Magnolia Trees, MS   tuce-@msn.com
  Nov 13, 2006 08:10 PST 

ENTS,Ed,Bob,Will,
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Hello all. This weekend I finally got to go up to
Greene Co., Ms., and measure the big Magnolia Grandiflora. I was glad to
see it is still standing, with minor damage after Hurricane Katrina. 

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It has been about 10 years since I have been to see this Magnificent Tree.
The last time I saw it I remember how shady and pristine this area was.
Now it has changed so much as many other places along the Coastal area
has. It is the first tree I lasered and hope I measure many more trees.
The results are 18'6" CBH and ~115' Height. This tree grows in a small
bottom adjacent to Pine flats and Ridges. The surrounding forest mostly
contains conifer, with mixed Harwood in the bottoms. No other tree is
this area even comes close to the size of this tree. 

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The forest here has
been logged twice in the last 200 years and now again to salvage the
timber that has fallen due to the Hurricane. Mostly select cutting and
not clear cutting which I'm glad to see. The Ms. Outdoors Magazine had
this tree at 133' height and 300 years old. I wish I knew exactly how
old this tree is. Will, this one of the largest Magnolias in the South.    

Representing Ms.   

Larry
RE: Magnolia Trees   Robert Leverett
  Nov 13, 2006 12:11 PST 

Larry,

   Congratulations. I have an all new appreciation of Magnolia
grandiflora. I've only seen them in yards where their size is modest.
Obviously, in the right conditions the southern magnolia can be a
whopper.

    Of course, the spectacular creamy white blossoms are the tree's
claim to fame. When the champ blooms, it must be a sight to behold.
Also, congratulations on getting a more accurate height. The ENTS
catalog of deep south species and what they can achieve size-wise has
truly begin.

Bob
RE: Magnolia Trees   Will Blozan
  Nov 14, 2006 12:57 PST 

Larry,

What a great first tree! Congratulations and I look forward to more
measurements from your area. It is great to have an ENT in the Gulf!

Will
Re: Magnolia Trees   Jess Riddle
  Nov 15, 2006 22:56 PST 

Larry,

Wow, I just looked at the pictures of the magnolia. I've only seen
the species in open settings, and never realized they could become
such a forest giant. Those are some of the most impressive photos of
an eastern US tree I've seen in a while. I hope the deep south has
some more surprises like that.

Thanks,
Jess
Re: Magnolia Trees   wad-@comcast.net
  Nov 16, 2006 05:30 PST 
Larry

I too was very impressed with the Southern Magnolia you measured. In Pa. the species only gets to about 60' so far. Thanks for all of the pics. They are great!

Scott
RE: Magnolia Trees   tuce-@msn.com
  Nov 16, 2006 08:48 PST 

Jess,Scott,ENTS, 

I'm glad to share Deep Southern Trees with all of you.
I know of many places in Ms., with large trees and will be measuring and
photographing them in the future. 

Larry
Re: Magnolia Trees   Neil Pederson
  Nov 17, 2006 06:56 PST 
ENTS,

The Bartram Trail outside of Auburn, AL has some nice forest-grown southern
magnolia; supposedly OG, though there was an incident of logging across a
boundary on the national forest there that bit into some of the forest
buffering the trail. Like Jess, I too was blown away by seeing southern mag
growing in a closed canopy forest. It immediately leaped on my favorite tree
list by about 57 spots.

I believe Bob Godfrey, a state forester in N FL, has a published paper
claiming a southern mag approaching 400 yrs. A few yrs back on a drought
recon initiative I cored a few southern mags in NW peninsular FL. Many rings
on one or tow of these trees; many rings that were difficult to see...
probably in the 200 yr range though. Someday I'll dig those cores out.

Great tree, Larry. It is good to see reports and pix from the southern
Coastal Plain forest. It can be pretty amazing down there.

Neil