| Cook
Forest-Maple Dr. updates |
Dale
J. Luthringer |
| Feb
14, 2005 12:09 PST |
Bob,
The following post is an attempt to play catch-up with some of
my
backlogged data on the Maple Drive old growth area at Cook
Forest State
Park. After a number of days in this area, and I still haven't
seen it
all, is that this section of the park should be defined as a
type of old
growth forest. It is not pristine, or unlogged old growth, but
it still
harbors a large number of old oaks and other deciduous trees of
decent
size. Many trees illicit twisted gnarled crowns, deeply ridged
and
furrowed bark, and balding patterns. Large course woody debris
is just
starting to make its appearance known along the forest floor.
There is
evidence of an old logging road/buggy road down the northern
side of the
drainage eventually working its way to Tom's Run. I suggest that
many
of the E. hemlock and E. white pine were harvested somewhere
between
100-150 years ago, but it appears they left almost everything
else.
Young white pines (100-125 years) are interspersed amongst the
old oaks
near Maple Drive. The further you progress down the drainage the
greater the concentration of old hemlocks and older white pines
(150+
years) become.
Ring counts on downed white oaks that were removed from across
Maple Dr.
indicate 225+ years on some specimens. Although I haven't
completed a
detailed core analysis of this site, I suspect there is a very
good
possibility that max ages of the following trees could be
reached:
Species Est.
Max Age
E. hemlock 350
White oak 250
Am. beech 225
N. red oak 200
E. white pine 200
Black cherry 200
Cucumbertree 200
Red maple 175
Sugar maple 175
I'm hoping we may be able to make a side trip to this area come
the
Spring ENTS Rendezvous which is scheduled for 4/23-24/05.
In an attempt to post some of my backlog data, I've combined the
tally
days which are noted below. Here's the latest of what I have on
this
site:
Species CBH Height Date Comments
Am. beech 7.6 99.2 12/29/04
Am. beech 8.8 102.1+
12/29/04
Am. beech 5.3 103.1 11/23/04
Am. beech 7.4 103.3 12/29/04
Am. beech N/A 108.8 11/23/04
Am. beech 8.2 110.4 11/23/04
Am. beech 3.7 110.8 12/29/04
Am. beech 5.5 111.7 11/23/04
Am. beech 9.8 111.7 12/8/04
Am. beech 11.2 111.9 12/8/04 41
21.393N x 79
14.620W
Am. beech N/A 112.6 11/23/04
Am. beech 6.6 112.7 12/29/04
Am. beech 9.8 114 11/23/04
Am. beech 8 114.9+
12/8/04
Am. beech 7.6 115.4 12/8/04
Am. beech 7.6 118.7 11/23/04
Am. beech 6.4 121.1 11/23/04 41
21.233N x 79
14.418W
Am. beech 6.6 121.5 11/23/04 41
21.095N x 79
14.369W
Am. beech 6.8 122.8 11/23/04 41
21.170N x 79
14.377W
Black cherry 7.1 111.5 12/8/04
Black cherry 7.3 118.7 12/8/04
Black cherry 6.4 121 11/23/04
Black cherry 7.3 121.5 11/23/04
Black cherry 6.2 122.5 11/23/04
Black cherry 7.4 125.9 11/23/04
Black cherry 8.7 128.2 11/23/04
Black oak 6.5 108.7 12/29/04 new
park
height record
Cucumbertree 7.9 109.7 11/23/04
E. hemlock 8.6 114.1 11/23/04
E. hemlock N/A 121.1 11/23/04
E. white pine 7.7 126.3 11/23/04
E. white pine 8 132.6 11/23/04
E. white pine 9.4 133.5 12/8/04
E. white pine 9.7 136.4 11/23/04
E. white pine 7.5 137.6 11/23/04
E. white pine 9.4 139.8 11/23/04
E. white pine 9.5 143.9 11/23/04 41
21.045N x
79 14.406W
E. white pine 8.4 147.8 11/23/04 41
21.171N x
79 14.382W
E. white pine 10.1 151.1 11/23/04 41
21.111N x 79
14.353W
E. white pine 10.7 161.1 11/23/04 previously
measured at 160.7 in ravine floor, 161.1 measured from hilltop
N. red oak 10.9 96.1+ 12/29/04
N. red oak 11.3 102.1 12/29/04
N. red oak 12.5 102.5 12/29/04 new
12x100
class
N. red oak 10.3 104.1 12/29/04
N. red oak 9.5 105.3 12/29/04
N. red oak 10 105.5 12/29/04
N. red oak 10.5 107.4 12/29/04
N. red oak 13.8
(2x) 108.1+ 1/13/05
N. red oak 10.3 110 12/8/04
N. red oak 9.6 110.7 1/13/05
N. red oak 6.9 111.1+
1/13/05
N. red oak 8.3 113.4 12/8/04
N. red oak 12.2 113.7 12/8/04 new
12x100
class
N. red oak 9.7 114.1+
1/21/05
N. red oak 10.6 116.3 1/21/05
N. red oak 13.1 117 12/29/04 new
12x100
class
N. red oak 8.2 117.1+
12/8/04
N. red oak 11.3 117.1+
1/21/05
N. red oak 11.9 117.1 1/13/05
N. red oak 10.7 117.2 1/13/05
N. red oak 9 126.1 1/13/05 41
21.212N x 79 14.804W
N. red oak 11 126.5 1/21/05 new
park height record, 41 21.218N x 79 14.842W
Red maple 6.8 105.4 12/29/04
Red maple 9.7 108.1+
11/23/04
Red maple 9 116.5 12/29/04
Shagbark hickory 4.4 73.9 12/29/04
Sugar maple 10.4 114.8 12/8/04 park
girth & height record, 41 21.370N x 79 14.634W
White oak 8.6 101.1 12/29/04
White oak 8
102.1+ 12/8/04
White oak 10.2
105.1+ 1/21/05
White oak 8.2 105.7 12/8/04
White oak 9.7 106.1 12/29/04
White oak 8.9 109.2 12/29/04
White oak 6.8 111.1 12/29/04
White oak 9 111.1 12/8/04
White oak 8.1 112.4 12/8/04
White oak 6.7 113.6 12/29/04
White oak 7.6 113.7 12/29/04
White oak 8.6 115.8 12/29/04
White oak 10.3 117.1+
12/29/04
Cook Forest Rucker Index = 135.94
Species CBH Height Comments
E. white pine 11.3 182 3rd
tallest documented E. U.S.
E. hemlock 12 145.7 tallest
documented NE U.S.
Black cherry 11.4 140 3rd
tallest documented E. U.S.
Tuliptree 8.2 136.6
White ash 7.6 128.3
White oak 10.7 126.8 tallest
documented NE U.S.
N. red oak 11 126.5
Red maple 9 126
Am. beech 7.9 124.4
Cucumbertree 7.5 123.1 2nd
tallest documented NE U.S.
That ought to do it for awhile.
Dale |
|