Jake Swamp Pine, MTSF: Most measured tree in New England   dbhg-@comcast.net   Jan 29, 2005 14:28 PST  ENTS:    Well today Howard Stoner, his wife Margaret, Susan Benoit, Lisa Bozzuto, Susan Scott, John Knuerr, and myself met at MTSF for a ramble in the snow. The early morning temperature was -10 degrees, but it warmed up fast as warmer air moved in. After a visit to the Jani Grove, we headed into the Trees of Peace to guess what? Yep, remeasure the Jake Swamp and Joe Norton trees. Mid to late winter days that are clear with no wind and with a good snow cover are the best days to measure in forest trees because the ground vegetation has been thinned, lots of small twigs have been broken on intervening trees that can obscure vision to a more distant target. So there we were with 4 sets of instruments. Howard remeasured the Jon Norton pine to 162.9 feet. My last measurement was 162.7. We're in sync on that tree.      We all took readings on the Jake Swamp pine from the most distant, highest location yet.  Howard also went down and accurately established the mid-slope point, something that I had not done in prior measurements. The midpoint allowed us to add 2 feet to what we got from the spot we shot to which was the snow line - a highly visible point. Looking toward the tree, Howard measured the right side of the crown and got 165.0 feet. John, Susan, and I shot the left side and got 166.2 feet. The basal correction represented the difference from my October measurement. I have carried that error through prior calculations -partly sloppiness on my part and partly to keep the basal area conservative as an offset to my fear of being high on the crown measurement. However, today we made the basal correction and am I glad we did. The Jake tree takes back over as the tallest in New England.      I also measured what appears to be the longest limb at 28 feet. maximum crown spread was 46 feet (28+18). The circumference at mid-slope is 10.1 feet. In the spring, I suspect this will swell to 10.2 feet.      The many measurements of the Jake tree using up to 6 sets of instruments (John Eichholz and Gary Beluzo added to what was used today) make the range of measurements and measurers the greatest for any of the New England trees of which I am aware. The measurements suggest a height of at least 165.8 feet, but 166.2 is defensible also. We're giving the Jake tree the benefit of the doubt. However, by the end of this growing season, I expect we'll be able to support at least 166.5 feet. The Jake trees crown appears to be in excellent shape. It is one sweet tree.      The long limb surprised me. I expect some of the other white pines in the recent comparative list with surpass the Jake tree. More on this in the next e-mail. Bob Re: Most measured tree in New England   John Eichholz   Jan 29, 2005 19:48 PST  Bob: That's great news. If you remember what the crown looked like you might check it against the photo at http://www.bcn.net/~johneich/js200404b01.jpg There are a couple of shots of the crown of the Jake Swamp tree taken last April. I remember getting 165+ on the tip indicated, and from the looks of it, it would likely have added a nice node last spring. I'll have to redo the photo from the same site soon. John Jake Swamp   dbhg-@comcast.net   Feb 20, 2005 05:06 PST  Lee:        Yesterday, Susan Scott and I began selecting research trees for the DCR volume growth study that I have been promising to do. Naturally, I used the opportunity to remeasure the Jake Swamp tree with my new Nikon Prostaff 440. I measured Jake from the greatest distance yet. Eye to crown distance was 75.5 yds. Eye to base distance was 68 yds. Jake's hgt cam eto 166.1 feet. My last measurement, using my trusty Bushnell 800 was 166.2 feet. I am using the 166.1-foot measurement.    In looking at prior measurements, the trunk to crown point horizontal offset distance tells a story. For the measurements I get for lower hgt readings, the offset is half what it is for the 166-ft measurements. For the former, I'm obviously hitting a closer twig. That has been my perception, but it is nice to get quantitative confirmation. Bob Jake Swamp, Colby Rucker, and our obsession   Robert Leverett   Jul 05, 2005 08:16 PDT  ENTS:    Our dearly departed Ent Colby Rucker is never far from my mind. Beyond his irreplaceable friendship, his gentle admonitions and sage advice helped me on many occasions to get myself unstuck from a pattern of thinking that prevented me from making progress on some task or challenge - for instance how much attention to pay to "where the acorn fell" in identifying the base of a tree for measurment purposes. Yesterday brought thoughts of Colby's advice back as John Knuerr and I checked the Jake Swamp tree in MTSF for evidence of any final growth spurts and to get the most reliable post-season growth measurement that we can possibly get. I had been monitoring the Jake tree closely throughout the growing season and thought that I was picking up the new growth with my laser, but after the measurements of June 25th and July 2nd, I had growing doubts. It was time to get a second opinion.     The Jake Swamp white pine may be the most frequently measured tree on the planet. It has been climbed twice (Will Blozan in 1998 and Michael Davie in 2001 ) and measured by many distinguished Ents. A list of those who have measured the Jake Swamp pine follows:     1. Bob Van Pelt (2001)     2. Colby Rucker (2001)     3. Will Blozan (1998, 2001)     4. Michael Davie (2001     5. John Knuerr (many times)     6. Jack Sobon (1992, 2001)     7. John Eichholz (several times)     8. Gary Beluzo (several times)     9. Paul Jost (1999- I think)     10. Howard Stoner (several times)     11. Bob Leverett (more times than there are stars in the heavens)    I'm unsure if Lee Frelich measured the tree at one time or another. I think he measured it in 2001. If so, he would make #12. If others have measured the tree, I apologize in advance for missing them. In addition Susan Scott has been involved in measuring Jake partly as a training exercise.    On Saturday I measured Jake and concluded that it had reach 167 feet by a somewhat shaky process. On Monday, John Knuerr and I took extra time to measure the tall pine. Between the two days, 3 sets of instruements were used. At the end of yesterday's measurement, John and I agreed on 73.5 yards from eye to a common point of measuremnt - namely the whorl of needles at the base of this season's growth candle. The spike of new growth does not provide a sufficiently wide target to return a reliable reading. Dropping the laser down to the broader, opaque whorl consistently registered 73.5 yards for both our Nikons. Moving forward immediately dropped the reading to 73 yards. Moving back a foot and a half or so changed the reading to 74 yards for me.     On the prior season measurements, I hadn't accepted that I couldn't (or wasn't) pick up the new growth until John and I confirmed it to each other yesterday. In fact in a prior e-mail, I had indicated that I was picking up new growth and attributed the 166.4-foot measurement to new growth. In truth I had not picked up that growth - at least not with consistency.    John and I also agreed on 65.5 yards to the center of the tree and at a spot 2.5 feet above the selected base point. The respective angles that we agreed on were 28.0 degrees to the top and -17.9 degrees to the bottom. Including the base add-on of 2.5 feet got us to 166.4 feet of height to the this season's point of new growth. All that remained was to figure out this season's candle length and we settled on 0.8 feet or about a 4 to 1 ratio to the assumed needle size of last year's whorl. I think those needles are between 2 and 2.5 inches. Needles farther down appear much longer - perhaps 3 to 4 inches. So with the addition of the 0.8 ft, we arrived at 167.2 for the season.     This jointly determined height gives Jake the clear distinction of being the tallest tree in the combined New England and New York area. Inclusion of NY is especially significant because Chief Jake Swamp lives in in upstate NY. As a very prominent Mohawk who has traveled the world in the cause of peace, to have him present in the fall on October 15th when we celebrate the Jake Swamp tree's achieving 167 feet would be quite an honor. He has planted two trees in MTSF in the past. If his schedule permits, I'm hopeful of getting him to come and address us.    While we were at it, John, Susan, and I also measured the Joe Norton, Tom Porter, Arvol Lookinghorse, and John Brown trees. These chiefs give great distinction to the Trees of Peace stand and the area that includes them should probably be named the "Grove of the Chiefs". I'll report more data from yesterday's efforts in a future e-mail.     Our actual objective on the 4th was to continue collecting plot data from the center of the Grove of the Chiefs. Progress was slow. We measured 15 trees in 3 hours. That's 12 minutes per tree. We spent 0.5 hours on the Jake tree for a total of 16 trees in 3.5 hours. Getting accurate height data obviously greatly extends the time to complete a plot.     The data fields we included for the plot were species, azmuith and distance from center point, circumference, height, tag#, condition, dominance, and slope index. Age of the pines in the Trees of Peace area varies from a low of 130 to a high of maybe 160 years. We didn't try to distinguish between the youngest and oldest in the plot.     As a point of digression, our frequent measurement of the Jake tree may seem perplexing to many others on the list. However, we have a purpose in concentrating on Jake. That fine tree has been the principal means by which we have identified and analyzed the common source of measurement error for us: (1) differences in equipment accuracy, (2) difficulty in identifying the highest of several tops, (3) understanding the limits of laser reflectivity, and (4) the effects of different lighting conditions on our laser readings. We have also been able to perfect methods for assessing new growth where that growth falls within the error range of the equipment. We also have been able to observe the kinds of errors new measurers make most frequently. So in studying the sources of error for both experienced and novice measurers, the Jake tree has become a kind of institution for us. Jake has also given us an obvious object of state pride to promote to not only the public but to share with harried state park officials who must spend most of their energies herding the general public into and out of the campgrounds, cleaning up after the messy ones, and insuring the public safety. So, it has been especially satisfying to me to be able to share with the Park employees the tree treasures that grow under their careful watches. Jake Swamp's splendid tree, as with Jake Swamp himself, is a first rate ambassador for the promotion of tree awareness to the general public, to naturalists and scientists, and to timber specialists. Long live, Jake and his tree. Bob Robert T. Leverett Cofounder, Eastern Native Tree Society   Home