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TOPIC: Raccoon Creek State Park
http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees/browse_thread/thread/449ea1c542736359?hl=en
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== 1 of 2 ==
Date: Thurs, Apr 24 2008 8:16 pm
From: "Dale Luthringer"


ENTS,

On 3/19/08 I had the opportunity after a training session to investigate
some of the rolling hills of Raccoon Creek State Park. Raccoon Creek
State Park is located in SW PA, almost due west of Pittsburgh, and
virtually adjacent to West Virginia.

Here's a brief clip from the park's website:

http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/raccooncreek.aspx
"Raccoon Creek State Park has continued to develop from the park's
beginning as a Recreational Demonstration Area operated by the National
Park Service in the 1930s, to one of the largest and most beautiful
state parks in Pennsylvania. Facilities at the park are a mix from the
early Civilian Conservation Corps camp to modern facilities. In addition
to recreational areas, there are large tracts of undeveloped land. The
7,572-acre park features the beautiful 101-acre Raccoon Lake."

One of the most visited sections of the park is the Wildflower Reserve:

"The 314-acre Wildflower Reserve contains one of the most diverse stands
of wildflowers in western Pennsylvania. Over 700 species of plants have
been identified in the Reserve. Trails lead through a variety of
habitats like, oak-hickory forest, pine plantations, woodland meadows
and flood plain forest along Raccoon Creek. Peak wildflower blooms occur
in late April and August. Because of its uniqueness and to preserve the
many wildflower species, the Reserve is closed to all activities other
than hiking on designated trails. Pets are prohibited in the Reserve.
Detailed trail information can be found in the "Wildflower Reserve Trail
Map," available at the Wildflower Reserve Interpretive Center and the
park office, open 8 a.m. to sunset."

The nature center is where we usually hold our meetings and training
sessions which is the general trailhead for the Wildflower Reserve. The
nature center is on a hilltop with Raccoon Creek meandering around it.
There are a few decent sycamore in this section of the park and a few
trees with a little age along steep fingers and cliff edges, but in
general the site is a decent second growth hardwood forest.
So, I thought I'd visit a couple different areas of the park that I've
never visited before to see if there were any "sleepers" to find in this
~7200 acre state park. It didn't take long for me to realize that there
was a lot more to Raccoon Creek State Park than what I was accustomed to
seeing at the Wildflower Reserve. There are some nice hills and valleys
in the park with relief from hilltop to valley approaching 350 vertical
feet. Some of the draws looked impressive, so I decided I'd explore a
couple of them before the day was through.
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/raccooncreek/raccooncreek_m
ini.pdf
First, Pat Adams, leading environmental education specialist at the park
(and one of the best we have in the state for that matter), directed me
to a couple of sites to check out, before I went on my woods
exploration. The first was an impressive shingle oak, which was once
noted as the largest documented in the PA state park system. It
certainly was the largest I've come across. I've yet to see any in NW
PA. This one came to 10.1ft CBH x 76.6ft avg spread x 87.5ft high for
228 AF Points. Shingle oak is lightly sampled on Scott's PFA Big Tree
list. This shingle oak only makes the second nominated on the list.
Hence, second largest we know of so far in PA. My first glance at the
tree without any leaves on the branches led me to believe it was a
scarlet oak, but the leaves on the ground beneath it were none other
than those of shingle oak. Neat species.
Next Pat took me to an old house foundation off of Nichol Rd that had a
couple of Norway Spruce. One was also once documented as the largest
known Norway Spruce in the PA state park system. The largest recently
lost its top. It came out to 9.5ft CBH x 30.7ft avg spread x 113.3ft
high. I'm not sure if it still holds the largest known in the entire
state park system, but it's definitely larger in girth than what we've
got at Cook Forest. I didn't realize there was an old house foundation
in the area until I just about walked right into a horse chestnut
growing in the middle of the woods. I was thinking, what on earth is
this thing doing here? Then I turned on my "historical site glasses"
and noticed the obvious past hand of man was all around me.
Pat then left to get back to other park duties, so I decided to explore
a couple of draws west of the campground off of Raccoon Creek Park Rd,
Traverse Creek, and Valley Trail. I left the road and walked downhill
(north) along the draw. I first came across a couple of pitch pine, and
young 2nd/3rd growth forest. Then the forest changed dramatically to
very nice 2nd growth hardwood forest dominated by red oak, white oak,
and white ash. A little farther down and I got into some good stuff. A
nice N. red oak with age went to 12.7ft CBH x 123.1+ft high and a white
ash to 7.2ft CBH x 121.8ft high. A little further down and the forest
changed into a hardwood dominated secondary old growth forest. Many
white oaks here should approach at least the 175 year age class, with a
scattering of red oaks close to 150. White ash ID through me here for
awhile. I wasn't accustomed to seeing a deep furrowing pattern such as
this on white ash. I've never cored old white ash, but they'd easily go
over 100 years. I put it in my visual estimate record at 125, but who
knows. Next time I'm in the area I'll take a couple of samples to
confirm. As I worked further down the hill, the forest changed back to
average 2nd growth forest.
I worked my way down to Traverse Creek and quickly came across a fat
white oak that should approach 250 years at 12.4ft CBH x 96ft high.
Walked downstream until I came to the next draw, then headed back uphill
(south) towards my car. It wasn't long before I was back into the
secondary old growth hardwood stand. This second draw ended up being
adjacent to the park campground. In this particular draw there were
some sugar maples that should approach 200 years. Black oak were
showing age as well. One decent one fell adjacent to the campground.
The park had started to cut it up, but a quick ring count at 10.2ft from
base with a 8.8ft circumference at this point, came to ~189 rings to a
1inch hollow center. This black oak would easily have made it into the
200 year age class. Once you got closer to the road, the secondary old
growth changed abruptly back to average second growth.
I was just hoping to find some decent trees and get a new site Rucker
Index. I definitely didn't expect to find a new secondary old growth
stand. Here's some visual estimates, some are backed by actual ring
counts:
Species Visual Age Estimate
White oak 250
Black oak 200
Sugar maple 200
N. red oak 150
White ash 125
E. hemlock 125

Here's the day's stats:

Species CBH Height Comments

Am. Beech 5.1 103.7
Am. Beech 7.9 111.5

Black cherry 9 117.2
Black cherry 7 120

Black oak 8.7 93.1+
Black oak 8.8 (at 10.2ft fm base) ~189 rings to 1inch hollow
center

Black walnut 6.4 99.7

E. hemlock 8.7 104.4

Flowering dogwood 0.5 14.8

Horse chestnut 12.7(2x) 78.5

N. red oak 10.5 102.1+
N. red oak 7.6 104.7
N. red oak N/A 104.8
N. red oak N/A 110.5
N. red oak 10.7 110.7
N. red oak 12.7 123.1+

Norway spruce 7 105.1+
Norway spruce 9.5 113.3
Norway spruce 7.8 115.3

Pitch pine 3.9 85.9

Shagbark hickory 3.9 101.7

Shingle oak 10.1 87.8 228 AF Points

Slippery elm 4.7 79.4+

Sugar maple 9.9 94.3
Sugar maple 12.3 96.1
Sugar maple N/A 103
Sugar maple 8.7 107.3

Sycamore N/A 104.9
Sycamore 12.3 116.3
Sycamore 9.3 119.7

White ash 7.9 106.4
White ash 8 109.1
White ash 7.2 121.8

White oak 12.4 96
White oak 8.8 101.8
White oak 7.3 110.6
White oak 8.3 114
White oak 11 114.4

Raccoon Creek State Park now has a Rucker Index of 112.36 which places
it 18th out of 39 sampled Pennsylvania sites.

Species CBH Height

N. red oak 12.7 123.1+
White ash 7.2 121.8
Black cherry 7 120
Sycamore 9.3 119.7
White oak 11 114.4
Am. Beech 7.9 111.5
Sugar maple 8.7 107.3
E. hemlock 8.7 104.4
Shagbark hickory 3.9 101.7
Black walnut 6.4 99.7

Dale

== 2 of 2 ==
Date: Thurs, Apr 24 2008 8:49 pm
From: "Edward Frank"

Dale,

By what criteria or rationale are you calling this secondary old-growth? How do you define the term?

Ed

== 2 of 3 ==
Date: Fri, Apr 25 2008 5:01 am
From: djluthringer@pennswoods.net


Ed,

I'm referring to the Frelich & Reich paper, 'Perspectives on development of
definitions and values related to old growth forests', pg4:

"Secondary old growth: Forest that was cleared and reforested or heavily logged
at one time and now fits one of the above definitions. Much of the temperate
forest of sugar maple, red oak (Quercus rubra), and hemlock in Massachussetts,
U.S.A. is in this category (Dinwiddie, et. al. 1996). Whether secondary
forests can return to primary status after a long enough time has passed is
still a subject of debate."


Within the draws and associated hilltops I spoke of have had some type of
logging in them, but either left a number of relic old trees standing, or the
logging was so long ago that the trees and forest are starting to show old
growth characteristics. This area definitely needs some coring to confirm.
The site is similar to Cook Forest's Maple Drive old growth area, but the trees
are most likely not quite as old.

Dale

== 3 of 3 ==
Date: Fri, Apr 25 2008 8:19 am
From: Anthony Kelly



Dale, As you know, I've visited Racoon Creek State Park a number of times. I can't recall off hand whether I've visited the areas you mention, but I have unexpectedly come across large, old-looking oaks there from time to time. I say unexpectedly because much of the park was once farmland and "the obvious past hand of man" as you say is what's most noticable in the park -- invasives everywhere, old foundations, and quarries, etc. I've only visited the park to hike or to attend Pat Adams' educational programs (which are excellent, by the way!). For that reason I have never been there with my measuring equipment. I'm glad that you got to measure some of those oaks. I have often wondered about their ages and whether they are second growth or relics of the primary forest. I hope that you do get to take some core samples sometime. I'd be interested in knowing the results.

Anthony Kelly