MTSF Statistical summary   Robert Leverett
  Apr 17, 2006 07:23 PDT 
Dale, Will, Ed, et al.,

     On Sunday, John Eichholz ad I went to Clark Ridge in MTSF to check
on the Ash Queen. I hadn't seen the tree in 3 years. It is a stiff climb
up to the stately tree, which grows in a boulder field. Well, the Queen
still reigns. She now proudly stands 147.9 feet tall and is a solid 9.5
feet around. Above the Queen a thinner ash grows that I measured to
around 138 feet 3 years ago. John confirmed the ash at 141.0 feet and
7.7 feet in girth. The latter ash makes number 18 for the species that
breaks 140 feet in MTSF and #19 in Massachusetts. I'm reluctant to state
that Massachusetts's claim to tree fame is its "big white ashes" - just
doesn't sound quite right.   

     John and I remeasured the red maple champion. We took extremely
careful measurements of the base position to get the best midpoint spot
possible. The result is a solid 128 feet in height for the slender red
maple. Measuring the nearby Saheda pine, using careful base positioning,
we got 164.8 feet and a girth of 11.4 feet. A similar measurement of the
Tecumseh tree yielded 161.8 feet and 11.7 feet around.

     The measuring exercise encouraged me to develop a current summary
of MTSF data. It is presented below for the reading pleasure of all.

Rucker Index Summary:

Current Index Native Species:     135.5

Current Index All Species:        135.8

Historical Index Native Species: 136.1

Historical Index All Species:     136.3


Rucker Index        # Iterations       # Iteration
                        Current         Potential

  =135                      1                1

  =130                      3                4

  =125                      9               10

  =120                     16               17

  =115                     28              >35


No Species       Hgt (ft)>=
(Native)

1                       160
2                       150
2                       140
6                       130
12                       120
18                       110
20                       100

22 species including native and non-native exceed 100 feet in height
The non-natives include Norway spruce and white spruce

No Species           Hgt (ft)>=
(Native)

1                       160
2                       150
2                       140
6                       130
12                       120
18                       110
20                       100

Species     No. Trees        Hgt(ft) >=

WP              165                1

WP              160                4 (maybe 5)

WP              155               14

WP              150               78
WA              150                1

WP              140              229
WA              140               18

WP              130              303 (Many not yet measured)
WA              130               58 (Fair many not measured)
SM              130                6 (Small number not measured)
NRO             130                4 (Very small number not measured)
AB              130                2
HM              130                1

Species     Maximum Probable   Statistical Outlier
                 Height Potential          Potential

WP                170 - 175                  180
WA                145 - 150                  155
SM                130 - 135                  140
NRO               130 - 135                  136
AB                128 - 133                  135
HM                128 - 133                  134
BNH               128 - 133                  134
RM                125 - 130                  131
ABW               125 - 130                  131
BC                125 - 130                  131
BTA               120 - 125                  127
AE                120 -125                   125
RP                115 - 120                  125
BB                110 - 115                  116
SBH               110 - 115                  116
RS                110 - 115                  117
YB                100 - 105                  106
WB                100 - 105                  110
WO                100 - 105                  107
BO                100 - 105                  110

WP=white pine, WA = white ash, SM=sugar maple, NRO=nortehrn red oak,
AB=American beech, HM=hemlock
BNH=bitternut hickory, RM=red maple, ABW=Americna basswood, BC=black
cherry, BTA=bigtooth aspen
AE=American elm, RP=red pine, BB=black birch, SBH=shagbark hickory,
RS=red spruce, YB=yellow birch
WB=white birch, Wo=white oak, Bo=black oak

Probable additions within 5 years to >=100 club

    1. Eastern cottonwood.

    2. Green ash (identification pending)

Bob


Robert T. Leverett
Cofounder, Eastern Native Tree Society