Pisgah State Park NH

Pisgah State Park, NH

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TOPIC: Pisgah State Park, NH
http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees/browse_thread/thread/495dee8a4cfaa4f1?hl=en
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== 1 of 2 ==
Date: Fri, Sep 12 2008 6:00 pm
From: dbhguru@comcast.net

ENTS,

Today I met Steve Roberge, a New Hampshire county extension forester. Sam Stoddard, another extension forester, who I met at the end of July provided me with the connection.
The plan was to explore an old growth area in Pisgah State Park near Winchester, NH. Pisgah is the location of old growth forest studies in the 1920s that focused heavily on the succession process. I have read the research papers many times, so it was most rewarding to get a first-hand look at some of the forest ecosystem that was the subject of study.
Steve and I hit it off right away. Like Sam, he's first rate. Steve took me directly to an old growth remnant in Pisgah that escaped the worst of the famous 1938 hurricane. The remnant is one of 7 or 8 pockets of old growth remnants to be found in the 13,000-acre state park. Steve estimates that the combined acreage is around 100 acres. But before I relate today's findings, I should mention that Pisgah is the location of a 25-acre old growth in-holding of Harvrd Forest. The in-holding had large white pines that blew down in 1938. The following is a photo from 1928 showing one of the pines.

Although there were some large white pines in Pisgah, as a rule, the region is underlain by coarse-grained granite bedrock and relatively shallow soils that just do not support a lot of large trees. We did find a scattering of very old white pines. The largest I measured is 9.7 feet around and 97.4 feet tall.
Finding trees in the old growth area that exhibit advanced age characteristics is no problem. Steve and I saw plenty of white pines, northern red oaks, yellow and black birch, eastern hemlocks, American beech, and red maples with advanced age characteristics, although only the northern red oaks and a couple of teh white pines exhibited the most advanced indicators. We were looking at a lot of trees in the 180 to 250-year age range. Some of these trees would have been released after the 1938 hurricane blew down most of the overstory. Others were survivors of the big blow. At least two pines appeared to be in the 300-year age range. I plan to return with Steve and look at other old growth remnants in Pisgah.
On the way out of the old growth area, we waled through a swath of second growth that showed fast growth characteristics relative to what we had been looking at. I immediately recognized a fertile area of sugar maple and white ash. I told Steve that the ash trees would be taller than any trees we had seen in Pisgah and then proved it by confirming an ash to 117.4 feet. Steve was very impressed with the cluster of ash trees and he proved quickly that he had a very sharp eye for tree height. He was right there with me spotting the tallest members of the grove.
Steve says there are other areas in Pisgah where white ash may prove to be equally exceptional from a height standpoint. But for now, the tallest tree I've measured in Pisgah is the white ash at 117.4 feet and a slim 5.8 feet in girth. A second ash, about 110 feet tall branched at 74 feet above its base. Both Steve and I were mightily impressed.
Unfortunately, the best I could get out of other hardwoods was a skinny, but healty, American beech at 5.0 feet in girth and 86.3 feet in height. Sugar maples in the area may reach 90 feet - maybe. More trips will be made to get a handle on Pisgah's RHI.
After leaving Pisgah, we stopped at the Yale School of Forestry's managed forest to look at some pretty decent white pines. Most proved to be very ordinary by my standards, but we did find 3 large pines that were 38 Hurricane survivors. All three were 10-footers. The tallest pine measured 10.05 feet around and 119.5 feet in height. The other two were both right around 106 feet in height. One measured 9.9 feet in girth and the other 10.1. I didn't try to tie their heights down more accurately because it started to rain. So we called it a day.
I am really excited about getting in thick with the New Hampshire extension foresters. Each county has one and they probably more than any other tree people know where the most productive tree sites are and where individually impressive trees can be found. A new era of tree hunting for ENTS has begun for New Hampshire.

Bob

== 2 of 2 ==
Date: Fri, Sep 12 2008 6:38 pm
From: "Edward Forrest Frank"

Bob,

Excellent. I am looking forward to wonderful things coming out of New Hampshire.

Pisgah State Park, NH http://www.chesterfieldoutdoors.com/plands/pisgah.html

Pisgah State Park, NH http://www.newhampshire.com/state-parks/pisgah-state-park.aspx

Forest Journal: A little logging history is reviewed in North Country - By DAVE ANDERSON - Sunday, May. 25, 2008
http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Forest+Journal%3A+A+little+logging+history+is+reviewed+in+North+Country&articleId=d3a1e9bc-37d9-4b38-81a0-c2f26e4d5f64

First Mountain Forest
http://home.maine.rr.com/firstmtnforest/page7.htm

Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
http://www.spnhf.org/aboutus/

Forest Management Plan 1996
http://extension.unh.edu/forestry/Docs/NHFRP01.pdf (gobbledygook but some interesting stats also)

Ed

== 2 of 2 ==
Date: Sun, Sep 14 2008 6:05 pm
From: dbhguru@comcast.net

Joe,

Good questions to ask and as you might guess I find ways to ascertain what a state is really doing. I expect to learn more on my next outing with Steve.

Bob

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