Hatfield Sycamore

Hatfield Sycamore

Dear Frank Motyka,

I was asked by a neighbor of the huge Hatfield sycamore that just lost limbs to contact you and provide any information I have about the importance and structural integrity of the big tree. I am the cofounder of the Eastern Native Tree Society (ENTS) and President of Friends of Mohawk Trail State Forest. I can be reached at 413-584-3017. I'm generally acknowledged to be the Commonwealth's leading authority on and proponent for old growth forests in Massachusetts.

ENTS measures and maintains a record of significant eastern trees. Part of our mission is to engineer methods of measuring trees that go beyond ordinnary forestry techniques. Most people in the know acknowledge ENTS as the authority on tree measuring. Please feel free to visit our website at www.nativetreesociety.org .

Although you will need multiple opinions, the tree still appears structurally sound to me. Large sycamores we in ENTS see across the species range are almost always hollow yet can stand for a couple of centuries or more with what many people believe to be terminal decay. Historically, giant hollow sycamores in the Ohio River valley and elsewhere were used by settlers to stable pigs and even a cow or two.

In terms of the Hatfield sycamore, I would think that the large cavity should be sealed in keeping with methods of prolonging the lives of historic trees, but I must leave that point to experts on tree repair - as opposed to experts on tree removal, whose advice in such situations if entirely predtictable. I can consult with arborist members of ENTS if you wish. I would send them plenty of digital images of the tree from varying distances and solicit their comments. I would be happy to do that if it would help you.

I remeasured to big tree yesterday for the ENTS record book. Using sophisticated laser instruments, I found the highest point of the tree still stands 113 feet above the base. People measuring the tree with clinomter and tape measure alone might get a greater or lesser height, but that method of measuring tree height, although popular, is seriously flawed - at least the way it is usually performed, without resolving the crown point horizontal offset distance.

The circumference of the Hatfield sycamore is a solid 24 feet 1 inch. In girth, that puts it second to the Sunderland sycamore, which measure right at 25 feet around. I didn't measure the crown spread of the Hatfield sycamore yesterday, but after the limbs lost, I would estimate it to be about 75 feet. At one point, the average spread was around 120 feet. However, a 75-foot spread would still give the tree 420 big tree points on the state's champion tree formula, keeping it solidly in 3rd place among New England's biggest sycamores and second in Massachusetts. I should also note that my HCC colleague Gary Beluzo and I modeled the trunk and limb volume of the Hatfield sycamore to around 2,400 cubic feet.

As I'm sure you are aware, trees in the size class of the Hatfield sycamore are exceedingly rare in today's over-developed landscape. From my perspective, the Hatfield giant is a New England, as well as Massachusetts and Hatfield, treasure. I would be happy to provide more information on great sycamores and do any additional comparative measures of the Hatfield sycamore that you might wish, plus provide you with input from members of ENTS.

Best regards,

Bob Leverett

== 3 of 4 ==
Date: Fri, Jun 13 2008 10:27 am
From: dbhguru@comcast.net

ENTS,

The giant sycamore in Hatfield lost 3 limbs after a storm that weakened the limb structure beyond holding on. The challenge now is to prevent the tree from being cut down. After looking at the images below, advice from any of you would be most appreciated.

Bob

== 4 of 4 ==
Date: Fri, Jun 13 2008 10:58 am
From: DON BERTOLETTE

Bob-
From the angle you took the photo from, the tree doesn't look badly unweighted. I can't imagine though that the tree's balance wasn't impacted...I'd be looking at any signs of ground lift (from roots struggling to maintain balance).
And I agree, the large opening created by the loss of limb is a problem (separate from the problem that was exposed, that of interior rot). I've seen a number of trees successfully treated by sealing/filling interior, although for how long I wouldn't want to hazard a guess.
-DonRB (with fingers crossed, we lived almost within sight of the Hatfield Sycamore, included it in our daily walks)

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TOPIC: Hatfield Sycamore
http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees/browse_thread/thread/a105340827733320?hl=en
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== 1 of 2 ==
Date: Mon, Jun 16 2008 7:24 am
From: dbhguru@comcast.net

Frank,

I don't envy you your job. I appreciate that public safety must come first.

I've passed digital photos to the ENTS list with an explanation and request for any input that members may care to give. I'll forward to you any responses from tree expert members, but I expect the input you'll be getting from wood density measurements will be the most significant from a safety standpoint. My only observation at this point is that other big sycamores we are aware of in ENTS have proven remarkably resilient. For example, the huge sycamore on the campus of the Deerfield Academy was looking very poorly in 1934. A well-known tree surgeon was called in and treated the tree and today the Old Deerfield sycamore shows none of its early trauma.

The limb loss of the Hatfield sycamore raises some important questions. One that comes immediately to me relative to sycamores is what might be an acceptable amount of decay for very large sycamores from a safety, structural integrity standpoint. Truthfully, I doubt that there is anyone out there that can confidently answer that question. I wonder if authorities in the other towns with giants such as Sunderland, Old Deerfield, and Simsbury, CT could be consulted - especially the two Massachusetts towns.

I fear that with the progression of climate change, big trees everywhere are going to be in for a rough time. As the frequency and intensity of storms increase big trees are going to be at increasing risk. A sad situation, but there is little we can do.

Bob

-------------- Original message --------------
From: "Frank Motyka" <FMotyka@townofhatfield.org>

Hi Bob,

I have concerns about public safety in regards to a large limb that fell from the tree last week.
C.L. Frank will be analyzing the tree this week to determine it's integrity. My understanding is that instrumentation will be used to measure the trees wood density, and that this will determine decay.
I have zero experience with this type of situation and any insight which you may be able to provide would be appreciated.

Frank Motyka

Hatfield DPW Director

== 2 of 2 ==
Date: Mon, Jun 16 2008 10:10 am
From: DON BERTOLETTE

Frank/Bob-
We had a similar problem with hazard trees at the Grand Canyon (with some portion of the 4 million visitors going as far as Indian Gardens and Phantom Ranch where sycamores and cottonwoods were planted during the 1920's). We would have what appeared from the surface to be a healthy tree, when a limb or branch would pop off without much warning. One considered strategy was to have folks come down with their tree density machines and determine soundness of our trees. The ones I have seen typically are measuring sound transmissions through let's say a dozen transmitter/receiver pairs, in a band around the trees girth.
It was a prohibitively expensive operation for us, and more extensive pruning to unweight the structure was the solution for us. At least in Hatfield's case, the tree could be reached by vehicle...Phantom Ranch is a grueling 10+ mile hike (approx. 5000' loss/gain in elevation in accessing/returning)...this time of year it would quite likely be well over a hundred degrees, at midnight (it was 114 in Phoenix yesterday, usually a good indicator of in-canyon temps).
-DonRB

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TOPIC: town of hatfield
http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees/browse_thread/thread/d7a474337fd7e7b7?hl=en
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== 1 of 1 ==
Date: Fri, Jun 20 2008 6:44 pm
From: Matthew Hannum

Ouch, those photos are depressing...

I don't think the hollow nature of the tree is alone life-threatening
since based upon what I've read here on the ENTS website, old
hardwoods are usually hollow, despite being very large. But as for
safety concerns, I cannot answer that, and I also don't know how bad
things may get now that such a large wound is exposed.

Still, there are many huge, hollow sycamores that have stood for
years. I am no expert in this field, but if it can be left standing to
finish out its natural life, that would be the best choice, IMHO.

I just wish humanity hadn't cut down so other large trees like this
one over the years.

== 5 of 17 ==
Date: Tues, Sep 9 2008 10:21 am
From: dbhguru@comcast.net

Oh yes, the Hatfield Sycamore is now a giant stump. I have a small piece of it.

Bob

== 9 of 17 ==
Date: Tues, Sep 9 2008 12:04 pm
From: DON BERTOLETTE

Bob-
I'm deeply saddened...:>{
Any was that the rings could be accurately counted?
-DonRB

== 12 of 17 ==
Date: Tues, Sep 9 2008 12:12 pm
From: "Edward Forrest Frank"

Bob,

I also am wondering of there are any of the limbs or stump from which a ring count could be obtained. The oldest on Neil's list is 412 from Missouri. I expect that the Hatfield was hollow and a date approaching that would not be obtainable, but still the data seems to be pretty thin on the species, especially in the northeast.

Ed

== 13 of 17 ==
Date: Tues, Sep 9 2008 12:53 pm
From: dbhguru@comcast.net

Ed,

Yes, the giant tree was mostly hollow inside. Even though it was hollow it was still growing at a fairly rapid rate. Sycamores rule.

Bob

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