New Massachusetts Pignut Champion   Robert Leverett   Feb 12, 2007 05:47 PST  ENTS, On Saturday, Tom Kass, a new forester-arborist friend took me to Southwick, MA to look at what he described as the best pignut hickory he has seen in Massachusetts. He described the tree as both of large diameter and very tall. It grows in a gently sloping wooded lot. The tallest pignut I had in my database is a tree in Ice Glen with dimensions (120.8, 6.4). The largest pignut hickory in Robinson State Park has dimensions (116.7, 9.4). I was hoping that Tom's tree would challenge at least one of these maximum dimensions. However, the new pignut proved to exceed both the prior height and girth maximums. It weighs in at an impressive (128.5, 9.7). For a Massachusetts pignut, this beautiful tree is off the charts. Very seldom do I encounter a new champ with such a commanding presence. It is a new state height champion and may be the overall state champion. Its average crown spread is approximately 44 feet. So, total big tree points equals 256. I don't get to crown a new champion every day, so this was a real treat. Tom's tree beats the old height record by 7.7 feet. It also tops the current Pennsylvania champion pignut, which is (126.7, 5.0). Okay Dale, Scott, Ed, Anthony, and Carl, the ball is in your court. The hickories are calling to us.            The new pignut champ is named the Tom Kass Pignut Hickory in rightful honor to Tom. I'm hoping Tom will join the ENTS list. He's a super dude. In addition to being an arborist and licensed practicing forester, he also competes in lumberjack contests. Tom had measured the pignut to 135 feet using just a clinometer and tape. An error of 6.5 feet is not bad for the technique. So he is to be commended. He readily accepted the superiority of sine-based math for tree height determination. Bob Robert T. Leverett Cofounder, Eastern Native Tree Society Re: New Massachusetts Pignut Champion   djluth-@pennswoods.net   Feb 12, 2007 06:02 PST  Bob, I think your pignut is not only the new MA height record, but the new Northeaster U.S. height record to boot! Great job!!! Dale Back to Will   Robert Leverett   Feb 12, 2007 06:45 PST  Will,    No, the new pignut hickory champ won't effect the Mass Rucker index. It is in 13th place on the Rucker list. But dang, it is one sweet tree. Tom Kass got quite amused and pleased at my show of enthusiasm.    On Sunday Gary took me to see some of the tuliptree sites in Westhampton and Southhampton. One site is bizarre. The combination of hemlock and tuliptrees seems so out of place. The tulips are older trees that pre-date the hemlocks. All the tulips seem suppressed. We hope to show you the site in October. Bob   Will Blozan wrote: Sweet tree! Does that bring up the MA Rucker? Will Back to Dale and Beth   Robert Leverett   Feb 12, 2007 06:49 PST  Dale,    I suspect that pignut is extremely under-sampled in the Northeast. These tall, narrow-crowned, modest-girthed trees probably get overlooked a lot. Where I seem them in competition with the oaks, they almost invariable overtop the oaks, but are otherwise not conspicuous. Beth, Re: New Massachusetts Pignut Champion   Jess Riddle   Feb 12, 2007 07:01 PST  Bob, That's a fantastic new find. How many other trees do you know of that score a perfect 200 for state TDI? We're there any other exceptional trees on the surrounding slope or any indication of why this pignut has outgrown all it's relatives in Massachusetts? Jess Back to Jess   Robert Leverett   Feb 12, 2007 07:22 PST  Jess,    There are indications that the site grows moderately tall trees, but not exceptionally tall. The pignut seems to have outgrown its neighbors. As to perfect TDI scores, your question sent me scrambling. Presently, the pignut shares the distinction with only one other species, bur oak. However, we have a modest sample of pignuts and only one bur oak. So I'd say the distinction really falls only to the pignut. Bob Re: Back to Dale and Beth   Fores-@aol.com   Feb 12, 2007 08:49 PST  Bob: I wanted to mention that some of the best land I ever encountered in Massachusetts for both pignut and bitternut hickory was on the east-facing slopes of the Massachusetts side of the Taconic Range immediately south of where Route 2 heads into New York State.   There are several large estates in that area onwed by families with familiar names of moneyed families from years gone by. Dr. Alan Page owner of Green Diamond Forestry Service had extensive contact with many of those property owners 30+ years ago...in doing lots of thinning and work in the woods in that part of the state the hickory is still the most memorable feature of the place for me 30 years alert the fact....your discovery yesterday reminded me of those impressive trees Russ Richardson   Home