The
Coho Property:
Erie Bluffs State Park, PA |
NR,
Cook Forest Env. Ed. |
| Oct
04, 2003 06:54 PDT |
Bob,
I made a second visit to the Coho Property adjacent to the Elk
Creek Access Area along the cliffs overlooking Lake Erie in
Erie, PA earlier this week. My property contact failed to show,
so I took the opportunity to do some more exploring in search of
its reported 'old growth'. I wish I had more local history of
this site, but I just haven't had the time to do a thorough
historical assessment. The contact said that this site was a
recent win in terms of saving old growth from the saw. I'm still
hoping I haven't observed what he's calling old growth.
I don't know what to say about this property other than I
wouldn't personally call it old growth in terms of old trees.
The cliff escarpments may be argued as old growth in terms of a
perpetually young forest due to wind disturbance and cliff
falls. I've yet to find an area that hasn't been harvested to
some extent in the last roughly 100 years. I've found a few nice
large and old trees near the edges of fields, along old pasture
borders that are now forested (barbwire in trees), and others
that balance near the cliff face overlooking Lake Erie. There is
also evidence of an old road of sorts that goes right through
the property. A large "wolf" N. red oak stands beside
it at 13.7 x 87.1+.
I took my increment borer with me to help get a rough idea on
some of what appeared to be some of the older specimens in the
stand. I picked on one tuliptree in particular that was just
starting to get a balding pattern at its base. This tree was 8ft
CBH x 118.5ft+ high, and was very close to only 60 years old.
I did get into a small stand of sassafras. It's the first I've
been able to measure in PA. The ridges on the bark reminded me
of the old hemp ropes. I only measured 2 of what appeared to be
the tallest in about a stand of ~10 trees. I cored one to very
close to 70 years. They were on a flat about 75 yards from the
cliff face, both were a bit taller than any Bruce and I measured
in the Niagara Gorge (75.1ft+ and 78.1ft+). It was a very windy
day, so these heights might be a bit short. Canopy dominant
white ash were giving me problems as the branches intermingled
in the wind. I had one height to 84.1+, but couldn't confirm it
from farther away. Both shots were taken from directly
underneath the tree.
There is one section that might go close to 100 years since
management. It's on a bench just down from the sassafras stand.
If you work your way up from Elk Creek, it's just west of where
it empties into Lake Erie. There is a large old pipe system
here. I'm not sure what it was used for, but may appear to be an
old well that's been filled in. After reading my Great Uncle's
account of the mouth of Wintergreen Gorge and Lake Erie, I
suspect that this area may have experienced similar usage. I did
find a nice butternut here. Actually it was quite a surprise and
a nice end of the day treat. It's the first forest grown
butternut I've been able to measure in PA. My Allegheny River
butternut was on the edge of a road. I put the tree at 5.7 x
104.6ft. Looks like we don't have a lot of data on the ENTS list
for butternut, but it may go as one of the taller one's we've
measured. Were you getting butternuts commonly over 100ft in the
Manhan River Terrace?
Oh, found my fattest E. hophornbeam to date. They used it as an
old pasture fence post right on the edge of the escarpment. It
still had barb wire hanging out of it at 4.4ft x 64.5.
The day's tally as follows:
Species CBH Height Comments
bitternut hickory 6.7 89.2
bitternut hickory 5.7 93.1+
butternut 5.7 104.6 42 1.353N x 80 22.538W
E. hemlock 5.8 94.5
E. hophornbeam 4.4 64.5 old pasture boundary tree
sassafras 4 75.1+
sassafras 3.7 78.1+ ~70 years old (great smell !)
tuliptree 8 118.5+ ~60 years
white ash 9.2 101.8
I've got 10 species documented in this site. There are sugar
maple in here that would make it to 100ft, but not much more,
although I haven't documented them yet. Rucker Index for the
site suggests the following:
Species CBH Height Rucker Index
tuliptree 8 118.5+ 94.00
N. red oak 13.4 105.1+
butternut 5.7 104.6
white ash 7.9 102.1+
Am. beech 9.1 101.5+
E. hemlock 5.8 94.5
bitternut hickory 5.7 93.1+
sassafras 3.7 78.1+
cottonwood N/A 78
E. hophornbeam 4.4 64.5
Dale |
| Coho
Property (Eagle's Nest) |
Dale
Luthringer |
| Jan
24, 2004 10:36 PST |
Bob,
Tom, Bruce,
Yesterday I was able to get into the Coho Property which has
been reported as old growth by the Lake Erie Conservancy. I
still haven't come across anything but a few secluded old trees.
Everything in this area so far has been either mature 2nd growth
or clearcut. I've got about 2 miles of coastline to check
though, so I'm hoping I haven't seen the best the site has to
offer.
The largest ravine area, called the Eagle's Nest by locals, is
the next ravine system that I will try to get into. I went as
far as my ankle would take me yesterday, which was one ravine
short to the east. Regardless, I still was able to find some
decent trees, including a new sassafras record.
The last ravine I made it to today was quite interesting. I
stayed as far away from the lake cliffs as possible. It was only
about 8F out, and the wind was really ripping off the lake...
it's been awhile since the snot has frozen in my nose. I think I
looked like Jack Frost by the time I got back to the vehicle
with icicles hanging off my mustache. Anyway, the last ravine
started in a series of wide ranging forks that converged just
before dropping over the carapace down into the lake. I followed
the forks toward the lake, and as I did the ground began getting
steeper and steeper on each side of me. I started to feel like I
was walking the plank by the time I got to the end where there
ground dropped off steeply in front of me and both sides. At the
end of this 'bridge' (about 5ft wide x 60ft long) was a large N.
red oak that even the loggers didn't want to try to get. A CBH
measurement for this tree was unattainable... maybe I should've
employed the raccoon who had tracks all over the tree and lived
within its bulk.
I've bumped the Rucker Index up a bit for this site as well as
add another large N. red oak to our list of 12x100's. The day's
tally as follows:
Species CBH Height Comments
Am. beech 6.7 93.1+
Am. beech 7.1 81.1+
black cherry 5.9 93.1+
cottonwood 7.8 99.7
N. red oak 13.5 106.9 previously
13.4 x 105.1+
N. red oak 12.3 109.5 new
12x100, it was marked to be felled with a huge blue 'smiley
face'
sugar maple 9.3 89.2
tuliptree 10.5 110.4
tuliptree N/A 120.7 in
bottom of steep ravine
tuliptree 10.1 106.5
tuliptree 9.7 128.4
sassafras 5.3 89.1
sassafras 5.1 98.4 new
NE height record
white ash 6.3 105.1+
yellow birch 4.4 75.1+
Here's the latest Rucker Index for this site:
Species CBH Height Status Rucker
Index
tuliptree 9.7 128.4 102.79
N. red oak 12.3 109.5
white ash 6.3 105.1+
butternut 5.7 104.6 tallest
PA
Am. beech 9.1 101.5
cottonwood 7.8 99.7
sassafras 5.1 98.4 tallest
NE U.S.
E. hemlock 5.8 94.5
black cherry 5.3 93.1+
bitternut hickory 5.7 93.1+
The sassafras grow here in clumps of usually 3-4. I by no means
measured them all. I just tried to get the tallest in each
group. I think we can go over 100 if I can find some growing in
one of the many steep ravines in the area. I just love the smell
of sassafras. The more I see this tree, the more it becomes one
of my favorites.
Dale |
| Coho
Property revisited |
Linda
Luthringer |
| Feb
06, 2004 20:21 PST |
Bob,
After receiving more info on the location of tall trees on the
Coho Property from those within the agency, I was prompted to
give the site another go. This time I came in from the west side
of Duck Run, about 1.5 miles west of Elk Creek along the Lake
Erie shoreline, and was able to take some readings from much
better vantage points. I was also able to get access to the
bottom of the ravine via an old corduroy road which terminates
at the lake. My ankle was also feeling better, so I thought I'd
give it a shot. I wasn't disappointed. Perseverance pays off
again.
This particular ravine system is the longest in the property at
close to 3/4 miles long. By the time you get to the lake, there
is about a 100ft drop in elevation from the plateau to the
streambed. The area is dominated by a number of nice tuliptrees
in the mid-upper 130ft class, including one in the 140ft range.
I also found a nice N. red oak which turned out to be my
personal best in terms of height, and a decent white ash in the
120ft class. There were a number of red oaks in here to the
110ft class, and a decent # of tulips in the 130ft class, but
after about 3 RI iterations, the site index will drop down
dramatically to back around the lower 100's.
All in all, it was a good day. The N. red oak elicited one ENTS
yell. The white ash and 140ft class tulip were also a surprise
to me. This should be the best of what this property has to
offer. There still may be a couple of large CBH trees to find
along the escarpments and another small ravine system, but I
think I've now saturated this site and am ready to move on. The
day's tally as follows:
Species CBH Height
E. hemlock N/A 78
E. hemlock 6.2 106.5
N. red oak N/A 110.6
N. red oak 7.6 115.4
N. red oak 9.7 123.4
sugar maple N/A 104.6
tuliptree N/A 116.9
tuliptree 8 133.3
tuliptree 9.8 134
tuliptree 7.4 134.6+
tuliptree 6.5 136.3
tuliptree 8 137.1
tuliptree 8.4 140.3
white ash 5.8 115.5
white ash 7.4 120.5
Here's the latest Rucker Index:
Species CBH Height Comments Rucker
Index
tuliptree 8.4 140.3 109.59
N. red oak 9.7 123.4 personal
best
white ash 7.4 120.5
E. hemlock 6.2 106.5
sugar maple N/A 104.6
butternut 5.7 104.6 tallest
PA
Am. beech 9.1 101.5
cottonwood 7.8 99.7
sassafras 5.1 98.4 tallest
NE
sycamore 14.7 96.4
I've also attached an updated list of Rucker Index comparisons
for the state. A brief run-down of RI site comparisons of the
state follows:
Site Rucker
Index
Cook Forest State Park 135.27
Wintergreen Gorge 127.89
Fairmont Park 127.72
Ricketts Glen State Park 119.85
Anders Run Natural Area 118.65
Heart's Content Natural Area 113.79
Walnut Creek Gorge 112.52
Alan Seeger Natural Area 111.13
Coho Property 109.59
Tionesta Natural Area 109.36
Glenwood Park 98.08
Next stop, Lake Erie Community Park. I'll wager an initial guess
to 105-110 on the Rucker Index with this site. I may be wrong,
but it's interesting to see where the numbers turn up as I
continue to gain experience in assessing site quality in terms
of significant tree height. There may be some ~140ft tulips in
here. There are some nice sugars in here that I'm hoping will go
to 120. Throw in a N. red and a white ash to 120 for good
measure, and I think we've got the making of another ~110 class
site. It may not be much when compared to other sites, but it's
interesting to see where the 2nd growth sites are starting to
pan out in rank with the old growth sites.
Dale |
| Re:
Coho Property revisited |
dbhg-@comcast.net |
| Feb
07, 2004 05:08 PST |
Dale:
Fine work. You are accumulating a good spread of sites for PA
that is giving us a much better feel for how rare a Rucker index
of 130 is.
We'll need to add a good 50 sites around the Northeast to our
list, but eventually, the exceptional sites will hopefully be
recognized by others than just ourselves for what they are, i.e.
truly exceptional.
I'm getting itchy to get out there and resume
the documentation work.
Bob |
|