| Lorimer
park, Abingdon Twp and Pennypack Creek Phila. |
wad-@comcast.net |
| Mar
22, 2007 19:27 PST |
ENTS
Wednesday Bill Sweeney, Meg Varnes, and I went for a jaunt into
a park called Lorimer Park. http://www.schuylkillriver.org/Detail.aspx?id=88
Pennypack creek runs through Lorimer and some nice big trees
were preserved here. Bill was our guide, as he had been in here
before. The first tree we measured was the straightest dogwood I
have ever seen. Apparently this one did not get the memo about
being crooked. At 2.7 x 53.2 it wasn't a state champ, but did
beat the height of all the trees in the register. Dale, how does
that compare for the state height list? Bill then showed us a
red oak that he thought was worthy of Penn tree status (325
years old or better) This awesome red oak was 19.2' cbh at 4.5'
and 16.3' at 6' We did not measure the height because it had
lost it's top some time ago. Only two main branches survive, and
they were full of buds, so this tree is not dead yet. Lorimer
also had a sweet little stand of Hemlock that we all felt were
native grown. A rocky nor
th facing precipice was home to a couple of dozen hemlocks and
to our amazement, they were relatively HWA free. Elongated scale
was present, but didn't seem to be affecting the health of the
trees. I did find one HWA which I joyously smashed between my
fingers. the average caliper was 10-12" and the trees were
roughly 60-70' tall. This is the first indigenous Hemlock that I
have seen in SE Pa. Pictures are here www.pabigtrees.com/trees/images/lorimer
Next we continued down the Pennypack www.pennypackpark.org/
into Philadelphia. This park was established in 1905ish and has
some amazing old growth. Bill again led
us to some nice examples of very mature woods that has been left
alone for over one hundred years, if not more. We measured the
following trees in the north end of the park. Pics are here www.pabigtrees.com/trees/images/pennypack
Red Oak 18.1
x 122.9
Red Oak 13.1
x 115.7
Tulip 12.0
x 132.0
Bitternut Hickory 11.0 x 119.4 new state co-champion
Tulip 13.1
x 130.8
Tulip 17.3
x 144.6
Black Walnut 14.3 x
98.8
Pennypack has been ravaged by whitetail deer and invasive plants
for at least a century. The damage is evident. The Fairmount
Park commision did cull about 900 to 1000 whitetail in the
Pennypack watershed a few years ago, so I am hopeful that it may
rebound some. The understory was mostly spicebush, and the
forest floor was covered with lesser celandine. The spring
beauties were still pushing up through in spots.
Overall it was a great day. We had an awesome lunch too, which
probably slowed us down. That is one nice thing about hunting
trees in the city. You can break for lunch at a nice restaurant.
( not that having a soggy hoagie in the woods is all that bad)
Thanks Meg and Bill for a great day!
Scott |
| Re:
Lorimer park, Abingdon Twp and Pennypack creek Phila. |
djluth-@pennswoods.net |
| Mar
24, 2007 03:55 PST |
Scott,
That dogwood blows away the one we have at Cook Forest (1.8ft
CBH x 38.7ft
high). I have very few in the database, but your's is currently
the tallest
one known in the state! Was this site in Philadelphia County?
Bob, what do you have for dogwood up your way?
GEEEZ, that red oak is MASSIVE. Bill certainly knows where the
beauties are.
Scott, that 17.3 x 144.6 tulip is the largest I have in my
records. How does is
stack up in your ENTS measured data? That tree has 2502 ENTS
Points (CBH x
height) which puts it in a class all by itself. Only a few
select trees we've
ENTS measured break 2000. This is the first I have that breaks
2500! Counting
trees that are both >= 12ft CBH AND 100ft high.
That hornbeam pic is wicked.
Dale
|
| Re:
Lorimer park, Abingdon Twp and Pennypack creek Phila. |
wad-@comcast.net |
| Mar
24, 2007 13:43 PST |
Dale
Funny thing is I walked right past the dogwood and Bill stopped
and said "did you miss something?" Then when I saw it,
I said " Holy cow!" I have many on the list that are
fat, but this is the tallest.
Lorimer Park is in Montgomery County, that is where the dogwood
is.
The tulip poplar is just in Philadelphia county.
I have a tulip in Wissahickon Park, Philadelphia county at 12.2
x 154.7
I have the grange poplar in Delaware county at 14.6 x 128.0
I have one at Rockwood park in new castle co. Delaware. at 12.3
x 128.3
I have one at Hagley in New Castle Co. Delaware at 15.6 x 120+
need to return to get height.
I have two at Wawa preserve Delaware county at 13.1 x 137.4 and
12.6 x 137.4
I have two at Tyler Arboretum Delaware co. at 22.2 x 139.3 and
13.4 x 141.5
We have another one reported in Perry co. that is 22.0 x 138 but
it is not ENTS only Abney level
I liked the hornbeam too, gnarly!
Scott
|
| RE:
Lorimer park, Abingdon Twp and Pennypack creek Phila. |
Will
Blozan |
| Mar
24, 2007 14:52 PST |
Scott,
That dogwood is nearly a height record! The tallest I have
lasered down here
(Smokies) is 55.1'. Just a handful over 50' have been documented
that I know
of; Jess may have a few more. I recall a 15'+ tulip in the
Wissahickon
section of Fairmount but I have not measured it. That 22 footer
could be a
real giant!
Will
|
|