Native Tree Society BBS

NTS, This August I finally got around to climbing Hoffman Mountain, and since I said that I would update this thread when the time came, that’s what I’m doing. For those interested, Hoffman’s summit (3700’) offers zero views. I came upon a herd trail for the last few yards to the top, but approximat...

Erik, Well done. Shellbark Hickory I’ve seen growing naturally, but Shumard Oak I’ve not, at least in NY. It ought to also grow across the river in Ontario, then, right? Not that we’ll be allowed over there anytime soon. This is a great collection of species in an unusual place. Thanks for sharing, ...

Jack,

Pitch Pine 100%. Both rigida and resinosa can live 300+ years, but rigida normally will show its age much more clearly. Great find,

Elijah

NTS, I recently spent a few hours surveying some of the old growth portion of Powley Rd., a dirt and gravel seasonal route which links NY-10 in Piseco, NY, with NY-29A in Stratford, NY, as well as the trail to Goldmine Creek, which is accessed from Powley Rd. This post only covers the eastern (Hamil...

CG, Welcome. Visiting the rainforests of the west coast (Washington State) for the first time in 2018 was an amazing experience for me. We have plenty of old growth forest in the mountains of NY, but this was a whole different level. I’m looking forward to hearing about your experiences in Californi...

NTS, I returned to Beaver Lake earlier today to walk the trails and measure some trees. When I went looking for an earlier trip report on this site, I realized that it hadn't been updated for a while. Tom and I have visited in the intervening years, and I've made a couple of visits by myself, so I s...

NTS, Last weekend I took a trip up to Watertown, NY, looking to survey Brookside Cemetery. No trees exceeded the 130’ height mark, which was my main objective, but I did get enough measurements for a Rucker Index. The Girth Index isn’t too shabby, however. Here’s what I found: Eastern White Pine Pin...

NTS, I have a few more measurements to share from today’s trip, but I’ll open up with two additional ring counts I was able to get from fallen trees. 1. Northern Red Oak: 183 rings at 30.5’ above the base; average diameter where count was made was 1.75’ 2. Northern Red Oak: ~190 rings at ~12’ (not c...

Adam,

Those are some wonderful pines. You can pick them out easily on Google Earth. I looked up the Haglof clinometer, and it is tiny. I’m curious how it works: is it just a digital clinometer, or does it also have distance measuring function?

Elijah

Erik, Great work, and apologies for beating you with the Slippery Elm. Zoar continues to impress. I think we're getting close to fifty documented tree species in the MUA and associated canyon area, with twenty-five or so species exceeding 100' in height. The rare non-tree plants just add to the expa...