ENTS,

Yesterday was a vacation day for me so I decided to do a RI for a site I
found several years ago while shed hunting.  The site is actually the most
western portion of Ridley Creek State Park in Delaware Co., Pa.  The park
consists of more than 2,600 acres of gently rolling woodlands and meadows.
Google maps does not show this site as part of the park but mapquest and
yahoo do.  The site is very well hidden and the only signage is " archery
deer hunting only " and is managed by the Pa. DCNR.  I think the site is
seen little by the public and an equestrian trail is the only one that cuts
through this portion of the park.

General Woods scenes

  From the parking area the site is not very impressive at all.  It's
infested with multi-flora rose and other invasive shrubs and the trees are
small.  I followed the trail until it met an unnamed spring fed stream, that
eventually empties into Ridley Creek, and is where the forest really started
to open up.  There was a shagbark hickory on the other side of the stream
that is the largest one that I have seen so far.  It measured out at 9'5" x
105.5.  

Shagbark 5 x 105.5

 From the base of the shagbark looking to the top of the ridge were
two huge white oaks, both are 12 x 100's, and they measure as 13'5" x 105.3
and 14'2" x 105.9.

12 x 100 White Oaks

 I headed downstream from there and the farther  I went,
the more it opened up to a point where there were little or no invasives at
all.  The forest is dominated by beech, oaks, and tulip poplar.  Other
common species are mockernut and shagbark hickory, white ash, red maple,
black gum, bigtooth aspen, flowering dogwood, and a. hornbeam.  There were
only two or three stands of aspen and small pockets of the dogwood.  The
hornbeam is found throughout the entire site.  Less common species would be
black walnut, black cherry, sassafras, and white pine.  About halfway
downstream I saw a handful of scattered white pine.  I saw a couple of
seedlings at the base of a beech tree but that was it for the pine.  At the
bottom of the stream, near the parks border, stood the only sycamore I found
at this site.  It measured out at 6'7" x 128.3.  This was my turn around
point so I decided to walk the top of the ridge back to my truck.  Right at
the point of the ridge I found a mockernut hickory that measured out at 6'2"
x 133.7.  Just below the hickory was an even more impressive n. red oak.
The oak is a 3x and measured out at 18'1" x 144.5!!!  

Northern red Oak

From there I could see
a huge tree at the base of the east side of the ridge.  Heading towards this
tree it became thick with the multi-flora rose and other shrubs again.
Those pickers got me only once.  It was a huge white ash that measured out
at 16' x 119.3 x 101.  It's greatest spread was 121'.  This was the last
tree I measured since I had to head home.  

16 x 119 White Ash

The east side of that ridge may
have some potential yet and I saw what I think was a tall swamp chestnut oak
that I didn't have time to measure.  There were several spots where I saw
it's leaves on the ground.  With some more searching I think the rucker
could go higher.  There are lots of tall ones in there.  Many of the oaks
were in the 8'-10' CBH range.  It is one of if not the most beautiful sites
I have seen here in SE Pa. Here are some of my measurements for the day.

Ridley Creek State Park Site Index

Species                                 CBH       Height
A Beech                           9'5"        113.0
A Beech                           5'10"      116.0
A Hornbeam                     1'8"        44.8
Big Tooth Aspen               3'9"        86.0        
Big Tooth Aspen               4'1"        87.5
Black Gum                        6'4"        89.0
Black Oak                         9'9"        110.5
Black Oak                         8'7"        120.3
Black Walnut                      6'1"        109.9
Chestnut Oak                    4'6"        119.0
Chestnut Oak                    6'1"        120.3*
Flowering Dogwood          2'0"        42.3        
Flowering Dogwood         2'2"        44.8*
Mockernut Hickory           5'2"        110.1
Mockernut Hickory           6'2"        133.7*
N Red Oak                      11'11"     119.3
N Red Oak                        8'9"        126.0
N Red Oak                        7'11"      136.6
N Red Oak(3x)                 18'1"      144.5*
Red Maple                         8'5"        87.8
Shagbark Hickory             9'5"        105.5
Shagbark Hickory             4'5"        111.9
Shagbark Hickory             3'9"        123.5
Sycamore                            6'7"        128.2
Tulip Poplar                        5'3"        134.6
Tulip Poplar                        6'0"        134.7
Tulip Poplar                        7'2"        137.7
Tulip Poplar                        7'0"        137.8
Tulip Poplar                        8'4"        139.6
Tulip Poplar                        8'5"        140.7
Tulip Poplar                        6'4"        143.1
White Ash                           8'11"      117.3
White Ash                           16'0"      119.3     12x100
White Ash                           7'3"        130.2
White Oak                           10'8"      104.0
White Oak                           13'5"      105.3     12x100
White Oak                           14'2"      105.9     12x100
White Oak                           10'9"      108.6
White Oak                           5'7"        122.2
White Pine                          5'7"        103.6
White Pine                          7'7"        117.0
*notes height contender

Ridley Creek State Park Rucker Index

N Red Oak(3x)                  18'1"      144.5
Tulip Poplar                        6'4"        143.1
Mockernut Hickory             6'2"        133.7
White Ash                           7'3"        130.2
Sycamore                            6'7"        128.2
Shagbark Hickory               3'9"        123.5
White Oak                           5'7"        122.2
Black Oak                           8'7"        120.3
Chestnut Oak                       6'1"        120.3
White Pine                           7'7"        117.0
RI                                                      128.3

Ed or Dale, please let me know if there are any new height champs.  I think
there are a few from the VFNP site index also. Thanks. br>

George