Cook Forest white pine tally   Linda Luthringer
  Jan 24, 2004 21:37 PST 
Bob, Will, Colby, Lee,

I've finally updated my stats for the Cook Forest white pine tally. I've broken it down into two groups; the entire Cook Forest State Park, and just the Forest Cathedral. The Forest Cathedral data also includes the old growth pines along the Seneca, Mohawk, & Ridge Trails which is on the western side of Forest Road and RT36.

So far, we've tallied old growth white pine in the following areas in Cook Forest State Park:

Forest Cathedral (east side RT36 & Forest Road)
Forest Cathedral (west side RT36 & Forest Road)
Corduroy Trail (mid-northwestern section of Tom's Run watershed)
Cook Trail
Troutman Run

I still have a couple of areas to clean-up in the Forest Cathedral in the vicinity of Indian Springs and west of RT36 from the Mohawk Trail towards the Deer Park Trail trailhead on RT36. I would be very surprised if I were to find 5 more white pine in the 150ft class in these areas. To the best of my knowledge after this 'clean-up' is completed, the entire known stands of old growth white pine in the park will be surveyed. This is a very long process that we've started back in the winter of 2001. Every tree over 140ft, including many below that height, have been tagged and its coordinates recorded. Here's what we have so far:

Forest Cathedral
Height Class (ft)    # trees/class    total # trees    Mean CBH (ft)    Mean Height (ft)
110                                3                295                    9.3                   145.2
120                                16
130                                76
140                                105
150                                66
160                                24
170                                4
180                                1


Cook Forest State Park
Height Class (ft)    # trees/class    total # trees    Mean CBH (ft)    Mean Height (ft)
110                                3                324                    9.4                144.9
120                                17
130                                 86
140                                119
150                                71
160                                24
170                                4
180                                1

The Cook Trail old growth area harbors the most old growth white pine outside of the Forest Cathedral. There are a number of white pine here in the 10-11ft CBH range, which may explain the insignificant slight rise in mean CBH. Most of these trees barely break 140ft with a couple hovering at 150ft. I do have one that will probably break 160ft within the next couple of years unless crown breakage occurs.

I'm anticipating a rundown of old growth white pine comparisons between Cook Forest State Park, Heart's Content Natural Area, Ander's Run Natural Area, and Ricketts Glen State Park in the future.

Dale
Re: Cook Forest white pine tally   dbhg-@comcast.net
  Jan 25, 2004 03:12 PST 

Dale:

We look forward to a full accounting of your work at the Forest Summit on March 17-18. Please don't forget to at least summarize the other sites you've studied. People need to know what you are doing in Pennsylvania.

The count of 100 pines in the 150-foot and over class is interesting. It is certainly an easy number to remember. It also serves to highlight the rarity of pines in that height class. It would be interesting to know the approximate number of white pines in the age class of 100 years an over. I usually think of trees in that age range as the candidates for the 150 Club. I realize that in the Smokies, trees in the 60 and up age range can belong, but 100 years gives ample growing time for trees in the Northeast. I just wonder what the ratio is of 150s to the total in the 100 years and over club.

Bob
Re: Cook Forest white pine tally   Linda Luthringer
  Jan 25, 2004 15:59 PST 

Bob,

I have no doubt that every white pine over 150ft that I've measured in Cook
Forest, Heart's Content, and Ander's Run is well over 100 years old. I'd
probably go as high as 175 years old. If we look at Cook Forest
exclusively, I might even venture to an estimate of all 150 footers and
above to be at least 200 years old. Ander's Run is the only place that I
would question white pine in the 150ft class and over as being possible less
than 150 years old.

Dale