A couple of weeks ago I returned to the coves around Tamassee
Knob in
South Carolina's northwest corner to measure a chestnut oak I
had
previously spotted, thoroughly measure the largest cove in the
area, and
to avoid tall tree withdrawal upon coming back from the Congaree.
The
chestnut oak grows at the bottom of a south facing cove that
supports the
tallest white oaks so far found in the area, three over 130'.
Unfortunately, Hurricane Francis knocked over the 126.8' black
oak that
grew in the cove. In the large northeast facing cove, the storm
uprooted
a 8'2.5" x 139.2' sweetgum with a huge crown, and snapped
the tallest ash
I knew of in the cove, a 135.1' individual. The ash appears to
have still
been growing radially at a rate of three to five millimeters per
year.
South facing cove
Cbh Height
Species
3'9" 93.4'
Hickory, Pale
6'1.5" 133.7'
Oak, Chestnut
3'10" 134.4'
Tuliptree 110:1 HDR
I had not noticed pale hickory before in the area, but they grow
scattered
along the relatively dry main ridge and spur ridges.
Surprisingly, the
chestnut oak grows right on the drainage surrounded by
tuliptrees,
including the skinny one listed above.
Several features commonly associated with fertile habitats
converge in the
largest cove at Tamassee Knob. The northeast aspect of the cove
and the
small stream cascading from the adjacent plateau combine to
minimize water
stress, and the elevation below 1500' helps to extend the
growing season
and avoid ice storms. The steam upper slopes on both sides
provide
shelter from wind storms while the benches on the south side and
gentle
lower slopes provide more stable footing. Additionally, the rich
bedrock
typical of the steep slopes throughout the area underlies much
of the
cove, and helps to produce circumneutral soils. In another month
sweet
betsy trilliums will cover the approximately 50 acres of the
cove, and the
redbuds in the sunnier spots will accentuate them. The redbuds
share the
understory with wild hydrangea, spicebush, and paw paw. In parts
of the
cove silverbell and yellow buckeye attempt to form a midstory,
but neither
species reaches the stature they achieve higher in the southern
Appalachians.
However, tuliptree grows well at the site and
forms the
largest proportion of the canopy. Ash, probably green (see
1/31/05 post
for full description and photographs), and pignut hickory also
constitute
large portions of the overstory. On the drier southeast facing
slope and
some of the other upper slopes, white, chestnut, and black oak
play a
larger role. Basswood and sweetgum are also locally important in
the
canopy. Some of the overstory trees likely approach 125 years
old, and
given the richness, sheltered nature, and accessibility of the
area seem
to support the idea that this site was cleared early in the
logging of the
area. Widely scattered, partially decomposed stumps indicate
some more
recent thinning of the stand.
Large NE aspect cove
Cbh Height
Species
9'8" 115.8
Ash, Green?
7'5.5" 131.0'
Ash, Green?
9'2" 139.6'
Ash, Green?
7'6" 122.2'
Basswood, White?
7'4" 127.2'
Basswood, White?
8'3" 127.7'
Basswood, White?
1'5" NA
Grape
6'0.5" 142.4' Hickory, Pignut
9'7.5" 149.0' Hickory, Pignut
7'4" 159.1'
Hickory, Pignut
8'4.5" ~125'
Locust, Black
NA 143.9'
Locust, Black
8'2" 121.4'
Oak, Black
NA ~126'
Oak, Chestnut
9'3" 136.6'
Oak, Northern Red
7'11" 145.3'
Oak, Northern Red
5'1" 136.1'
Sweetgum
5'7" 150.0'
Sweetgum
10'9" 155.7'
Tuliptree
8'1" 157.2'
Tuliptree
13'0"
160.1' Tuliptree
9'3" 161.4'
Tuliptree
9'4" 172.5'
Tuliptree
4'8" 100.0'
Walnut, White
Green Ash commonly reach 115 to 125' in the cove, but the 139.6'
is a new
height champ for the Brevard Belt. The basswood include the
second and
third tallest known in the state. Large lianas, both grape and
virginia
creeper, grow in several of the Tamassee coves. The 9'7.5"
x 149' hickory
appears relatively young, and has a massive crown with an 86'
long spread.
Under the new rating system the tree scores 162 (115.5/157,
149/168.2),
behind a handful of other pignuts, but has the potential to
become
massive. The 159.1' pignut is the third tallest known, and is
considerable slimmer and younger than the taller trees. The tall
black
locusts were a nice find since I had been concerned that the
other 140'+
tree in the coves was an anomaly. Several northern red oaks
throughout
the cove top 130'. The 145.3' is a new best for Tamassee and the
third
tallest known in the state. The sweetgum is another new record
for
Tamassee and the tallest known outside of the Congaree. This
tree differs
in structure dramatically from the Congaree giants. The tall
Tamassee
three is far slimmer with a much smaller, more compact crown.
The 13' x
160' tuliptree is the second largest tree I've seen in the coves
so far.
The 161.4' tulip tree stands between the tallest tuliptree and
the tallest
pignut hickory. I had the tree at 164' a few years ago and based
on the
tree's appearance relative to the adjacent trees, that height
seems
reasonable. The tallest tuliptree is now the tallest known tree
in the
state, and the tallest known hardwood in the east outside of the
Smokies.
The height listed is the average of three measurements ranging
from 171.9'
to 172.9'. The white walnut, butternut is also encouraging since
I had
seen only one other one at the site, but this one is the second
tallest
measured so far in the state.
Rucker Index for the cove
172.5' Tuliptree
159.1' Pignut Hickory
150.0' Sweetgum
145.3' Northern Red Oak
143.9' Black Locust
139.6' Green Ash
133.4' Shortleaf Pine
129.2' Black Oak
127.7' White Basswood
~126' Chestnut Oak
142.67' Rucker Index
Tamassee Knob Rucker Index
146.07'
Central Brevard Fault Zone Rucker Index
150.57'
SC RI
162.05'
Tree contributed per site:
Whitewater River: 1
Wadakoe Mountain: 1
East Fork Chattooga River: 2
Congaree NP: 3
Central Brevard Fault Zone: 3
Jess Riddle
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