| Pine
Cobble, MA |
dbhg-@comcast.net |
| Nov
02, 2003 16:18 PST |
Will:
At the other end of the age spectrum, today
Joe Choiniere, Tom Rawinski, Gary Beluzo, John Knuerr, Jarred
Trout, Pam Weatherbee and 3 others plus myself explored an area
known as the Pine Cobble on a mountainside in Williamstown, MA.
The rock base is a glacial dumping of quartsite on I think a
schist base. Old red, black, white and chestnut oaks are
scattered across the west face of the Pine Cobble. Joe Choiniere
cored a gnarly chestnut oak and got a minimum age of 302 years.
With 1 to 2 inches remaining to the pith and 3.5 feet to coring
height, the full age is likely 320 to 340 years. Regardless, it
is the oldest chestnut oak dated in Massachusetts.
Today, beauty was measured in smallness and
gnarliness. So huge live oaks that people think are many
centuries old turn out to be no more than one century and small,
inconspicuous chestnut oaks that few notice surpass three
centuries. It all keep the wonderful world of trees interesting.
Bob
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