..... Dan Sperduto, who cored and ring counted all the black gum core that goes back over 600 years, has surveyed ~30 forests in New Hampshire that contain black gum as a significant component of the forest composition. His natural heritage report states that there were many trees found to be over 500 years old including 6 different forests.

   Second, during a dendro fieldweek in New Hampshire, several years back, a growth chronology of black gum was made dating back to 1434.  Several trees during this fieldweek were found to be over 450-500+ years of age.

   Third, Dave Orwig has samples from a swamp nearby the Harvard Forest with x-dated core samples around 520 years old, if not more. Further sampling here will likely find a true 500 year old forest.

   Finally, there is a forest dominated by black gum in the northern end of the Hudson Valley with cross-dated tree-rings dating back to 1454 with the oldest core reaching 1436. Of the 28 trees processed {30 were sampled, but 2 were too hollow to date}, 17 have an inner ring date of 1597, 12 have an inner ring date of 1527, while 8 have an inner ring date of 1495. Two of these have inner ring dates of 1454.

   All dated samples above were solid. These are not age extrapolations. Every black gum cored in Bear Swamp on Saturday was hollow. The trees in Bear Swamp may be 400 years old, but there is no proof.

   So, the oldest hardwood forest in the northeast to date is in New Hampshire. There are nice ones in central Massachusetts and eastern New York State, respectively.