout the site.
Out of the
sixty trees I measured twenty seven of them had a 9'+ cbh.
Understory
species include flowering dogwood, american hornbeam, witch
hazel, hawthorn,
and spicebush.
I was most impressed with the size of the northern red oaks.
I measured two
black locust that were over 120' and a sassafras with it's main
leader
busted out that measured 6'3" x 110.5'. The biggest surprise
was an 11.5" x
31.5' american chestnut. I took a twig and leaf sample from the
tree and
sent it to The American Chestnut Foundation and they confirmed
it as being
an american chestnut.
Airdrie Forest Preserve Site Index
Species
CBH Height
A Beech
7'10" 108.5
A Beech
10'7" 110.5
A Beech
5'7" 112.7
A Beech
9'7" 117.2
A Chestnut
11.5" 31.5
Black Cherry
4'7" 83.9
Black Gum
5'8" 81.1
Black Locust
7'5" 121.7
Black Locust
5'8" 126.4
Black Oak
11'1" 107.9
Black Oak
8'1" 116.7
Black Oak
10'6" 125.4
Chestnut Oak
6'7" 116.2
Chestnut Oak
9'
116.8
Chestnut Oak
5'1" 120.2
N Red Oak
11'9" 112.0
N Red Oak
12'4" 117.0
12x100
N Red Oak
12' 126.4
12x100
N Red Oak
11'2" 130.9
N Red Oak
11'2" 134.8
Pignut Hickory
7'11" 117.2
Pignut Hickory
5'6" 117.9
Red Maple
4'6" 97.9
Red Maple
6'2" 114.3
Sassafras
6'3" 110.5
Shagbark Hickory
2'10" 69.4
Sugar Maple
7'
107.6
Tulip Poplar
11'10" 127.8
Tulip Poplar
13'5" 131.8
12x100
Tulip Poplar
9'6" 133.9
Tulip Poplar
12'8" 136.4
12x100
Tulip Poplar
10'5" 142.0
Tulip Poplar
12'3" 142.0
12x100
White Ash
5'4" 111.8
White Oak
8'6" 106.8
Airdrie Forest Preserve Rucker Index
Species
CBH Height
Tulip Poplar
12'3" 142.0
N Red Oak
11'2" 134.8
Black Locust
5'8" 126.4
Black Oak
10'6" 125.4
Chestnut Oak
5'1" 120.2
Pignut Hickory
5'6" 117.9
A Beech
9'7" 117.2
Red Maple
6'2" 114.3
White Ash
5'4" 111.8
Sassafras
6'3" 110.5
RI
122.05
A Rucker Girth Index should be around 9.3'. My tape measure
is not in
tenths. The canopy was thick at times and difficult finding the
tops of
some of the trees. I'll return this winter after leaf drop to
get more
accurate heights. I'll do a more detailed field report with
photos of the
preserve when I'll have some more free time.
George