Wisconsin non-natives   Paul Jost
  Apr 28, 2007 11:26 PDT 

Last weekend was a nice weekend to wander northern Wisconsin. The spring
peepers and wood frogs were calling in force. The red maples were
starting to bloom. The yellow-bellied sapsuckers were defining their
territories, calling, tapping, and chasing off challengers. Loons and
winter wrens were calling... I could go on and on...

I visited the state champion Lombardy Poplar in Washburn, WI , once a
beautiful 14+' girth single stemmed tree alongside a Dairy Queen parking
lot on Highway 13. It looks like it has been dead for 1-2 years. The
bark is peeling from the top down and branches are falling from it. The
wooden sign proclaiming it's championship has fallen into similar
disrepair. The tree will probably have to be cut down soon since it
poses a risk to visitors and a nearby building. I did not measure it and
let it rest in peace.

Later, I visited Wisconsin's second biggest American Chestnut in
Bayfield, WI. (The biggest one is near Lacrosse and is dying from the
chestnut blight.) It's owners, Susan and Neil, gave me a warm welcome
and were gracious hosts. They patiently let me measure and photograph
the tree. They talked about it's past, about frequent visitors to the
tree, and about what it meant to some of the visitors, some who had
travelled a long way just to sit near it for a few hours. It has
recently suffered crown loss from wind damage and possibly other causes,
and has been properly serviced by a professional arborist. It is
generally in good shape but is "pinched" in between an oak and a
hickory. It probably had been planted there when the house was built in
1888. The tree measured 143" in girth 4.5' above midslope, 57' tall, and
had a 40.7' average spread for 210 AmFor points. It exists on a slope
down from a nearby home down to the sidewalk that was installed long
after the tree was planted. The owners told me to come back in July
when it is covered with yellow flowers. They also told me about a
nearby chestnut grove just southwest of Bayfield near a golf course.
Hopefully, I will be able to visit them later this year.

Paul Jost
RE: Wisconsin non-natives, camperdown elm   Paul Jost
  May 02, 2007 20:14 PDT 

ENTS,

This evening, I remeasured another Wisconsin state champion urban tree
for the state big tree program. It was a camperdown elm, ulmus x glabra
"camperdownii". It measured 111 inches in girth, 34 feet tall, and had
a major spread of 40 feet and a minor spread of 37 feet for an AmFor
score of 155 points. It is dying back and on the decline. It has
pretty good gnarl factor. I've posted an image at:

http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=45845

It's a moderated site, so the image might not show up for a day or two.

Regards,

Paul Jost