Penn Charter Trees:  some measuring today   wad-@comcast.net
  Dec 22, 2006 20:23 PST 
ENTS

My son had the day off from school, so I needed to be home. I decided we would spend the morning searching for the Penn Charter trees in my 1982 copy of Penn's Woods by Halfred Wertz. I picked four that I had not found, and we set out. Penn Charter Trees are supposed to be 275-325 years old or more. Some are not, some may be. We started out in Broomall, home of the current third place Red Oak state champ at 20.2x124. I sought a black oak that was 16'7" in 1982. We found it. It is in kinda rough shape, with about 20% of the cambium dead. It has grown to 18'5" x 82, but I imagine it's days are numbered. Also, I think it is a Red Oak, and not a Black Oak. About 30' behind it is a 13'8" Red Oak. The property is owned by a Catholic High School, and I never thought to look in there for trees, but I think it deserves a rucker as I measured one Tulip Poplar at 6'3" x 131. Talk about a bean pole. I will definitely get back in there some day. It is the only place I have been
in, where Red Maple is a serious competitor in the canopy. There are alot of 12 x 100's, but the height is in the younger trees along the creeks.

Our next stop was an early Pa. homestead. The original house was constructed in 1690. Located on Manoa Rd. in Havertown, it is home to a Bur Oak that measured 17'6" x 85.9 x 126. It is very well cared for, although the site is in jeopardy. The owner wants to subdivide the property, more than likely due to taxes, and the tree may be lost. I don't think the tree is more than 300 yrs. old, as Bur Oak is typically a planted tree in this area, and was popular in the late 1700's as a collector plant. A knarled old Buckeye is also planted on the property, which was also popular at the same time.

We then went to the Collenbrook Homestead in Drexel Hill. Built in the 1700's it is home to another Bur Oak. This tree survives nicely next to a stream and is 18'6" x 91.2' x 141' Again, probably not 325 years old. A beautiful tree, with no apparent worries.

Another tree I relocated a couple of weeks ago is a White Ash that originally grew on the grounds of the Hverford State Hospital. It is now a part of the Quadrangle retirement community in Haverford. The tree is lucky to be purchased by the home, as the reat of the Hospital property is in the midst of being re-developed. The hospital closed years ago. This ash was always a close contender for state champion, and has now surpassed the current champion by 8 points. I will have to go and measure the current champ to see who prevails. This Ash comes in at 21'6" x 99.4 x 97 whereas the current champ is 21'5" x 92 x 93. They are almost identical in habit and only 5-6 mile distant of each other.

That is all

Scott
RE: some measuring today   Ron Gonzalez
  Dec 22, 2006 21:06 PST 

Hi Scott and ENTS,

I read your trip report with great interest, as you were exploring
around where I spent most of my childhood. I went to a high school in
Radnor, housed in a stone barn on an estate that was owned by the
Episcopal Diocese, which was then still next to an impressive arboretum.
It's all gone now (it's now a large housing development), but it was
quite beautiful back then, with stone bridges, long walkways and some
very interesting trees. Too bad I wasn't as interested in them back
then...

On our own property we had a large tulip poplar, which I remember as
being very large, I think dual-trunked. The property is on Conshohocken
State Road across from Mary Water's Ford Road, in Penn Valley
(Bala-Cynwyd), about a mile or so from City Line Avenue (Philadelphia
border). I remember that tuliptree dominating the neighborhood. It
seemed to be the tallest tree around. Last time I was there was at least
five years ago, and that tuliptree was still going strong, making lots
of big and beautiful blossoms way up high in the air. The tree's at the
end of the driveway, right next to the road, with several Norway spruce
behind it, lining the driveway.

The house was a then-modern ranch style, built in the late 1940s, when
that part of PA was only lightly populated. I was told the property had
been an arboretum/garden area in the estate that used to be there, but I
never verified that. There was quite a collection of exotic trees in
there, including some impressive cypress trees (Italian?), but I hear
the new owner has chopped some of them down. There were also some fairly
tall, scraggly and (I think) old rhododendron maximum in there. I hope
they haven't been cut back...

Anyway, your post made me nostalgic. I remember seeing some really
magnificent estates around there, especially in Wayne, Radnor, Rosemont,
Bryn Mawr, Gladwynne and Haverford. Some of the surviving tracts must
have some great old trees...

- Ron G

 
RE: some measuring today   wad-@comcast.net
  Dec 23, 2006 18:28 PST 
Ron

I wish I had full access to the estates around here. I have a duPont estate that I can get on, and I almost got on M. Night Shamalon's place, but he said no. I know there are many many treasures hidden behind the gates of the estates in SE Pa.

Scott