Sloan Bridge Trail, Sumter National Forest, Ellicott Rock Wilderness, SC   Will Blozan
  May 16, 2004 10:21 PDT 

Hey folks,

I want to get some trip reports out as I know many of you are awaiting the
news. I have not been out much lately and have been super busy with work and
family. Fortunately, some of my best excursions lately have been work
related, namely the Joyce Kilmer and Kelsey Tract old-growth hemlock climbs
and last week a trip to Mt. LeConte in the Smokies to collect Fraser fir
cuttings.


4/10/04 Sloan Bridge Trail, Sumter National Forest, Ellicott Rock
Wilderness, SC.

I returned to a pine grove that impressed me back in 1995. Armed with the
laser, I explored this grove with my wife while the kids were with the
grandparents. A rare time out with Heidi and no kids! The small area I
explored was along Indian Camp Branch and just a few hundred yards south of
North Carolina. Michael Davie and I explored parts of this drainage many
years ago but apparently were not impressed enough to take readings with
clinometer and tape. Well, now they have grown into a significant stand that
promises to produce some new records.

The grove, which is bisected by the trail, is a nearly pure stand of white
and pitch pines, with a cohort of dying hemlock and decent tuliptree.
Overall, the white pines are not overly impressive at their current stage of
development (~120 years) but the cathedral effect is breathtaking. However,
the pitch pines steal the show, with some of the largest and tallest
specimens I have ever seen growing there. The flat topography of the site
will likely keep heights moderate (~150') for the white pines, but the
competition they exert on the pitch pines may continue to force them up to
record heights. What I have recorded below is just a start, as there are
many trees there and the stand is thick so it is hard to get clear shots.
Also, the topography does not allow for long distance or ridge shots for
absolute tallest sprig determination. Therefore, the figures, especially for
the more rounded crown pitch pines, are conservative.

Hemlock
10'11" X 138.2'
Rosebay rhododendron (Girths at 4.5'!!!)
2'6" X 31.7' X 21'
3'7" X 27.8' X 26' Probably a legit National Record for a single-stem tree,
HUGE!!!
White pine
12'0" X 148.7' HUGE!!!
11'4" X 128.5' Broken top.
11'5" X 137.5' " "
Pitch pine
7'7" X 118' Trees of this size had awesome, thick, platy bark.
8'4" X 129.5+ Not a great shot for the top, NLT reading. SC State Champion.
8' X 129.8+
6'1" X 135.4' More trees like it. 140' possible in the grove.



That's all for now. The tree hunting season has basically closed in with the
spring canopy. I may try to do some volume climbs before it gets too hot and
buggy. I will be in northern Ohio the end of next week so I hope to at least
confirm the giant cottonwoods I saw near Detroit, Michigan while I am there.

I'm sure I will let you all know...eventually...;)

Will Blozan
President, Eastern Native Tree Society
ISA Certified Arborist