| Laurel
Hill-School Site |
dbhg-@comcast.net |
| Oct
17, 2004 18:14 PDT |
ENTS:
John Knuerr and I set out to visit Ice Glen
and we did spend a goodly amount of time there, but we also
spent time in a new site with an abundance of mature trees. The
new site is in Stockbridge and includes a knoll and a small
bottomland area next to the Housatonic River. The entire area
cover only 10.5 acres and although not overpowering, it is
worthy of a visit. The trees are gorgeous. We managed to compute
a Rucker Index. Details follow:
White Pine 135.5 8.9
Hemlock 119.9 6.5
White ash 114.4 6.7
Shagbark H. 112.8 6.0
N. red oak 110.5 10.9
Red maple 108.0 4.2
A. basswood 107.2 5.1
White oak 106.8 8.5
Sugar maple 103.3 9.9
Black cherry 103.0 5.8
Rucker Index 112.1
The property is owned by the town of
Stockbridge and may be part of a school property. It would be
fair to classify it as secondary old growth. The only species
not measured were black birch and black oak. Neither would have
been in the class of the above species. There are several
impressive big red oaks that measure 9.5 to 11 feet in
circumference and are between 100 and 110 feet tall. Several
white pines top 130 feet, with two over 135. So the site is not
overpowering, but it is a beautiful little woodland.
We spent time in Ice Glen looking for a new
sugar maple champion, but despite the abundance of sugar maple
and the rich soils with an abundance of maidenhair fern, the
sugars top out at 110 feet. They just don't seem to want to get
above that ceiling.
On Saturday I spent several hours in
MTSF. I measured another boulder field sugar maple growing on a
rock. It's dimensions are: hgt = 123.6 feet and girth = 9.8
feet. It is an old growth specimen. Great tree. I remeasured the
Algonquin pine. It is a solid 158.6 feet in height. Its neighbor
the Frank Decontie tree is 157.0. An earlier late June
measurement was 157.1. So the measurements are very close. I'm
satisfied.
Bob |
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