ENTS,
After an incredible ride on the Durango to Silverton RR
yesterday (pictures will follow in a day or two), Monica needed
a day off to catch up on her practicing, but I had Lower Hermosa
Creek on my mind. So, off I went to Hermosa while she practiced
on the piano and dog sat. From the start, it was threatening
rain and did rain some, but a little rain won't determine a
determined tree measurer. I shook the water off and got the job
done.
I first remeasured the tall Doug fir at 0.41 miles
from the Hermosa Creel trail head. The tree is down the bank
approximately 46 vertical feet. It is conspicuously large. I had
measured it before, but this time I found a slightly higher top.
I didn't take coordinates for the fir. I'll get them next time.
The statistics for the Doug fir follow:
Species: Rocky Mountain Douglas fir
Height: 147.0 feet
Girth: 10.3
feet (39.3" DBH)
Dist: 0.41 miles
from trail head sign, 46 vertical feet down the bank
The next tree I measured was a tall ponderosa in the same
ravine, but farther up it, maybe 80 or 90 linear feet. This was
the 3rd time that I've measured this pine. It is very
conspicuous from a couple of vantage points on the trail, which
a short distance farther crosses a dry ravine. The pine has a
rather complex crown and it is difficult to get the highest
point from the spot where the base is clear. The following is a
full set of statistics:
Species: Ponderosa pine
Height: 144.5 feet (highest value obtained was
146.0 feet, but couldn't sustain it)
Girth: 10.1 feet
Lat:
37.460836 N
Long: 107. 855315 W
Alt: 7693 feet
I then made it to the champion ponderosa and remeasured it. I
took a lot of time and settled on 160.7 feet after establishing
the base point better. I think I'm going to stick with this
measurement. Statistics for the Schrater Pine follow. I named it
the Schrater Pine after Dr. Faye Schrater. If it wasn't for
Faye, Monica and I wouldn't be in Durango. Faye will visit her
pine on Monday.
Species: Ponderosa pine
Height: 160.7 feet
Girth:
9.2 feet (34.1" DBH)
Lat:
37.468432 N
Long: 107.855512 W
I remeasured the Douglas fir using both the TruPulse 200 and
the Forestry 550. I got them to agree on the height and will use
the value until further refinement. I also moved the base point
up a bit. I was too far on the down hill side.
Species: Douglas fir
Height: 158.0 feet
Girth: 10.8
feet (41.3" DBH)
Lat:
37.468372N
Long: 107.8555405 W
Alt: 7736 feet
The Doug fir is named the Dr. White Fir, named for Dr.
Richard White, Faye's husband and a leader in sustainable
living.
I then went up stream to the tall blue spruce that I had
measured tentatively at 152.5 feet. I knew I was conservative,
but couldn't take the time before to get the height down. This
time I established the tree's base adequately. I had been
conservative before when I was shooting to where I thought the
base was and kept hitting obstacles. I established clear
flagging andalso got good agreement between the TruPulse and
Forestry 550. The stats follow without Lat and Long. I lost my
satellite connection and couldn't get it back. I'll try again on
Monday.
Species: Colorado blue spruce
Height: 156.5 feet
Girth:
8.3 feet (31.7" DBH)
Name: Will Blozan Spruce
I would have named it the Bob Van Pelt Spruce, but Bob
declines to have trees named after him at this point, so Will
was next in line. So Will, you have the tallest accurately
measured Colorado Blue Spruce named for you. The Will Blozan
Spruce is by far the tallest I've found in the watershed. The
second is right at 140 feet and then the rest of the tall ones
are in the low 130s. I'll do my best to get your tree's
coordinates on Monday. Its image follows. It is the spruce in
the center and in the background with the straight, pencil-like
crown.
BTW, using the straight clinometer method, I got 161.5 feet
for the spruce. It is evidently leaning a little. I'm actually
surprised at the 5.0 foot difference. I would have expected
maybe 3.0 feet.
Bob
