| Ernie
Ostuno - Pennsylvania Galleries |
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Sweetroot Natural Area., Pa.
Gallery
and trip report - by Ernie Ostuno
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Ancient hemlocks at the Alan Seeger Natural
Area in
Huntingdon County, PA. Photo taken April 1998.
Alan
Seeger Natural Area
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Old white pine along the stream at the Detweiler Run Natural
area in Huntingdon County, PA. Photo taken April 1998.
Detweiler
Run Natural Area
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East Branch Swamp Natural Area, Sproul State
Forest, PA.
There are a few large hemlocks that survived the 1985 tornado. This is
probably the largest and occurs in the SE part of the natural area, just
south of East Branch Run. Photo taken October 1999.
SEast
Branch Swamp Natural Area
Description by Ernie Ostuno
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This is along the Chuck Keiper Trail on the northern
edge of the natural area. Note the roots from the windthrown hemlock at
the right edge of the photo.
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Despite this area being an elevated marsh, the
loggers were able to harvest a few trees. These sun-bleached stumps are
probably more than a hundred years old. Note how the forest has not been
able to regenerate here, and also note the young white pine in the
distance where the 1985 tornado passed through.
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Shingletown Gap, PA: Large uprooted hemlock in the stream valley. A
separate area of old growth occurs on the ridge top near here. Photo
taken January 1999.
Shingletown
Gap Natural Area Description
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Hemlocks Natural Area, PA: Large stump of a fallen hemlock. Photo taken May 1999.
Hemlocks
Natural Area description
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Hemlocks Natural Area, PA: Some of the taller hemlocks here are close to 130 feet
tall.
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Heart's Content Scenic Area, PA: Heart's Content Scenic Area in Warren County, PA is indeed aptly named for those who appreciate big trees. In the southwest part of
the area of old growth are two massive white pine with reddish plated
bark, growing less than 50 feet apart. I refer to them as "The Twins"
because of their similarity in size and appearance.I think Dale measured
these two to about 154-55 feet tall. They are probably among the most
impressive examples of ancient white pine I have seen anywhere. This is
the southernmost one.
Heart's
Content Scenic Area description
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Hearts Content Scenic Area, PA: Here the southernmost white pine is seen in the
foreground with the northern one in the distance. After viewing these
two and others in the stand of huge white pine along the stretch of
trail near here, I was inspired to write "Old growth forests are among
nature's most eloquent testimonials to the passage of time."
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View of several hemlocks and beech along the path at
Heart's Content. Heavy browsing by deer resulted in a lack of young
trees and a lot of ferns. I have heard that deer fencing has resulted in
some increase in tree seedlings in recent years. Beech bark disease was
here, but hemlock wooly adelgids were not in 1999.
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