Pennsylvania Rucker Index Site Comparisons (9/16/04)
(Average of 10 Tallest Species within a Site)
(Bold denotes record status)
Eastern Native Tree Society (ENTS) members involved in measuring the following trees:
Dale Luthringer, Environmental Education Specialist, Cook Forest State Park
Will Blozan, President and Co-founder ENTS, arborist
Robert Leverett, Co-founder, ENTS and Co-founder/Executive Director, Friends of Mohawk Trail State Forest (FMTSF)
Dr. Robert Van Pelt, Forest Ecologist, University of Washington
Colby Rucker, Retired, State of Maryland
Dr. Tom Diggins, Professor, Youngstown State University
Jack Sobon, Architect and Timber Framer
Scott Wade, Arborist Pennsylvania
Ron Busch, Arborist North Carolina
Site	Rucker Index
Cook Forest State Park	136.04
Fairmont Park	132.27
Wintergreen Gorge	128.53
Ricketts Glen State Park	126.29
Anders Run N.A.	122.34
Walnut Creek Gorge	121.69
Clear Creek S.P.	117.54
Coho Property	115.74
Sisters of St. Francis	115.15
Hemlocks N.A.	114.75
Heart's Content N.A.	113.79
Lake Erie Community Park	113.57
Alan Seeger N.A.	111.13
Scott Community Park	109.56
Tionesta N.A.	109.36
Allegheny River	104.99
Detweiler Run N.A.	104.65
Laurel Run Rd-Centre County	104.6
Parker Dam State Park	104.13
Hemlock N.A.-Laurel Hill State Park	99.82
Glenwood Park	98.08
Shingletown Gap	97.47
Bear Meadows N.A.	93.72
Cook Forest State Park
Species	CBH	Height	Status	Rucker Index
E. white pine	11.1	182.1	5th tallest E. U.S.	136.04
E. hemlock	12	145.7	tallest NE
black cherry	11.4	137.3	3rd tallest E. U.S.
tuliptree	8.2	136.6
white ash	7.6	128.3
Am. beech	7.5	127.5	tallest PA
white oak	10.6	127.3	tallest NE
N. red oak	11	126.5
red maple	9	126
cucumbertree	7.5	123.1
Fairmont Park, Philadelphia, PA
Species	CBH	Height	Status	Rucker Index
tuliptree	10.9	158.6	tallest NE U.S.	132.27
sycamore	11.4	139	tallest PA
white ash	7.3	135.7
N. red oak	9.7	135.2	tallest PA
bitternut hickory	6.7	134.2	tallest PA
green ash	8.7	132	tallest NE
E. hemlock	8.4	122.5
white oak	9.1	122.3
Am. beech	8	122.1
black walnut	5.4	121.1	tallest PA
Wintergreen Gorge, PSU Behrend Campus
Species	CBH	Height	Status	Rucker Index
tuliptree	9.5	145.4		128.58
red maple	7.8	136.7	tallest NE U.S
white ash	9.9	129.8
sycamore	7.7	129.7
E. hemlock	7.8	128
cucumbertree	8.7	125.6	tallest NE U.S
slippery elm	8.8	123.7
sugar maple	5.7	123.4	tallest PA
Am. Basswood	9	121.7
black cherry	8.8	121.3
Rickett Glen S.P. (includes The Glens N.A. & Boston Run N.A.)
Species	CBH	Height	Status	Rucker Index
tuliptree	10.7	152.9	tallest PA Bureau of State Parks	126.29
E. white pine	10.4	144.6
white ash	8.3	139.7	tallest PA
E.hemlock	8.8	136.7
Am. Basswood	6.5	123.2	tallest PA
Am. beech	7.3	116.8
sugar maple	8.5	115.8
cucumbertree	5.4	115.8
red maple	7.6	110.6+
N. red oak	9.3	106.8
Ander's Run Natural Area (Cornplanter State Forest)
Species	CBH	Height	Status	Rucker Index
E. white pine	13	167.1	PA State Champ	122.34
E. hemlock	7.5	125.4
black cherry	6.6	121.8
Am. Basswood	8.1	120.7
white ash	11.5	118.4
silver maple	8.7	116.1
red maple	4.4	116
cucumbertree	3.9	115.8
white oak	9.3	111.1
shagbark hickory	5.3	111
swamp white oak	10.4	111	tallest E. U.S?
Norway spruce	10.2	132.7	tallest northeast
Walnut Creek Gorge, Fairview, PA
Species	CBH	Height	Status	Rucker Index
tuliptree	9.5	135.5		121.69
sycamore	15.3	133.8
slippery elm	6.7	124.6	tallest NE
white ash	8.2	124.2
sugar maple	9.3	122.9
Am. beech	15.9	119.3
black locust	7.6	116.5	tallest PA
bitternut hickory	6.4	115
shagbark hickory	6.3	112.8
E. hemlock	N/A	112.3
Clear Creek State Park	CBH	Height	Status	Rucker Index
E. white pine	9.7	137		117.54
N. red oak	10.1	126.7
white ash	10.3	125
cucumbertree	7.6	118.9
black cherry	8.5	118.7
Am. Basswood	7.7	117.6
white oak	6.4	110.8
sugar maple	6.4	110.4
red maple	8.2	106.4
E. hemlock	7.9	103.9
Coho Property (Presque Isle State Park-West)
Species	CBH	Height	Status	Rucker Index
tuliptree	8.4	140.3		115.74
cottonwood	8.5	125.4	tallest PA
N. red oak	9.7	123.4
white ash	7.4	120.5
sugar maple	9.3	117.1
E. hemlock	N/A	109.3
Am. beech	6.4	108.3
black cherry	7.6	105.1
butternut	5.7	104.6	tallest PA
pignut hickory	5	103.4
Sisters of St. Francis
Species	CBH	Height	Status	Rucker Index
tuliptree	15.8	137.5		115.15
sycamore	15.9	118.9
mockernut hickory	8.7	117.6
pignut hickory	7.6	115.9
N. red oak	12.5	115.8
white ash	10.1	112.1
bitternut hickory	10.8	111.5
black oak	10.9	110.7
white oak	12.7	106
shellbark hickory	7.9	105.5
Hemlocks Natural Area
Species	CBH	Height	Status	Rucker Index
tuliptree	N/A	138		114.75
E. hemlock	9.8	137.9
N. red oak	N/A	119
red maple	N/A	115.5
Am. Basswood	N/A	113.4
cucumbertree	N/A	111
black gum	8.6	109.5	tallest NE
white ash	N/A	104.1
chestnut oak	N/A	102.8
black locust	N/A	96.3
Heart's Content Natural Area
Species	CBH	Height	Status	Rucker Index
white pine	9.9	162		113.79
E. hemlock	9.4	127.8
red maple	6.8	119
cucumbertree	8.8	114.1
Am. Beech	6.2	109.8
white oak	7.8	108.4
black cherry	4.6	106.4
N. red oak	11.1	98.6
chestnut oak	7.5	97.6
black birch	5.7	94.2
Lake Erie Community Park
Species	CBH	Height	Status	Rucker Index
tuliptree	8.1	140.4		113.57
Am. beech	10.3	125.8
sugar maple	11.7	122.3
E. hemlock	8.4	122.3
white ash	7.8	121.1
N. red oak	7.7	116.3
black cherry	5.4	106.6
red maple	8.6	105.1
white oak	5.2	89.8
yellow birch	5.2	86
Alan Seeger Natural Area
Species	CBH	Height	Status	Rucker Index
tuliptree	8.9	137.7		111.13
white pine	8.6	137.6
E. hemlock	11.2	118.2
white ash	5.7	111.1
N. red oak	8.8	108.1+
white oak	6.9	108.1+
red maple	5.8	105.1+
cucumbertree	5.2	102.2
chestnut oak	8	96.1+
black gum	6.6	87.1+
Scott Community Park	CBH	Height	Status	Rucker Index
Species
tuliptree	10.6	122		109.56
N. red oak	9.9	116.7
sugar maple	N/A	116.5
cucumbertree	14.6	112.9
cottonwood	12.2	112.8
black cherry	N/A	111.7
white ash	7.2	105.1+
Am. beech	N/A	102.7
white oak	11.6	97.8
E. hemlock	N/A	97.4
Tionesta Scenic Area
Species	CBH	Height	Status	Rucker Index
E. hemlock	12.4	134.6		109.36
black cherry	16.1	121.5
tuliptree	7.6	119+
red maple	8.6	113.9
Am. Beech	6.9	108.9
white ash	9	107.2
sugar maple	6	106.5
yellow birch	9	99.1+
black birch	5.3	92.9
cucumbertree	4.5	90+
Allegheny River Rucker Index
Species	CBH	Height	Status	Rucker Index
Sycamore	N/A	135.3		104.99
Sugar maple	8.7	108.1+
White ash	10.2	107.4
Silver maple	9.4	105.6
Bitternut hickory	5.4	104.2
N. red oak	10.7	101.9
Red maple	6.7	99.1+
Common hackberry	6.4	99.1+	tallest NE
Am. basswood	7.1	96.7
Slippery elm	8.2	92.5
Detweiler Run Natural Area
Species	CBH	Height	Status	Rucker Index
E. white pine	9.7	134.6		104.65
E. hemlock	11.5	123.7
tuliptree	N/A	116.4
white oak	4.8	102.1+
red maple	6.9	101.6+
black gum	7.8	100.9
N. red oak	6.9	96.1+
black oak	5.3	96.1+
pitch pine	5	90.9
chestnut oak	7	84.1+
Laurel Run Rd. (Center County, 2ndary old growth site, private property)
Species	CBH	Height	Status	Rucker Index
tuliptree	N/A	131.1		104.6
E. hemlock	N/A	123.5
black cherry	N/A	115.8
E. white pine	N/A	111.2
N. red oak	N/A	103.4
cucumbertree	N/A	100.2
chestnut oak	N/A	90.6+
yellow birch	N/A	90.6
red maple	N/A	90.1+
black birch	N/A	89.5
Parker Dam S.P. (Penfield, PA)
Species	CBH	Height	Status	Rucker Index
white ash	7.6	114.8		104.13
N. red oak	N/A	114.1
cucumbertree	N/A	114
tuliptree	7.3	113.3
E. white pine	7.8	112.9
Am. Basswood	6.8	108.1+
sugar maple	9.1	107.1
shagbark hickory	4.6	104.2
white oak	N/A	89.2
E. hophornbeam	3.3	63.6
Hemlock N.A.-Laurel Hill S.P.
Species	CBH	Height	Status	Rucker Index
E. hemlock	9.9	118.9		99.82
Am. Beech	7.2	114.4
tuliptree	N/A	106.2
black cherry	4.4	105.1
red maple	5.5	99.1+
N. red oak	9	93.1+
shagbark hickory	4.1	93.1+
cucumbertree	3.7	92.7
Am. Basswood	4.3	88.5
yellow birch	5.5	87.1+
Glenwood Park  (Erie, PA urban old growth?)
Species	CBH	Height	Status	Rucker Index
tuliptree	10.1	113.9		98.08
sugar maple	N/A	110.3
shagbark hickory	9.5	106.3
white oak	12.7	104.5
red maple	9	100.1
black cherry	7	99.1
Am. beech	N/A	95
N. red oak	11.6	90.8
Am. basswood	7.5	90.1
E. hophornbeam	3.4	70.7
Shingletown Gap (Centre County)
Species	CBH	Height	Status	Rucker Index
E. hemlock	N/A	122.9	97.47
E. white pine	6.9	117.6
tuliptree	N/A	115.3
white ash	N/A	114.8
chestnut oak	4.8	90.1
N. red oak	10	87.1
red maple	5.2	85.1
white oak	5.8	84.1+
yellow birch	4.8	79.5
Am. basswood	4.7	78.2
Bear Meadows Natural Area
Species	CBH	Height	Status	Rucker Index
E. white pine	8.2	110.2		93.72
tuliptree	7.2	103.1
E. hemlock	6.2	100.9
red spruce	4.8	94.6
N. red oak	10.7	90.1+
white oak	7	90.1+
black gum	6.9	89.1
pitch pine	4.1	87.2
chestnut oak	6.2	87.1+
balsam fir	3.7	84.8