Large Trees to be Photographed

Looking For Some Large Trees to be Photographed

== 2 of 4 ==
Date: Wed, Aug 6 2008 6:55 pm
From: DON BERTOLETTE

Marc-
I read with interest your mention of the Bristlecone Pines in the White Mountains...did you have the time to visit the Foxtail Pines across the way (in the Sierras, across the Owen's River Valley? They're only half as old, but look the part and have every bit as much character!
-DonRB

== 3 of 4 ==
Date: Wed, Aug 6 2008 7:15 pm
From: Marcboston

I did see some Foxtail Pine in the Sierra Mountains! Along with some
Whitebark Pine. In fact last year a buddy and I climbed Mt Whitney
and I saw a really impressive Foxtail that was extemely distorted and
battered, it looked very much like a Bristlecone Pine. The 2 species
Foxtail and Bristlecone pine are very similiar and scientist are
unsure when they diverged from one another.

== 4 of 4 ==
Date: Thurs, Aug 7 2008 12:41 am
From: DON BERTOLETTE

Marc-
In an earlier incarnation, I worked for the Inyo Nat'l Forest on what I thought at the time was a world-class campground/landscape architectural effort at Horseshoe Meadow, just south of Mt Whitney/Whitney Portal Road. Only three of hundreds of Foxtail Pines were removed in the siting of campgrounds/

While as a forester, I knew that they were similar, that they were both relict species, I didn't know the specifics of how close they were genetically.

Regarding your use of "distorted", I equate that to economically efficient expenditure of chlorophyll/energy potential, and "old-growth-ness". And weren't those habitats god's country!!!???

-DonRB

== 2 of 9 ==
Date: Thurs, Aug 7 2008 5:44 am
From: dbhguru@comcast.net

Marc,

If you haven't seen the Pinchot Sycamore at Simsbury, CT. It is an absolute must. In addition, the Henry David Thoreau Pine in Monroe State Forest is a fabulous tree. If you can make it to western Massachusetts, I can show you a number of unusual trees that you might wish to photograph.
BTW, welcome aboard.

Bob

== 3 of 9 ==
Date: Thurs, Aug 7 2008 7:50 am
From: Marcboston

Don, you are correct that region of California is Gods country but
for how long? I pray that "White Pine Blister Rust" does not make
it's way to the Southern Sierra and White Mountains. I hear that the
Foxtails in the northern Sierra (in and around Tahoe) are getting hit
pretty hard by WPBR. A forest service employee informed me that
pockets of Rocky Mountain Bristlecone Pine in Colorado and Utah etc.,
are getting hit by WPBR too. When it pertains to the Great Basin
Bristlecone Pine, what concerns scientist the most is how will global
warming will play a role in there future. If it were to warm up too
much, then bark beetles can move into higher elevations along with
WPBR host plants (Ribes).

Anycase, I am extremely jealous that you lived in the Eastern
Sierra. I find the region of the country infectious and I have
traveled there for 3 years in a row. I am astounded by how large your
average Concolor Fir , Mountain Hemlock etc can get too. Beautiful
region and geologically speaking stunning. Did you live in Lone Pine?

I am back in the office and have the measurements of the Hillside
Oak. Charles Burnham came our in 2002 and took these measurements:
Circumference: 151"
Height: 60'
Average Width: 73'
Points: 229
He had a tough time getting the circumference because the tree is
growing aournd a boulder. Not sure if Charles is a member here but if
he is "hello".

Bob, I have not had the opportunity to see the Pinchot Sycamore.
Funny you should mention that tree, I am trying to get out to see it
this Sunday. I would love to hook up with you to check out some
unusual trees in western Mass. I remember a very large Elm I used to
visit during my college career at UMASS. There was a really nice
specimen of Katsura near the Amherst town common too. I hope they are
still doing well. Thanks for the tips. I never knew about the Henry
David Thoreau Pine, is it fairly easy to find it?

== 4 of 9 ==
Date: Thurs, Aug 7 2008 8:15 am
From: the Forestmeister

To Marc, if you're in the CT Valley area of Mass.- you might like to
check out the gigantic sycamore in Sunderland. I'm sure Bob has the
measurements. It's not tall, but it sure is fat.

Joe

== 5 of 9 ==
Date: Thurs, Aug 7 2008 9:10 am
From: Marcboston

Where is the Sunderland Sycamore location?

== 6 of 9 ==
Date: Thurs, Aug 7 2008 9:56 am
From: the Forestmeister

Go to the intersection of Rt. 116 and Rt. 47, near the CT River
bridge, then go north a short distance on 47. Pictures of it are on
the net: http://www.waymarking.com/gallery/image.aspx?f=1&guid=d65ed1d0-1efb-4330-a819-693667e6a20c'
and on the ENTS web site at:
http://www.nativetreesociety.org/species/sycamore/great_sycamores_of_the_northeast.htm
which has dimmensions.

Joe

== 7 of 9 ==
Date: Thurs, Aug 7 2008 1:14 pm
From: Marcboston

Thanks so much Joseph. Not that it is not fun trying to locate a
prized tree and putting you best detective face on. But I think I can
check out the Sunderland tree, and Pinchot in the same day. Any idea
where the national champion Black is in Granby Conn.? Perhaps I will
bag 3 trees this Sunday.

== 8 of 9 ==
Date: Thurs, Aug 7 2008 1:27 pm
From: pabigtrees

Marc

If you ever get to Valley Forge Pa., there is an amazing sycamore
there and several other trees worth photographing. Here is the
Pawlings sycamore http://www.pabigtrees.com/trees/images/00617%20Platanus%20occidentalis%20Pawlings%20sycamore.JPG
There are many other trees listed on my website too www.pabigtrees.com
if you have any questions or need directions, let me know.

Scott

== 9 of 9 ==
Date: Thurs, Aug 7 2008 2:50 pm
From: Marcboston

That tree looks impressive, I have never seen a sycamore with branches
hitting ground like that one.

== 2 of 3 ==
Date: Thurs, Aug 7 2008 6:09 pm
From: dbhguru@comcast.net

Marc,

The Thoreau Pine is not on a trail. It would be difficult to locate, but not to worry, I'll be happy to take you to see it and a nearby tree, the Grandfather Pine which is the largest pine we've modeled in Massachusetts.

Bob

== 3 of 3 ==
Date: Thurs, Aug 7 2008 6:43 pm
From: Marcboston

Bob, thanks for taking the time to respond to my questions. I will
take you up on seeking out some big ole trees in western
Massachusetts. I work an average of 6 days a week and Sunday is
really the only day I take off. But I can schedule time during the
week so long as I have more than a few days to organize my work and
inform them I will be leaving. I can email you a picture of the
Hillside Oak, let me know if you would like to come check it out.
Lastly, is there any way to attach a file on here? I would love to
post a few pictures.

==============================================================================
TOPIC: New Member and looking for some large trees to be photographed
http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees/browse_thread/thread/d8336d2229978713?hl=en
==============================================================================

== 1 of 1 ==
Date: Fri, Aug 8 2008 4:48 pm
From: DON BERTOLETTE

Marc-
I lived in Bishop and Mammoth Lakes back then, alternating between Humboldt State U. and the Inyo for several years.

I hate it that a berry I soooo like (gooseberry), is in part responsible for WPBR's current (and continued, for those who recall Yosemite's problem with them) run at the Southern Sierra/White Mtn. ranges (now there's some serious panoramas to get lost in while 'peaking'!)

Yes, Bob's happiest in the Rockies (they've got some undeniable superlatives!), but I'm not one bit ashamed of the Eastern portion of California!! But before I discount the NW California environs, I should add a few of my favorite species/locations to the discussion. One of the texts I had for my forestry classes at HSU was Sudworth's "Forest Trees of the Pacific Slope"

[Written more than 50 years ago, Sudworth's handbook is still recommended by forestry services as the most practical and comprehensive guide to the native tree species of the Pacific slope. George Sudworth (1864-1927), Chief of Dendrology for the federal Forest Service Department, gathered the material for this book from thousands of acres of forest land at a time when much of the American western country was wilderness, reachable only by pack train or on foot." Admired for its eloquent forest description, and with the most complete information on the trees available in handbook form, this book lists over 150 species. Sudworth notes for each its distinguishing characteristics, its extreme and average size, its range (in particular detail), its habitat, its morphology, its method of reproduction, its commercial value, and its length of life. Drawings of all but a very few of the tree species supplement the text. As will be seen by leafing through the book, these are of remarkable beauty and accuracy. Wherever possible, the drawings picture a leaf, seed, branch, fruit, or flower drawn to actual size. The student is encouraged to hold a similar sample against the, drawing to verify the identification of the tree. For residents of Alaska, the Yukon, British Columbia, Alberta, Washington, Oregon, California, and western Nevada, for those planning a trip to the West, and for nature enthusiasts and students of forestry in general, this excellent, easy-to-use text with its magnificent drawings is the finest field guide available to Pacific slope tree species.]

As an excited forestry student, I perused his descriptions and ranges thoroughly. Numerous hiking trips were made just to see if he'd been there. Brewer's Spruce, Western White Pine, and Mountain Hemlock were three relict species he found in hanging glacial valleys in the headwaters of the North Fork of Salmon Creek (Marble Mtn. Wilderness). This was unquestionably an old-growth ecosystem, yet none of the trees here were more than 30 foot high.

During my forays there in the 1970's, I found them just as described. While high above Lake of the Island (one of several glacial tarns there) in one of many rock garden alcoves, I watched an osprey circle and then dive several hundred feet to successfully harvest a fish for dinner. God's country too.
Which is to say nothing of the classic mixed conifer old-growth ecosystems that I will be around next month (about 30 miles West, as a lucky crow might fly from Lake Tahoe)!
-DonRB

==============================================================================
TOPIC: New Member and looking for some large trees to be photographed
http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees/browse_thread/thread/d8336d2229978713?hl=en
==============================================================================

== 1 of 2 ==
Date: Sat, Aug 9 2008 11:37 am
From: Marcboston

Don, some years ago the state of Massachusetts was part of a
eradication program to eliminate Gooseberry and made it unlawful to
ship here. Did California do the same due to the emergence of WPBR?
I find it curious that western 5 needle pines are affected by WPBR so
much more than our native white pines.
I am not trying to kick off a Rockies vs Sierra, but the eastern
Sierra Nevada Range in my opinion is the most handsome range in the
contiguous United States. Given that I have not been to Tetons or a
comprehensive visit to the Rockies say beyond Summit County. Add the
variety of conifers that are endemic to the Sierra, chalk that
mountain range tops for me.

I know this is off topic but when you were in Bishop did Eric Shat's
Bakery exist? Shat's bakery is one, if not the best bakery I have
been too and it is in the middle of nowhere. They recently opened a
second location in Mammoth. Before we set off to climb White Mountain
Peak we gorged ourselves there.

The west is just so blessed with a dizzying array of conifers in old
growth forests, that can make you only wonder how large some of our
eastern white pines must have reached in pre-colonial times. I was on
one of my "nature trips" a few years ago and stopped in the town of
New Boston, in western Massachusetts. A really small town, it is as
if it New Boston was caught in a time warp and not changed in over 50
years. I forget the name of the Inn, as much as I can gather the only
Inn. Any event, the Inn has a restaurant/bar in the basement that
serves good bar food and micro-brews. That it is as good of an excuse
for me to make a pit stop. While I waited for my meal I munched on
some popcorn earnestly listening to the bartender tell me about the
history of the Inn and about ghost that lives/haunts their guests. As
I ate my burger I noticed very large pine boards that dressed off the
rear wall. They were really wide much wider than what I have ever
seen. The bartender told me that they were harvested “Kings Trees”
way back when. When I left the restaurant I could not help to think
how large some of those pines must have been. A part of me wonders if
any of those trees would not have been harvested if they were not
marked as King Trees. Some colonists must have went out of their way
to cut them down to spite Great Britain, but my real guess is that
they would have been singled out anyway. Then again maybe a few would
have escaped?

== 2 of 2 ==
Date: Sat, Aug 9 2008 8:37 pm
From: DON BERTOLETTE

Marc-
Yosemite went through a devastating outbreak, what probably in the 1960's, with significant WPBR eradication efforts...for years you could see swaths of dead white pines...but the forest ecosystem was resilient, and is once again healthy...but minus western white pine for awhile. May I live long enough for their return.
Yeah, it was the old Dutchman, Schatt who started the bakery many years ago...how long ago? In the late 1950s, my dad used to bring home Schatt's Squaw Bread (Schatt meant no offence) which was as I recall a twisted sourdough bread that we treasured (as opposed to Wonderbread balloon loafs). I'm attaching a snap taken of mixed conifer forest on the Eldorado NF taken a few years back
-DonRB

== 2 of 3 ==
Date: Sun, Aug 10 2008 5:57 am
From: dbhguru@comcast.net

Marc,

Your advocacy for the Sierras is understandable. It is a great mountain range and exhibits a huge amount of relief. Looking up from Death Valley to the summits of the High Sierras is a sight that always amazes me. In terms of favorites, I'm sure the Cascades have their advocates as the number one range in lower 48 states. It is fun to talk about the great mountain ranges and compare and contrast them.
One feature of the Rocky Mountain domain that is especially attractive to me is the low concentration of people living in and around the mountains. One can reach great destinations throughout the Rockies without having to first plow through heavy concentations of population, congested places like Denver and Salt Lake City being the exceptions.

Bob

== 3 of 3 ==
Date: Sun, Aug 10 2008 5:38 pm
From: Marcboston

So true. Getting to the outskirts/wilds of California you have to
battle "super-suburban sprawl". But, once you hit 395 it basically
disappears, if you hit the western flanks of the sierra one does not
have that luxury. I totally forgot about the Cascades, beautiful
country. Perhaps we should start an American Mountian Club/
blog.....kidding. Anyone interested, SummitPost.com is a great site
for in-depth mountain talk.

Just rolled in from the Pinchot Sycamore, both Granby Oaks and the
Sunderland Sycramore, a really great road trip. The Pincot Sycamore
is the largest tree I have seen in the east, I cannot believe how much
it dwarfs my Hillside Oak. This is the second visit to the Granby
Oak, the last time I visited it in the dead of winter, it was nice to
see it all leafed out this go around. Taking rte 20 (if my memeory
serves me right) heading to Rte 91, I caught sight of the Granby
Black Oak. Tell you the truth I was not really looking for it, pure
luck. I pulled a u-turn and went back. I was not dressed for
trudging through jungle (wearing shorts and sneakers) and the place
was was loaded with poison ivy. Besides the fact the undergrowth
blocked much of the base/trunk and made I found it down right
impossible to photograph it properly. The dense undergrowth gave me a
hard time setting up my tripod properly too. I will be back to visit
it this winter. The Sunderland Sycramore was the biggest suprise.
All the time I was a UMASS I never heard about it. That tree was much
bigger that what I had expected. Great fun, I even had enough time to
drive to the top of MT Sugarloaf to enjoy the sweeping views of the
valley. I am sure you guys have heard of similar accounts visiting
these trees so I apologize if I sound so green.

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